Using a multiferroic alloy of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and tin, researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered a method of creating green electricity from waste heat sources. This alloy could be placed near your car’s exhaust to create electricity — or in the cooling towers of power stations to convert wasted heat into electricity. Beyond creating the alloy itself, which is made from common and abundant elements, there are no extra costs — and no additional pollution, either.

Multiferroic alloys are unusual beasts that combine elastic, magnetic, and electric properties of the constitute elements. In the case of this new alloy, which has no name and only goes by its chemical composition Ni 45 Co 5 Mn 40 Sn 10 , its multiferroicity grants it two distinct physical states: in its base state, it is non-magnetic — but when a small amount of heat is applied, it become strongly magnetic. This change creates an electric current in a surrounding coil — and voila, electricity. Admittedly not very efficient electricity, but electricity!

The uses for such a material are far reaching and potentially world-changing. The research team is currently working on creating a thin film of the alloy which could be used to convert almost any heat-emitting device into a power source. The inside of a computer case, the outside of a toaster, the top of a TV — you name it, this multiferroic alloy can make electricity from it. The researchers have tentatively accepted a seed grant from the University of Minnesota’s Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment to continue research and work on commercial applications of the technology. No timeline is given for when you might be able to buy your own, green electricity-producing heat converters, but it could easily be within a year or two.

Read more at University of Minnesota