Ecological Power Storage Battery Made of Vanillin

Vanillin is converted into a redox-active electrolyte material for liquid batteries.

Maximizing the Performance of Battery Cells for Better Energy Storage

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is leading the development of new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery designs specific to the stationary storage requirements.

Smart Molecules Act as Computer Transistors

Researchers have discovered a single-molecule switch that can act like a transistor and store binary information such as the 1s and 0s used in classical computing. The molecule is around five...

Safe, High-Energy Li-Ion Battery for Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicle batteries typically require a tradeoff between safety and energy density. If the battery has high energy and power density — required for uphill driving or merging on...

Washable, Wearable Battery-Like Devices

Wearable electronic components incorporated directly into fabrics have been developed that could be used for flexible circuits, healthcare monitoring, energy conversion, and other applications....

High-Power Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells

Electrification of the transportation sector is critical to future energy and environmental resilience and will require high-power fuel cells (either standalone or in conjunction with batteries) to...

Stable, Efficient, Anode-Free Sodium Battery

The battery is smaller than a traditional lithium-ion battery due to the elimination of dendrites.

Anode Material for Safer Fast-Charging Batteries

The material enables lithium-ion batteries to be safely recharged within minutes for thousands of cycles.

Products of Tomorrow: April 2022

Self-healing materials, quick disconnects, and eco-friendly micro-supercapacitors.

Using Magnets to Toggle Nanolasers Leads to Better Photonics

A new control mechanism may prove useful in devices that make use of optical signals.

Advancing Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Systems for Sustainable Flight

Hybrid-electric propulsion systems hold clear potential to reduce aircraft carbon dioxide emissions and support the goal of greater sustainability in aviation.

New Thermal Wave Diagnostic Technique Advances Battery Performance Testing

A new technique for measuring the performance of lithium batteries uses thermal waves to measure local lithium concentration as a function of depth inside battery electrodes.

5 Ws of the Ocean Battery

Learn the Who, What, Where, Why, and When for an ocean battery that holds onto excess energy from offshore wind farms.

Artificial Intelligence Improves Battery Health and Safety

A machine learning method promises to predict battery health with 10 times higher accuracy than the current industry standard.

Wearable Device Transforms the Human Body into a Biological Battery

The device is stretchy enough to wear like a ring, a bracelet, or any other accessory that touches the skin.

Polymer-Based Battery Enables Fast Charging and Low Operating Temperatures

The battery charges faster than a lithium-ion battery and is fire-safe and eco-friendly.

Recycling Battery Parts Without Crushing or Melting

The method replenishes lithium in electrodes while keeping the existing structure intact.

3D-Printed Objects Sense How a User is Interacting with Them

Sensing is incorporated directly into an object’s material, with applications for assistive technology and “intelligent” furniture.

Wearable Biofuel Cells Produce Electricity from Lactate

The biofuel cells can power wearable electronics purely by using human sweat.

Eliminating Corrosion Extends Life of Lightweight Batteries

A new design could extend the shelf-life of single-use metal-air batteries for electric vehicles, off-grid storage, and other applications.

The Pursuit of an Uninterruptible Power Supply

To ensure the availability of a UPS system, proper consideration must be taken of each application and its requirements.

Compact and Robust Connectors Prove Pivotal in CubeSat Deployment

Learn about the interconnects that are supporting today's miniature satellites.

Vote for Tech Briefs Product of the Year 2021

These 12 products are the nominees for the 2021 Tech Briefs Readers’ Choice Product of the Year.

Q&A: Optimizing Lithium-Ion Batteries for Extreme Fast Charging

New lithium-ion batteries that can be charged in 10 to 15 minutes at a roadside charging station.

Safer, Less Expensive, Fast-Charging Aqueous Battery

A new anode for aqueous batteries uses seawater as an electrolyte.

Preventing Short-Circuiting in Next-Generation Lithium Batteries

The approach could advance the potential of high-powered, solid-electrolyte lithium batteries.

X-Ray Tomography Lets Researchers Watch Solid-State Batteries Charge and Discharge

The technology could help improve the reliability and performance of lithium-ion batteries.

Stable Polymeric Ink with High Conductivity

This paves the way for innovative and more energy-efficient printed electronics.