Question

how can we apply nanotechnology to electricity

Answer 1

Generating steam from sunlight. Researchers have demonstrated that sunlight, concentrated on nanoparticles, can produce steam with high energy efficiency. The "solar steam device" is intended to be used in areas of developing countries without electricity for applications such as purifying water or disinfecting dental instruments.

Producing high efficiency light bulbs. A nano-engineered polymer matrix is used in a new style of high efficiency light bulbs. The bulbs produce white light, similar to sunlight and can be made in any shape. The new bulbs have the advantage of being shatterproof and twice the efficiency of compact fluorescence light bulbs.

Increasing the electricity generated by windmills. An epoxy containing carbon nanotubes is being used to make windmill blades. Stronger and lower weight blades are made possible by the use of nanotube-filled epoxy. The resulting longer blades increase the amount of electricity generated by each windmill.

Generating electricity from waste heat. Researchers have used sheets of nanotubes to build thermoplastic that generate electricity when the sides of the cell are at different temperatures. These nanotube sheets could be wrapped around hot pipes, such as the exhaust pipe of your car, to generate electricity from heat that is usually wasted.