Researchers from the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris have made a groundbreaking observation for the first time – the Effet Zebek on the border of two liquid metals. This significant discovery has the potential to pave the way for new devices that can harness energy from heat waste and improve liquid-metal batteries.
The experiment, detailed in a publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involved gallium and mercury at room temperature. Mercury was poured into a cylinder with chilled walls, with a gallium layer added on top. A heater at the center of the cylinder created a temperature gradient on the border of the two metals, with wires immersed in the liquid measuring the emerging electric fields.
During the experiment, a complex turbulent electric current was observed. The current traveled through the mercury from the hot side of the chamber to the cold side, crossed the border to Gallium, and returned back, with several such cycles recorded. Areas with no current density were also identified, attributed to the turbulent and nonlinear nature of heat flow in liquids. The current density in the liquids was found to be significantly higher than in solid metals, presenting opportunities for highly effective heat-to-electricity conversion devices.
Researcher Christoph Gissinger highlighted that the study of the thermoelectric effect in liquids has been limited due to measurement complexities and lack of focused research. Gissinger and his team plan to conduct further experiments to test their ideas in battery prototypes.
Douglas Kelly from the University of Rochester believes that this discovery could have significant implications for liquid-metal batteries, where the movement of liquid metal plays a crucial role. Furthermore, understanding these thermoelectric effects could shed light on processes occurring on planets like Jupiter, where such effects contribute to the creation of a magnetic field.
With the fundamental importance and numerous potential applications of this research, investigations in this area are ongoing. Continued discoveries and a deeper understanding of thermoelectric processes at the boundaries of liquid metals could lead to a profound reassessment of current understandings and set the stage for revolutionary innovations in various fields, ranging from energy to computing technology.