Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Entropy Changes Accompanying Specific Processes01:21

Entropy Changes Accompanying Specific Processes

Entropy, a measure of disorder in a system, changes during phase transitions like freezing or boiling. At the transition temperature Ttrs, where two phases are in equilibrium, the phase transition is a reversible process. The entropy change can be calculated from a substance's enthalpy of transition using the equation ΔStrs = ΔtrsH /Ttrs.When a perfect gas expands isothermally from one volume to another, entropy increases logarithmically with volume. Conversely, isothermal compression results...
Third Law of Thermodynamics02:38

Third Law of Thermodynamics

A pure, perfectly crystalline solid possessing no kinetic energy (that is, at a temperature of absolute zero, 0 K) may be described by a single microstate, as its purity, perfect crystallinity,and complete lack of motion means there is but one possible location for each identical atom or molecule comprising the crystal (W = 1). According to the Boltzmann equation, the entropy of this system is zero.
Phase Transitions01:21

Phase Transitions

A phase transition is the process in which a substance changes from one state of matter to another, like from a solid to a liquid, liquid to gas, or vice versa, at a specific temperature and under given pressure conditions. This change is spontaneous and is affected by alterations in temperature and pressure. These parameters impact the strength of the forces between molecules (intermolecular forces) in the substance.During a phase transition, both the initial and final phases of the substance...
Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to occupy...
States of Matter and Phase Changes00:59

States of Matter and Phase Changes

The internal energy of a substance—the total kinetic energy of all its molecules and the potential energy of their associated forces—depends on the strength of the intermolecular forces in the condensed phases and the pressure exerted on the substance. The internal energy of a substance is the highest in the gaseous state, the lowest in the solid state, and intermediate in the liquid state. Phase transitions are caused by changes in physical conditions, such as temperature and pressure, that...
Entropy01:18

Entropy

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.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

It's not all DAT: harnessing the potential of organic cation transporter 3 inhibition to selectively attenuate amphetamine reinforcement and dopamine release.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same author

Securing digital images: A chaos-driven scrambling algorithm using the Rössler system.

PloS one·2025
Same author

Recent advancements in the evolution, production, and degradation of biodegradable mulch films: A review.

Environmental research·2025
Same author

Proof of principle demonstration of electro driven silver nanowire for stretchable circuit junctions.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Development of an Equivalent Analysis Model of PVB Laminated Glass for TRAM Crash Safety Analysis.

Polymers·2025
Same author

Iterative SuFEx approach for sequence-regulated oligosulfates and its extension to periodic copolymers.

Nature communications·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Asymmetric Thermoelectrochemical Cell for Harvesting Low-grade Heat under Isothermal Operation
09:09

Asymmetric Thermoelectrochemical Cell for Harvesting Low-grade Heat under Isothermal Operation

Published on: February 5, 2020

Vibrational Entropy and Phase Transition Engineering: A Synergistic Approach to Enhancing n-type Thermogalvanic

Manish Sharma Timilsina1, Tauqir Ahmad2, Gyeongeun Kim2

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|July 14, 2026
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals that intrinsic vibrational entropy and phase transitions significantly boost thermopower in thermogalvanic cells (TGCs). A novel copolymer achieved record-breaking thermopower, advancing thermal energy conversion.

Keywords:
energy harvestingentropy engineeringresponsive polymersthermogalvanicvibrational entropy

More Related Videos

Thermal Scanning Conductometry (TSC) as a General Method for Studying and Controlling the Phase Behavior of Conductive Physical Gels
10:01

Thermal Scanning Conductometry (TSC) as a General Method for Studying and Controlling the Phase Behavior of Conductive Physical Gels

Published on: January 23, 2018

High-pressure Sapphire Cell for Phase Equilibria Measurements of CO2/Organic/Water Systems
05:46

High-pressure Sapphire Cell for Phase Equilibria Measurements of CO2/Organic/Water Systems

Published on: January 24, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Asymmetric Thermoelectrochemical Cell for Harvesting Low-grade Heat under Isothermal Operation
09:09

Asymmetric Thermoelectrochemical Cell for Harvesting Low-grade Heat under Isothermal Operation

Published on: February 5, 2020

Thermal Scanning Conductometry (TSC) as a General Method for Studying and Controlling the Phase Behavior of Conductive Physical Gels
10:01

Thermal Scanning Conductometry (TSC) as a General Method for Studying and Controlling the Phase Behavior of Conductive Physical Gels

Published on: January 23, 2018

High-pressure Sapphire Cell for Phase Equilibria Measurements of CO2/Organic/Water Systems
05:46

High-pressure Sapphire Cell for Phase Equilibria Measurements of CO2/Organic/Water Systems

Published on: January 24, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Electrochemistry
  • Energy Conversion

Background:

  • Thermogalvanic cells (TGCs) convert heat to electricity via redox entropy changes.
  • Solvation entropy is key, but other entropic effects are underexplored.
  • Enhancing thermopower requires exploring new entropic contributions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate intrinsic vibrational entropy and phase transition effects on thermopower.
  • Design and synthesize a copolymer integrating these entropy sources.
  • Achieve high thermopower for efficient thermal energy conversion.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-4-(acryloyloxy)butyl ferrocenecarboxylate) (P(NIPAM-co-ABFC)).
  • Utilized density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.
  • Fabricated and tested n-type thermogalvanic cells.

Main Results:

  • The P(NIPAM-co-ABFC) copolymer synergistically combined vibrational and phase-transition entropy.
  • Achieved a record thermopower of 3.64 mV K⁻¹ in n-type TGCs.
  • Demonstrated significant enhancement beyond solvation entropy effects.

Conclusions:

  • Intrinsic vibrational entropy and phase transitions are powerful tools for boosting TGC thermopower.
  • The designed copolymer offers a new strategy for efficient thermal energy harvesting.
  • This work deepens the understanding of entropic contributions in thermogalvanic systems.