Speaker:  Thomas Thundat

Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair

University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4, Canada

Time: Dec. 11, 2014, Thursday, 9:00 – 10:00 am

Place: Room 2-102A, Research Institute of Micro/Nano Science and Technology

Abstract:

Over a century ago Nikola Tesla proposed a different mode of electricity transmission where the earth acted as a single wire. We have resurrected this old concept for delivering electrical power to all kinds of devices. One such application is powering miniature sensors and devices. Despite the many advances in the development of miniature sensors based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), their use as implantable sensors and left behind sensors with telemetry still remain as a dream. Size and lifetime of the batteries pose the biggest bottleneck in the development of miniature sensors. Using a standing wave concept, we have developed a technique of power delivery through the resonance of a solitary wire with its surrounding stray capacitance. The system may operate with only a single connection to the power supply where the return path is completed through the stray capacitance. This allows replacing the standard two-wire transmission line with a single wire. Presently, the method is experimentally demonstrated at the small scale using loads of up to 100 watts with efficiency over 90%. Simple circuit models show close agreement with experimental results. I will discuss potential applications of this method for many applications such as charging electronic devices, powering electric vehicles, in-situ heating of oil sands deposits, remediation of tailing ponds, etc.  I will also discuss the possibilities of powering remote villages and transmission of large-scale power over large distances.

Bio:

Thomas Thundat is a world leader in the study of molecules and nanoscale structures at interfaces. He has pioneered new techniques for detecting molecules on surfaces, even in trace quantities, and has developed new sensors that have tremendous potential applications for oilsands processing.

Before becoming Canada Excellence Research Chair in Oil Sands Molecular Engineering, Thundat was a corporate fellow and leader of the Nanoscale Science and Devices Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. He was also a research professor at the University of Tennessee and a visiting professor at the University of Burgundy, France. Thundat holds a PhD in physics from the University at Albany, State University of New York, and a master’s from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, India. He has more than 300 publication credits in leading international journals and textbooks, and holds 32 patents.

Internationally recognized for his work, Thundat has received several awards, including the Young Scientist Award from the US Department of Energy, the Pioneer Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Nano50 Award, and the Scientific American 50 Award. He was also twice named the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Inventor of the Year.