Do energy converters possess always moving parts?

Abstract

Energy converters like photovoltaic, thermoelectric, electrochemical , and various hybrid systems transfer light, heat or chemical energy into electromotive force. They are often described as systems without moving parts and hence prized for high reliability, silent operation, low maitenance and long lifespan. The recent experimental evidence for ultrafast electron transport in molecular junction actively driven by molecular vibrations [1] supports the previously developed by myself and coworkers dynamical models of energy converters. They are based on the picture of ``self-oscillating piston ``  which extracts work from the nonequilibrium environment and actively pumps electric current in the device (see [2] and references therein). This approach is applied to the analysis of passive and active electron transport in mesoscopic junctions.  Critical discussion of single-electron models employing Landauer or master equations  is presented. The case of mesoscopic energy converters is illustrated using  the quantum dot system investigated in [3].

[1] P. Ghosh et.al. Nature Communications. 17, 2165 (2026) 

[2] R. Alicki, OSID 32, 2550018 (2025) [https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.20238]

[3] M. Josefsson et.al., Nature Nanotechnology 13, 920 (2018)