Introducing nanotechnology and energy

Neil CovilleSchool of Chemistry University of the Witwatersrand

Media Round Table3rd March 2011

Richard Feynman “Room at the bottom”

“Why cannot we write the entire 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin?”

December 29th 1959 at an annual meeting Engineering and Science

Hard definition

•Nanoscience deals with the size regime in which properties change with the object size.

• Objects to be studied have one dimension of less than 100 nanometers

So – what is nano!!

Colour of particles is a function of size

Size increase

Gold particles

Making computer chips

How do we see at the nano level ?

Electron microscope

Access to new instrumentation has led to the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology

Humanity’s top ten problemsfor the next 50 years

1. Energy

2. Water

3. Food

4. Environment

5. Poverty

6. Terrorism and war

7. Disease

8. Education

9. Democracy

10. Population2003 6.3 Billion People2050 9-10 Billion People

Smalley

Millions of Barrels per Day (Oil Equivalent)

300

200

100

0

1860 1900 1940 1980 2020 2060 2100Source: John F. Bookout (President of Shell USA) ,“Two Centuries of Fossil Fuel Energy” International Geological Congress, Washington DC; July 10,1985. Episodes, vol 12, 257-262 (1989).

World Energy

Some information

•Enough fossil fuel for 200 – 300 years•Currently: >85% energy from fossil fuels•But world will double energy use by 2050• Global warming ??Lewis and Nocera, PNAS 103 (2006) 15729

Alternatives

•Biofuels•Wave/wind/thermal•Nuclear

“No country has a policy against economic growth”

165,000 TW of sunlight hit the earth every day

Consumption2001 – 13 TW 2050 – 27 TW2100 – 43 TW

• Generation (the sun)• Conversion (electricity, thermal)• Collection and Storage (chemical bonds; e.g. hydrogen)• Then utilization

Energy issues for solar

Energy issues for solar

But cost is too high !!!!

• Generation (the sun)• Conversion (electricity, thermal)• Collection and Storage (chemical bonds; e.g. hydrogen)• Then utilization

Carbon‘To carbon, the element of life, my first literary dream ………….’ Primo Levi

• Cheap/abundant• Light weight• Many shapes• Conductor

(a)

(b) (c)

(d) (e) (f)

(a)

A carbon tool kit – bits and pieces for making devices

Wool fibers

• Photovoltaics (solar cells) • Batteries• Fuel Cells• Lightweight materials• Fuel rods, nuclear materials, • Electrochemistry and solid-state energy applications • Catalyst applications

Using the materials?

Buckypaper

• The nano revolution relates to a mindset that considers how size relates to a materials property.• This permits an understanding of the properties of materials at a new level.

• Can apply to the ENERGY field:a) In making devices smaller b) Making new devices that are small

This is made possible by the availability of modern materials and techniques

Conclusions

The new faces in SA Nanoscience

• Consumption statistics show that around 30% of the energy available at source is lost before it reaches end-user.

• 42% of non-transport energy consumption is used to heat buildings, and in turn, a third of this energy is lost through windows.

• Transportation represents 74% (of UK) oil usage and 25% of UK carbon emissions.

• To achieve the 2010 EU 5.75% bio-fuels target would require 19% of arable land to be converted from food to bio-fuel crops.

Some key energy facts