Charging capacitors from thermal fluctuations using diodes

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of how energy can be harvested from thermal fluctuations using diodes in a graphene ripple system, demonstrating conditions under which energy transfer occurs without violating thermodynamic laws.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theoretical model showing how a specific diode configuration can temporarily break detailed balance, enabling thermal energy harvesting from fluctuations.

Findings

Energy can be transferred from thermal baths via diode configurations.

Ultraslow approach to equilibrium allows energy harvesting.

System obeys thermodynamic laws despite energy flow.

Abstract

We theoretically consider a graphene ripple as a Brownian particle coupled to an energy storage circuit. When circuit and particle are at the same temperature, the second law forbids harvesting energy from the thermal motion of the Brownian particle, even if the circuit contains a rectifying diode. However, when the circuit contains a junction followed by two diodes wired in opposition, the approach to equilibrium may become ultraslow. Detailed balance is temporarily broken as current flows between the two diodes and charges storage capacitors. The energy harvested by each capacitor comes from the thermal bath of the diodes while the system obeys the first and second laws of thermodynamics.