Practical Method for Production of Water Fuel with Piezoelectric

[Nrgaway]

The Power To Be mentioned this article to read for reference in growing crystals:
http://nathan.instras.com/documentDB/paper-243.pdf

Within this article there seems to be another step in growing the crystals that appear to me that no one has mentioned before.  I am just wondering if it applies since we are using a different 'home based' approach to growing the crystals in the first place.

The following is the text I am referring to in the article:

...
2.2. Growth of ZnO nanorods

The ZnO nanoparticle colloids were directly dipped
into ITO substrates and dried at room temperature. Be-
fore growing nanorods, the nanostructured substrate was
under the heat treatment in dry air at 300 â—¦ C for 12 h
(Fig. 1(b)). Then ZnO nanostructured substrates were im-
mersed in equimolar of zinc nitrate (Zn(NO)3 ·6H2 O) and
methenamine (C6 H12 N4 ) aqueous solutions at 90 â—¦ C for
24 h to grow ZnO nanorods (Fig. 1(c)). Finally, the grown
ZnO nanorods on nanostructured substrates was thoroughly
washed with deionized water and allowed drying in air at
room temperature.
..

[Slovenia]

Thanks for sharing that information.

I downloaded that article early on, but there was so much other stuff to read I never got around to reading it.  I remember early on that Power To Be made mention of a chemical that needed to be used in the process and that referenced chemical was not in the recipe that our guys were working with.  Maybe we are missing a step in our zinc crystal fabrication. 

The Power To Be mentioned this article to read for reference in growing crystals:
http://nathan.instras.com/documentDB/paper-243.pdf

Within this article there seems to be another step in growing the crystals that appear to me that no one has mentioned before.  I am just wondering if it applies since we are using a different 'home based' approach to growing the crystals in the first place.

The following is the text I am referring to in the article:

[Nrgaway]

Here's another observation... hope you people aren't getting sick of my posts, but I also think this point should be clarified.

Originally 'The Power To Be' indicated we could just drop the crystals directly in the water.  Other posts seem to indicate people moving to attach the crystals to bowls, plates etc, which I took as the crystals would not be suspended in the water.

According to the following news article, the crystals must be submerged in water:
http://www.energyboom.com/emerging/piezo-crystals-harnessing-sound-waves-generate-fuel

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may have discovered a new, somewhat strange way to efficiently produce hydrogen fuel without the need for "dirty" catalysts like oil.

The new ingredients: water submersion and noise pollution.

The team has made piezoelectric crystals of zinc oxide that, when immersed in water, absorb vibrations and develop areas of strong negative and positive charge. These charges rip apart nearby water molecules, releasing hydrogen and oxygen gas.

"This is like a free lunch," says lead researcher Huifang Xu. "You are getting energy from the environment just like solar cells capture energy from the sun."

Hydrogen fuel being the greenest around, but sadly void of any efficient means of extraction.

What The Heck Are Piezoelectric Crystals?

Piezoelectricity is the ability of some materials (notably crystals and certain ceramics, including bone) to generate an electric field or electric potential in response to applied mechanical stress.

The effect is closely related to a change of polarization density within the material's volume. If the material is not short-circuited, the applied stress induces a voltage across the material.

The word is derived from the Greek piezo or piezein, which means to squeeze or press.

What Makes These New Crystals Different?

Xu and colleagues generate hydrogen using a new variation on piezoelectric crystals.

The new crystals are designed to be submerged, so the charge they generate instead pulls apart water molecules to release hydrogen and oxygen gas, a mechanism Xu's team calls the piezoelectrochemical effect.

By submerging a new type of zinc oxide crystal in water, the scientists claim to be able to harvest hydrogen using vibrations from passing traffic and crashing waves.

And Just How Efficient Is This Process?

Well, it's better than the old way, but not necessarily a home run. Xu says that lab tests suggested the material can convert 18 per cent of the energy it absorbs from vibration into energy locked up in hydrogen gas, which can be released by burning.

Conventional piezoelectric materials are not as efficient at converting vibrations into electricity, and typically achieve around a 10 percent conversion rate.

Something new and cool under the sun, which just might cause a momentary consideration for the unbearable noise of morning traffic.

Sources: New Scientist and Inhabitat

[Slovenia]

It's great to have another player in the game.  Power To Be has given us a lot of information to chew on and we need to sort it all out properly.  Thanks again for sharing!!

Here's another observation... hope you people aren't getting sick of my posts, but I also think this point should be clarified.

Originally 'The Power To Be' indicated we could just drop the crystals directly in the water.  Other posts seem to indicate people moving to attach the crystals to bowls, plates etc, which I took as the crystals would not be suspended in the water.

According to the following news article, the crystals must be submerged in water:
http://www.energyboom.com/emerging/piezo-crystals-harnessing-sound-waves-generate-fuel

[Slovenia]

Originally Power To Be wanted us to house the crystals in an envelope.  Later he said to just put them in the water.  I think he just wanted us to jump in there and see how effective the crystals were when used in the equation.  I think folks were taking to long to get their envelopes and get on with their experimentation and he was trying to get them to experiment quickly and see how impressive the addition of the crystals was.  He said later that we needed to decide how to adhere the crystals to a surface.  He said that there were many ways to do this and that we needed to find a suitable way to do that.  He later said that he attached his crystals to a rigid structure while some attached theirs to a flexible structure.  He never mentioned what structure he was referring to.  I jumped to a conclusion that maybe it was the inner surface of the bowl, but I have since changed my mind about that.  I think that the acoustical properties of the brass bowl would be adversely affected if the inner part was coated with the crystals.  I'm more inclined now to find some sort of envelope arrangement for my crystals and have it affixed to the side of the cell beneath the water.  I may affix my envelopes to the bottom of the cell around the transducers.  The brass acoustical horn will ring out and be deflected back into the water by the resonating brass bowl.  Therefore, the envelopes would house the crystals and keep them from going all over the place and possibly being lost and also perfectly position them where they will be a good target from waves being deflected back from the resonating brass bowls.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this and don't know if I'm right or wrong, but it seems like a good idea.