Copper Oxide Thermoelectric Generator Can Light LED

A simple copper oxide thermoelectric generator can generate hundreds of millivolts. Sixteen of them in series can generate enough voltage to light an LED.

See more information at http://www.sparkbangbuzz.com

What is happening? I have spent my entire life reading whatever technical books and articles I could find and can recall seeing only one book that says tells how to make something like this and none that explain how this device works. It would be safe to say however, that an explanation could be found in the institutionalized literature. Not being presently affiliated with any institutions, I do not have ready access to most of their literature which makes the cost of reading it prohibitive. So, I will offer my own take on what is happening.

A thermocouple is generally thought of as being a junction between two dissimilar metals but it might be better to say that it is a junction between two dissimilar conductors. Touching the two oxidized wires together forms a junction of copper oxide to copper oxide. This is not where the action is. The copper oxide on both wires should be thought of as one solid conductor between the two copper wires - a very short one at that. This can now be seen as the classic two thermocouples back to back circuit. We have a copper - copper oxide junction on the hot wire and an opposing copper oxide - copper junction on the cold wire. With this in mind it is now easy to view this device as being a normal thermocouple circuit.

It is easy to wonder how this device could work at all because of the copper oxide, that is between the two wires, being almost an insulator. Copper oxide however, also acts like a thermistor with a very high negative temperature coefficient. Even the "cold" wire still gets hot enough that the resistance of the copper oxide drops relatively to a very low value - enabling current to flow.

I must give credit to an older book "Simple Scientific Experiments" by Aurel de Ratti as being the one and only book I have ever seen that makes the reader aware of this copper oxide thermoelectric generator. This book also contains other fascinating stuff. It is reprinted and sold by Lindsay Publications Inc.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• copper
• oxide
• thermoelectric
• generator
• thermocouple
• science
• fair
• homemade
• semiconductor
• diy
• seebeck
• k7ns
• nyle
• steiner
• sparkbangbuzz

[electrodacus]

Thanks seems interesting but way to inefficient for my taste.

It may be good to measure high temperatures. 

[nylesteiner]

@electrodacus

Efficiency is not the issue here. I am fascinated with this interesting phenomenon that is not very well known about. This is not a demonstration on how to save the world from energy shortages.

[ObiTrev]

1:50 it's just like when Spock made a communicator out of light bulbs!

[PayWithLawv]

@nylesteiner dude this is friggin crazy! thx for showing me this. have you tried with larger diameter of wire other othermethods? nice job bro!

[Allwestconstruction]

Hi Nyle

I am getting some strange readings on the multimeter

4 wires together, copper and steel, one set heated, no cold added

Goes pos up to 1.4 then goes neg to 12.4

Any ideas what is happening?

From Rookie

Thanks

[boxa888]

@Masalmeh321 look up copper oxide nano wire solar panels, there spectrum absorbtion combined with zinc metals and a few others make large spectrum absorbtion, meaning more energy produced per area, and on top of that the wires are arranged in a formation like the villi in the intestines which increases the surface area to increase the energy absorbtion. this could be some serious technology if done correctly! thanks nyle!

[Masalmeh321]

Thank you for making this video, it's amazing. And you're right, it's NOT well-known.

[TheCerberusInferno]

How many watts do i need for lighting LED ?

[Phantasm911]

Would current be produced if one wire is submerged in liquid nitrogen and the other wire at room temperature?

[boxa888]

@nylesteiner actually this seems good enough to hook up to a solar collector from a satellite dish. theoretically 20 of these stacked in a insulated case, even a ceramic to hold the heat higher than the out side should produce 40 volts from what you are saying, and there has to be some current with that as well. thank you, such simplicity is key to saving the world lol. u should do a stacked video of this, im sure it would be jaw dropping results!!.

[boxa888]

nyle, what about strips being used, thats got to increase the surface area to bring about higher currents and voltage. great work! you always make amazing stuff! thanks for helping the world out!!!