For the science hungry and enthusiastic, Multiferroic is a word to remember. The same goes for anyone reading this who has a passion for alternative energy. The dirty truth is a lot of our everyday surrounding, whether natural or a product of man made devices is capale of being used as a power source. But what, multiferroic right? What doe sit mean!
Easy now, because here comes the brainy part: a series of test have proven that multiferroic material has what it takes to produce electricity. How is this possible?
Through phase change; when a multiferroic alloy is created thru the combination of various atomic elements, the phase change that occurs when heat is applied to the resulting alloy. When the phase change occurs, the non-magnetic nature of the alloy becomes magnetic.
This procedure was put to the test at the University of Minnesota where a coil attached to multiferroic alloy continuously produced electricity. Of course the implications aren’t surprising: Multiferroic alloy’s potential, when harnessed, can juice a machine.
As to its potential when it comes to addressing industrial scale energy needs, why that remains to be seen.
Source Gizmag