Energy Storage

Briefs: Energy

Spreadable Way to Stabilize Solid-State Batteries

A “butter-like” interlayer material boosts current density and increases safety.

Briefs: Materials

Doubling Battery Performance with Lithium Metal

Drop-in replacements for lithium ion batteries would not pose a fire danger.

Briefs: Materials

Electrolyte Design Improves Anode Capacity in Lithium-Ion Batteries

The battery design increases the number of possible cycles from tens to more than 100 with little degradation.

Products: Test & Measurement

New Products: August 2020 Battery Technology

Power switches, battery pack adhesives, supercapacitor modules, and more...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Semi-Liquid Metal Anode

Lithium batteries made using this electrode type could be much safer than typical lithium metal-based batteries.

Briefs: Materials

Tough, Solid Electrolyte Battery Component

Using ceramic material and graphene, the toughness of solid-state lithium-ion batteries can be doubled.

Q&A: Energy

Q&A: Charge Wirelessly as You Drive

A new system from Oak Ridge National Laboratory enables electric vehicles to be charged while on the road.

NASA Spinoff: Energy

Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars

The NASA-funded nanoparticle lubricant also works in satellites and space vehicles.

Briefs: Energy

Reverse Fuel Cell Converts Waste Carbon to Valuable Chemicals

The technology could lead to production of fuels, building materials, and other products in a carbon-neutral way.

Briefs: Materials

“Racetrack Memory” Digital Data Storage

This technology offers the possibility to both bolster computer power and create smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient computer memory technologies.

Briefs: Wearables

Wearable Cooling and Heating Patch

The patch could serve as a personal thermostat and save energy.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Sodium-Ion Batteries

These can replace rechargeable lithium-ion batteries commonly used in robotics, power tools, and grid-scale energy storage.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Nature-Inspired Green Energy Technology

A new design enables artificial photosynthesis to generate fuel that can power homes and vehicles.

Products: Electronics & Computers

New on the Market: July 2020

Photoelectric sensors, cable connectors, power monitors, and USB3 cameras.

INSIDER: Energy

Potassium Metal Battery Emerges as a Rival to Lithium-Ion Technology

Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have demonstrated how to overcome a persistent challenge to potassium metal batteries — dendrites. Their new battery...

INSIDER: Automotive

Solid State Batteries With Ten Times More Current Density

Solid state batteries are of great interest to the electric vehicle industry. New technology developed by scientists at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden and Xi'an...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Scavenger Technology Allows Robots to ‘Eat’ Metal for Energy

A new metal-air scavenger works like a battery, in that it provides power by repeatedly breaking and forming a series of chemical bonds. But it also works like a harvester,...

Blog: Energy

Is Water Vapor the Next Energy Source? Lightning Researchers Test the Idea

"Who knows? Maybe one day we will have roofs covered with humidity panels together with solar panels," TAU professor Colin Price told Tech Briefs.

Briefs: Energy

Scavenger Technology Allows Robots to “Eat” Metal for Energy

This type of energy source could be the basis for robots that seek out and “eat” metal, breaking down its chemical bonds for energy like humans do with food.

Facility Focus: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Facility Focus: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Engineering focuses on solving the “grand challenges” facing humanity.

Briefs: Energy

'Artificial Leaf' Produces Clean Gas

This method of producing clean syngas could be used to develop a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to gasoline.

Briefs: Materials

Method Turns Trash Into Graphene

This green process produces pristine graphene in bulk using waste food, plastic, and other materials.

Briefs: Energy

Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Composites with Electrical and Thermal Characteristics

These composites could improve how unmanned vehicles dissipate energy.

Briefs: Energy

Ultrasonic System to Assess Compartment Syndrome

Applications include emergency medicine, combat casualty care, and sports injuries.

Briefs: Transportation

Machine Learning Method for Battery Development

The method slashes battery testing times — a key barrier to longer-lasting, faster-charging batteries for electric vehicles.

Briefs: Aerospace

Leaf-Inspired Surface Prevents Frost Formation

This new design could conserve energy used for defrosting airplanes, appliances, and more.