Exciting results which report an amplified “spin-Seebeck effect”, conducted by Christopher Jaworski, Roberto Myers, Zeke Johnston-Halperin and Jos Heremans, were published in the July 12th issue of Nature. The researchers are studying a magnetic effect which converts heat to electricity, called the “spin-Seebeck effect”, in which a flow of heat creates a current of electron spins in a magnetic material. This generates a voltage in an adjacent metal. The discovered “giant spin-Seebeck effect” was detected using a non-magnetic semiconductor and resulted in a 1-million-fold increase in power. The ultimate result of this research could be electronics that recycle heat into electricity, or a solid-state engine which converts heat to electricity.
Press release from OSU research news: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/giantseebeck.htm
Full text of the publication: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v487/n7406/full/nature11221.html