Energy

Novel Solid Electrolyte Materials for Improved Battery Performance

A team has designed a new blueprint for solid-state batteries that are less dependent on specific chemical elements, particularly critical metals that are challenging to source due to supply chain issues. Their work could advance solid-state batteries that are efficient and affordable.

An Innovative Method to Produce Soft, Recyclable Fibers for Smart Textiles

Drawing inspiration from how spiders spin silk to make webs, a team of researchers has developed an innovative method of producing soft fibers that possess three key properties (strong, stretchable, and electrically conductive), and at the same time can be easily reused to produce new fibers.

Developing More Durable Solar Cells

An international research collaboration led by UCLA has developed a way to use perovskite in solar cells while protecting it from the conditions that cause it to deteriorate.

A Novel Way to Convert Heat to Electricity

Researchers have fabricated a novel device that could dramatically boost the conversion of heat into electricity. If perfected, the technology could help recoup some of the recoverable heat energy that is wasted in the U.S. at a rate of about $100 billion each year.

EV Battery Breakthrough: 10-Minute Charge

Researchers at Penn State University have achieved a breakthrough in electric vehicle (EV) battery design to enable a 10-minute charge time for a typical EV battery.

A Sintering Method to Fabricate Large Perovskite Devices

A Penn State-led team of researchers have created a new process to fabricate large perovskite devices that is more cost- and time-effective than previously possible — and may accelerate future materials discovery.

Developing High-Energy-Density Batteries Using Aluminum Foil

A team of researchers is using aluminum foil to create batteries with higher energy density and greater stability. The team’s new battery system could enable EVs to run longer on a single charge and would be cheaper to manufacture – all while having a positive impact on the environment.

New Priming Method for Improving Battery Lifecycle

Scientists at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering have developed a readily scalable method to optimize prelithiation, a process that helps mitigate lithium loss and improves battery life cycles by coating silicon anodes with stabilized lithium metal particles.

Improved Grasping with an Energy-Efficient Robotic Hand

Grasping objects is a problem that is easy for a human, but challenging for a robot. Researchers designed a soft, 3D-printed robotic hand that cannot independently move its fingers but can still carry out a range of complex movements.

A Quiet, Efficient Propeller Solution for Electric Aviation

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a propeller design optimization method that paves the way for quiet, efficient electric aviation.

Controlling Electric Double Layer Dynamics for All-Solid-State Batteries

Researchers have employed a novel technique to investigate and modulate electric double layer dynamics at the solid/solid electrolyte interface.

Increased Storage Capacity in Water-Based Batteries

Researchers at Texas A&M University have discovered a 1,000 percent difference in the storage capacity of metal-free, water-based battery electrodes.

Oxygen-Ion Battery: A Solution for Large Energy Storage Systems

TU Wien has developed an oxygen-ion battery that has some important advantages. Although it does not allow for quite as high energy densities as the Li-ion battery, its storage capacity does not decrease irrevocably over time.

New Polymer Coating Could Boost EV Batteries

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a conductive polymer coating – called HOS-PFM – that could enable longer lasting, more powerful lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

Making High-Performance Parts Inexpensive and Durable

Idaho National Laboratory has developed world-class capabilities to help industry design efficient SPS manufacturing processes. The lab’s newest addition makes it possible to manufacture new materials at industrially relevant scales.

Radiative Cooling and Solar Heat from One System

Researchers have been exploring how to turbocharge a passive cooling technique — known as radiative or sky cooling — with sun-blocking nanomaterials that emit heat away from building rooftops.

Enhanced Quadrupedal Robot Control Technology

Researchers have developed a quadrupedal robot control technology that can walk robustly with agility even in deformable terrain such as sandy beach.

New Anode Materials for Fast-Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

The commercially relevant approach opens a potential pathway to improve charging speeds for electric vehicles.

A Sustainable Battery with a Biodegradable Electrolyte Made from Crab Shells

Scientists created a zinc battery with a biodegradable electrolyte from an unexpected source — crab shells.

Developing More Durable Solar Cells

An international research collaboration led by UCLA has developed a way to use perovskite in solar cells while protecting it from the conditions that cause it to deteriorate.

Material Derived from Trees Could Replace Liquid Electrolytes

The material could pave the way for better, safer solid-state batteries.

Anode-Free Lithium Batteries with Maximized Energy Density

The newly developed anode-free battery has a volumetric energy density of 977 Wh/L which is 40 percent higher than the conventional batteries (700 wh/L).

Simplifying the Production of Lithium-ion Batteries

24M Technologies has simplified Li-ion battery production with a new design that requires fewer materials and steps to manufacture each cell.

New Hybrid Electrolyte for High-Performance Lithium-ion Batteries

The polymeric solid electrolyte realized a wide potential window, a high Li-ion conductivity, and a high Li-ion transference number.

Using Nano-Engineering Techniques to Develop a Safer Battery

A research team has developed technology that could prevent electric vehicle fires, like those caused by saltwater flooding from Hurricane Ian.