A prototype plastic ‘Swiss Roll’ developed by a WSU researcher and colleagues may some day allow cell phones and other portable electronics to be powered for hundreds of hours instead of just a few.
Jeongmin Ahn, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and a group of undergraduate and graduate students will take their ‘Swiss Roll’ as one of ten teams invited to participate as finalists in the national Innovation Showcase competition.
Sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the competition features prototypes of innovative products from universities throughout the country. The finalists are judged on feasibility and possible impact on the marketplace. The winning team will receive seed funding for their project. The event will take place November 9 in Seattle, before the 2007 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition.
Researchers continue to look for a replacement for batteries, which weigh a lot for the power that they produce and have to be re-charged often. Liquid, carbon-based fuels contain about 100 times more energy than the best batteries, but such fuel cells have to run at very high temperatures to maintain their chemical reactions. Holding a cell phone that is powered by a 400 degree reaction has not been practical. Ahn and his group are working to create a thermal management heat exchanger to mitigate the heat problem.
The Swiss Roll that he developed out of plastic allows the heat of the reaction to be re-circulated. Heat is transferred from hotter to cooler gases, so the roll keeps outside temperatures cool while the reaction occurs in the center. It also allows the thermal energy produced by the reaction to be recycled back to produce more reaction. Building the roll out of plastic provides the ability to mold and shape intricate geometry as compared to metal or ceramic. Furthermore, plastic has lower thermal conductivity than other materials, providing better performance.
Students on the team include undergraduates Lindsay Sanford (hometown: Yakima, WA) and James Huang (hometown: Vancouver, WA) and graduate students ChienShung Lin and Jungmin Lee.
