Nano vacuum tube arrays for energy storage
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatus for storing information or energy. An array of nano vacuum tubes is evacuated to a pressure below 10 −6 Torr, where each nano vacuum tube has an anodic electrode, a cathodic electrode spaced apart from the anodic electrode, and an intervening evacuated region. An excess of electrons is stored on the cathodic electrode.
1. A method for storing energy, the method comprising:
a. providing an array of vacuum tubes having walls, each vacuum tube including
(1) an anodic electrode; and
(2) a cathodic electrode spaced apart from the anodic electrode; and
(3) a region intervening between the anodic electrode and the cathodic electrode of each vacuum tube evacuated to a pressure below 10 −6 Torr; and
b. storing an excess of electrons on the cathodic electrode.
2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the array of vacuum tubes is characterized by a cross-sectional density of at least 100 vacuum tubes per square centimeter.
3. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each vacuum tube is a nano vacuum tube.
4. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the anodic electrode is pointed, curved, or flat.
5. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the anodic electrode is a nano-tip electrode.
6. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the nano-tip electrode is a Spindt tip.
7. A method in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising reverse biasing each vacuum tube such that the cathodic electrode is at a negative electrical potential with respect to the nano-tip electrode.
8. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the nano-tip electrode is characterized by an apex radius comparable in size to a single atom.
9. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the nano-tip electrode includes a Mueller emitter.
10. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the nano-tip electrode includes a free-standing nano wire.
11. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the walls of the vacuum tubes are silica.
12. A method for configuring a device to deliver powers in excess of 10 10 W/kg, the method comprising:
a. providing the device, comprising an array of nano vacuum tubes having walls, each nano vacuum tube including
(1) a nano tip anodic electrode; and
(2) a flat electrode spaced apart from the nano tip anodic electrode; and
(3) a region intervening between the nano tip anodic electrode and the flat electrode of each vacuum tube evacuated to a pressure below 10 −6 Torr; and
b. storing an excess of electrons on the cathodic electrode;
c. coupling the nano tip electrodes and the flat electrodes to an external current path.