DU DNA behind efforts to maximize the mighty carbon nanotube

Demystifying Problems

It’s just 1/1,000th the width of a human hair, but the carbon nanotube has the potential to make refrigeration technologies more efficient and more friendly to the environment.

There’s a strong thread of DU DNA behind efforts to maximize the potential of the mighty but miniscule carbon nanotube.

It’s just 1/1,000th the width of a human hair, but the carbon nanotube has the potential to make refrigeration technologies more efficient and more friendly to the environment.

Since pioneering, alongside physics professor Barry Zink, a method for measuring the thermoelectric properties of nanotubes, DU alumna Azure Avery has gone on to a teaching position at Metropolitan State University of Denver and a postdoctoral research position at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. There, Avery joined an elite group of prominent researchers focused on building knowledge and solutions around sustainability and energy efficiency.

Her PhD work with Zink on carbon nanotubes promises to spur any number of innovations. Already, Avery has seen them used to create jackets capable of using body heat to charge cell phones. And in the coming years, she expects to see a carbon nanotube envelope that can harness heat waste created from outdated appliances.