Abstract: An energy conversion device for conversion of chemical energy into electricity. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous catalyst material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous catalyst material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

Abstract: An energy conversion device for conversion of chemical energy into electricity. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous catalyst material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous catalyst material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

Abstract: An energy conversion device for conversion of chemical energy into electricity. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous catalyst material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous catalyst material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

Abstract: An energy conversion device for conversion of chemical energy into electricity. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous catalyst material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous catalyst material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

Abstract: An energy conversion device for conversion of chemical energy into electricity. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous catalyst material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous catalyst material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

Abstract: An energy conversion device for conversion of chemical energy into electricity. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous catalyst material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous catalyst material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

Abstract: An energy conversion device for conversion of chemical energy into electricity. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The porous semconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous catalyst material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous catalyst material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

Abstract: A method and a device for converting energy uses chemical reactions in close proximity to or on a surface to convert a substantial fraction of the available chemical energy of the shorter lived energized products, such as vibrationally excited chemicals and hot electrons, directly into a useful form, such as longer lived charge carriers in a semiconductor. The carriers store the excitation energy in a form that may be converted into other useful forms, such as electricity, nearly monochromatic electromagnetic radiation or carriers for stimulating other surface reactions.

Abstract: An energy converter reacts hydrocarbons and air on a catalyst configuration to produce a population inversion. A photovoltaic system may extract the radiating energy, and a laser system may extract a significant fraction of the reaction energy in the form of coherent radiation. The flooding of the catalyst adsorption sites with fuel and the choice of catalyst predisposes the adsorbing oxygen molecules to create mono-atomic oxygen hot-atoms, which deposit the considerable energy of oxygen adsorption directly into a reaction channel of adjacent, adsorbed and simple fuel radicals, thereby producing simple, energetic product molecules, concentrating the energy in one or a few modes, and strongly favoring inverted populations. A solid state method to stimulate precursor chemisorbed specie dissociation accelerates the reaction rates, providing a method to greatly intensify pulsed power output, increase efficiency, and to facilitate nano-scale and micro-scale thermal energy heat rejection processes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for extracting energy is provided. In one aspect the method includes using chemical reactions to generate vibrationally excited molecules, such as high-quantum-number-vibrationally-excited gas molecules in a region. The vibration energy in the vibrationally excited molecules is converted into hot electrons when the excited molecules contact a conductor. A geometry is provided so that the excited molecules may travel, diffuse or wander into a conductor before loosing a useful fraction of the vibrational energy. Optionally, the generating and the converting process may be thermally separated, at least in part. The short lived hot electrons are converted into longer lived entities such as carriers and potentials in a semiconductor, where the energy is converted into a useful form.