There are many researchers searching for new and clean sources of energy. However, few are conducting research at the intersection of nanotechnology and quantum phenomenon. Professor Dayan Ban, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is conducting seminal research in the area of quantum photonics and nanoelectronics.
His
main
objective
is
to
develop
advanced
semiconductor
quantum
photonic
and
nanoelectronic
devices
for
terahertz
communication,
terahertz
imaging,
sensing
and
energy
harvesting.
Professor Ban
designed
and
created
prototypes
of
high-performance
quantum
devices.
Thesedevices
convert
infra-red
light
directly
to
visible
light
(green)
at
room
temperature.
These
experiments
led
Professor Ban
to
fabricate
a
hybrid
energy
harvester
based
on
a
nanogenerator
and
solar
cell.
The United States Energy Information Administration projects a 28 percent increase in world energy use by 2040. To reduce the burden on the world’s limited energy resources novel technologies must be developed to harvest energy from non-traditional sources.
Professor Ban and his collaborators are focused on harvesting energy from ambient sources, such as vibration, thermal, acoustic or solar. This energy can also be harvested from remote sources, such as radio-frequency or acoustic beacons. An example is the powering of sensors on an airplane wing through the mechanical vibration of the plane itself. Thermoelectric generators can be attached to a heat-generating source such as an engine.
“Our goal is to use nanotechnology to develop nanogenerators and light emitting diode to be commercialized for general applications,” said Ban.
“This research is only possible at the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. The diverse group of researchers provides all of us with an opportunity to collaborate and proposed unique solutions to society’s challenges.”
We do not currently know the full extent of the application for these nanogenerators. However, the ability to harvest energy from mechanical, thermoelectric or light sources will drastically reduce the carbon emissions associated with traditional forms of energy production.
Professor Dayan Ban is a member of the Next Generation Energy Systems thematic group.
For more stories like this, please see our 2017 - 2018 Annual Report.