Energy

Organic Steam Generator Uses Sunlight to Purify Water

Researchers have developed an inexpensive and eco-friendly steam generator to desalinate and purify water using sunlight.

A Supercapacitor Device for Carbon Capture

When it discharges, the carbon dioxide can be released in a controlled way and collected to be reused or disposed of responsibly.

Water-Activated Paper Battery

A team of researchers at EMPA have developed a water-activated disposable paper battery.

Electrolyte Additive Improves Battery Performance

The work could lead to improvements in the energy density of lithium batteries that power electric vehicles.

Triggering Li-ion Battery Cells with Laser Radiation

Inducing TR in a battery cell allows engineers to test and improve the safety performance of overheated batteries that can potentially catch fire or explode.

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.

Glassy Electrolyte Holds Promise for an All-Solid-State Sodium Battery

Lithium-ion batteries are currently the preferred technology for powering electric vehicles, but they’re too expensive for long-duration grid-scale energy storage systems.

Extending the Lifetime of Organic Aqueous Flow Batteries

Over the course of their research, the team discovered that these anthraquinones decompose slowly over time, regardless of how many times the battery has been used.

Designing Sodium-Ion Batteries with Extended Longevity

In batteries, electrolyte is the circulating “blood” that keeps the energy flowing. The electrolyte forms by dissolving salts in solvents, resulting in charged ions that flow between the positive and negative electrodes.

Lignin-Based Jet Fuel Packs More Power

An experimental plant-based jet fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency, while dispensing with aromatics, the pollution-causing compounds found in conventional fuels.

An Alternative to Lithium-Ion Batteries

Have we found a better alternative to lithium-ion batteries?

Enhanced Material Stable Enough for Solar Cells

A simple change to the surface of perovskite removes a barrier to its functionality.

Plant-Based Thermotherapy Patch

Additional applications include defogging/defrosting, wearable devices, industrial heat systems, sensors, thermochromic displays, and microfluidic chips.

Piezoelectric Material Remains Effective at High Temperatures

The material remains effective as an energy harvester or sensor at temperatures to well above 572°F.

Analyses Find Cause of Fatal Problem in Rocket Engine Combustors

Advanced analyses shed light on the mechanism of a deadly problem plaguing combustion chambers in rocket engines.

Ecological Power Storage Battery Made of Vanillin

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

Method Helps Create Fuels from Plants

Scientists have been trying for years to create biofuels and other bioproducts more cheaply.

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.

Photovoltaic Cell Increases Nighttime Power Generation

The device uses a thermoelectric module to generate voltage and current from the temperature gradient between the cell and the air.

A Heat Engine with No Moving Parts

The design could someday enable a fully decarbonized power grid.

New Screening System May Point the Way to Renewable Hydrogen Power

A highly sensitive system for detecting the production of hydrogen gas can foster the development of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Advancing Renewable Energy Production with Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen

Hydrogen has emerged as an important carrier to store energy generated by renewable resources, as a substitute for fossil fuels used for transportation, in the production of ammonia, and for other industrial applications.

Method Sprays Extremely Thin Wires on 3D Objects

Engineers have invented a way to spray extremely thin wires made of a plant-based material that could be used in N95 mask filters, devices that harvest energy for electricity, and potentially the...

Extending Battery Life of Small Drones

A continuous flight of small drones over its perimeter could enhance security of the nation's border, but there is one small problem: The battery limitation of small drones (they last about 30 minutes) is...

Micro-Supercapacitors Enable Fast Charging

Micro-supercapacitors could revolutionize the way we use batteries by increasing their lifespan and enabling extremely fast charging. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have...

A High-Energy Density Lithium-Ion Battery

National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and Softbank Corp. have developed a lithium-air battery with an energy density over 500Wh/ kg - significantly higher than currently lithium-ion batteries....

Hydropower Technology Swaps Dams with Electric Trucks

In steep mountain regions, the potential for generating electricity from a small stream of water is high, however, the hydropower potential of these regions remains untapped as it...

New Material Offers Promise for Solid-State Batteries

Researchers from the University of Waterloo, Canada, who are members of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), headquartered at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne...

3D Printing Creates Environmentally Friendly Material Made of Algae

Living materials made by housing biological cells within a nonliving matrix have gained popularity as scientists recognize that often the most robust materials are those that...