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Related Concept Videos

Heat Engines01:10

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A heat engine is a device used to extract heat from a source and then convert it into mechanical work used for various applications. For example, a steam engine on an old-style train can produce the work needed for driving the train.
Whenever we consider heat engines (and associated devices such as refrigerators and heat pumps), we do not use the standard sign convention for heat and work. For convenience, we assume that the symbols Qh, Qc, and W represent only the amounts of heat transferred...
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Converting work to heat is an irreversible process, and the purpose of a heat engine is to reverse the effect partially. Heat engines aim to increase the efficiency of the reversal, that is, maximize the work retrieved from heat. If the efficiency of a heat engine were 100%, it would imply reversing the process completely without introducing any other effect. Thus, it would violate the second law of thermodynamics.
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Quantifying Heat02:46

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Thermal Energy Microscopically, thermal energy is the kinetic energy associated with the random motion of atoms and molecules. Temperature is a quantitative measure of “hot” or “cold”, which depends on the amount of thermal energy. When the atoms and molecules in an object are moving or vibrating quickly, they have a higher average kinetic energy (KE) (or higher thermal energy), and the object is perceived as “hot”, or it is described as being at a higher temperature. When the...
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Mechanism of heat transfer01:19

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Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...
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The second law of thermodynamics can be stated in several different ways, and all of them can be shown to imply the others. The Clausius’ statement of the second law of thermodynamics is based on the irreversibility of spontaneous heat flow. It states that heat will not flow from the colder body to the hotter body unless some other process is involved. Additionally, as per the Kelvin’s statement, it is impossible to convert the heat from a single source into work without any other...
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The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
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Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping
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A Single-Molecule Quantum Heat Engine.

Serhii Volosheniuk1, Riccardo Conte1, Eugenia Pyurbeeva2

  • 1Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, Delft, 2628 CJ, The Netherlands.

Nano Letters
|November 18, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a tiny quantum heat engine using a single molecule. Kondo correlations boosted its power and efficiency, making it ideal for efficient, small-scale, low-temperature applications.

Keywords:
Kondo effectelectromigrated break junctionsmolecular electronicsparticle-exchange heat enginesingle-molecule heat enginethermopower

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Area of Science:

  • Quantum thermodynamics
  • Molecular electronics
  • Nanoscale heat transfer

Background:

  • Particle-exchange heat engines offer a unique approach to energy conversion without moving parts.
  • Quantum effects, such as Kondo correlations, can significantly influence nanoscale transport phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To realize and experimentally investigate a molecular-scale particle-exchange quantum heat engine.
  • To explore the role of Kondo correlations in enhancing engine performance.
  • To assess the potential for miniaturized, efficient low-temperature heat engines.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a quantum heat engine using a single diradical molecule.
  • Experimental operation and characterization at low temperatures.
  • Analysis of power output and efficiency, considering Kondo correlations.

Main Results:

  • Successful realization of a nanometer-sized particle-exchange quantum heat engine.
  • Significant enhancement of power output and efficiency due to Kondo correlations.
  • Achieved efficiency up to 53% of the theoretical Curzon-Ahlborn limit.

Conclusions:

  • Molecular-scale particle-exchange engines are feasible and efficient.
  • Kondo correlations are crucial for optimizing performance in these systems.
  • These engines show great promise for miniaturized, energy-efficient low-temperature applications.