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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/50926
Thermostatistical description of small systems in nonequilibrium conditions: Energy conversion and harvesting
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Hysteresis cycles are very important features of energy conversion and harvesting devices, such as batteries. The efficiency of these may be strongly affected by the physical size of the system. Here, we show that in systems which are small enough, the existence of physical boundaries which produce nonhomogeneities of the interaction potential gives rise to inflections and barriers in the associated free energy. This in turn brings on irreversible processes which can be triggered under suitable external conditions imposed by a heat bath. As an example, by controlling the temperature, the state of a small system may be impelled to oscillate between two different structural configurations or aggregation states avoiding equilibrium coexistence and therefore dissipating energy. This cyclical behavior associated with a hysteresis cycle may be prototypical of energy conversion, storage, or generating nanodevices, as exemplified by Li-ion insertion batteries.
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SANTAMARÍA HOLEK, Iván and PÉREZ MADRID, Agustín. Thermostatistical description of small systems in nonequilibrium conditions: Energy conversion and harvesting. Physical Review E. 2014. Vol. 89, num. 012144-1-012144-9. ISSN 1539-3755. [consulted: 16 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/50926