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US 2012/0067390 A1Published application
Method and system for generating electrical energy from water
AssigneeUniversity of Washington
InventorGerald H. Pollack
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method and system for generating electrical energy from a volume of water.
Claims24
A method for generating electrical energy from a volume of water, comprising:
- (a) contacting a volume of water with a hydrophilic surface and applying energy to the volume of water to provide an exclusion zone in the volume of water at the interface of the hydrophilic surface and the water, and a bulk zone in the volume of water outside of the exclusion zone;
- (b) providing a first electrode in the exclusion zone and a second electrode in the bulk zone;
- and
- (c) extracting electrical energy from the volume of water by connecting a load across the electrodes.
1 more element
A method for providing electrical energy from a volume of water, comprising connecting a load across first and second electrodes in contact with a volume of charge-separated water,
- wherein the volume of water comprises a hydrophilic surface in liquid communication with the water defining an exclusion zone at an interface of the hydrophilic surface and the water, and a bulk zone in the volume of water outside of the exclusion zone,
- wherein the first electrode is in the exclusion zone, and
- wherein the second electrode is in the bulk zone.
A system for generating electrical energy from a volume of water, comprising:
- (a) a hydrophilic material having a hydrophilic surface;
- (b) a vessel for receiving the hydrophilic material and a volume of water;
- (b) a first electrode positioned in the vessel proximate to the hydrophilic surface;
- and
- (c) a second electrode positioned in the vessel distal to the hydrophilic surface.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.