Building Temperature-Resilient Batteries

In tests, the proof-of-concept batteries retained 87.5 percent and 115.9 percent of their energy capacity at -40 °C and 50 °C (-40 °F and 122 °F), respectively.

Enhancing Solar Option During Power Outages

Engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have designed a novel building-solar controller that optimizes solar energy with smart technology to keep microgrids operating for up to five days.

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...

Inside Story May 2022: Small Connectors for Electronic Systems in Aerospace and Defense Equipment

Thanos Yiagopoulos, Chief Technology Officer of Momentive Performance Materials, discusses how engineers can determine the best product for their application.

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...

Technique Heals Dendrites in Solid-State Batteries

The method enhances the battery's safety while it is being used, without opening the battery cell.

Stable, Efficient, Anode-Free Sodium Battery

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

Tin Electrode Amplifies Supercapacitors

The material improves connectivity while maintaining recyclability and low cost.

Anode Material for Safer Fast-Charging Batteries

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

Wearable Microgrid Harvests and Stores Energy from the Human Body

The flexible, washable microgrid uses the human body to sustainably power small electronics.

Products of Tomorrow

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.

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 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.

Wearable Biofuel Cells Produce Electricity from Lactate

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

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.

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.

Recycling Battery Parts Without Crushing or Melting

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

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.