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Researchers Re-Examine Second Law of Thermodynamics
Many readers have written to tell us that researchers are examining the possibility of using Brownian ratchets to help combat the problem of heat dissipation in miniaturized electronics. "Currently, devices are engineered to operate near thermal equilibrium, in accordance with the Second Law of Thermodynamics which states that heat tends to transfer from a hotter unit to a cooler one. However, using the concept of Brownian ratchets, which are systems that convert non-equilibrium energy to do useful work, the researchers hope to allow computers to operate at low power levels, and harness power dissipated by other functions. 'The main quest we have is to see if by departing from near-equilibrium operation, we can perform computation more efficiently,' Ghosh told iTnews. 'We aren't breaking the Second Law — that's not what we are claiming,' he said. 'We are simply re-examining its implications, as much of the established understanding of power dissipation is based on near-equilibrium operation.'"
What a crappy article. Subtracting the techno-babble, it sounds like they want to attach a thermocouple or heat engine to their chips, which has already been tried many times and found to be not worth the effort. Maybe they think they have a better method, but I sure couldn't tell from RTFA.
You are correct.
As described by Feynman, a Brownian Ratchetis a theoretical machine that can extract energy form a system in equilibrium. It is a kind of Maxwell's demon.
Feynman explains why such a machine will not work without a potential energy gradient and is in fact a perpetual motion machine.
TFA seems to indicate that they intend to operate from a system not in equilibrium, which is allowed by the Thermodynamics Police. But it isn't very clear from the summary.
Have gnu, will travel.
Then i don't see why they re-examine the 2nd law. Heat-force machines (correct translation from german Wärme-Kraft-Maschine?) operate between two different heat-potentials. Nothing new here.