Energy

My Opinion: We Should Take a Broad View of Energy Storage

My opinion: We need a holistic approach to energy storage — we should start with the general category and then analyze the pros and cons of different technologies to solve different problems.

Advanced Binders for Advancing Li-ion Batteries

The work involved fabricating electrodes containing PVPA, PAA, and PVDF as binders, and their performance was assessed through electrochemical experiments and density functional theory.

Product Focus: One Kilowatt Wireless Charging for Mobile Robots

WiBotic (Seattle, WA) is demonstrating its new 1kW (1000 Watt) wireless charging system at the Automate Show. WiBotic’s new platform will provide a larger class of mobile...

Powering the Wireless Arthroscopic Camera

The first FDA-cleared wireless arthroscopic camera for minimally invasive knee surgeries and other orthopedic procedures got early support from NASA.

Biden-Harris Administration Invests $54 Million to Expand Clean Transportation Across American Communities

The Communities Taking Charge funding opportunity extends access to electrification opportunities beyond existing Joint Office–supported programs to more communities across America. Funding is available to academic, non-profit, for-profit, and government entities for planning, demonstration, and/or deployment projects that drive innovation in equitable clean transportation.

Ice Detection from Microwave Sensors

Ice build-up on aircraft and wind turbines can impact the safety and efficiency of their systems. Microwave sensors were developed that can identify in real time these accumulations while calculating the rate of melting. This is crucial data for aviation.

Sensor Measures Light, Heat, and Touch

Researchers have developed a sensor that, similar to human skin, can sense temperature variation that originates from the touch of a warm object as well as the heat from solar radiation. The sensor combines pyroelectric and thermoelectric effects with a nano-optical phenomenon.

A Novel Approach to Controlling Energy Waves in 4D

A team of scientists has successfully created a new synthetic metamaterial with 4D capabilities, including the ability to control energy waves on the surface of a solid material. These waves, called mechanical surface waves, are fundamental to how vibrations travel along the surface of solid materials.

A New Material That Excels at Trapping Hydrogen

The advance, detailed in a paper published recently in the journal Physica Scripta, could enable more efficient compact fusion reactors that are easier to repair and maintain.

Sensors — Powering the Future of Transportation

The next generation of sensors needs to maintain efficiency and cost-effectiveness while ensuring fast, accurate, and reliable communication.

A Flexible and Efficient DC Power Converter for Sustainable Energy Microgrids

Electric power comes in two kinds, AC and DC. Famously, the question over which kind should be used for national power grids, the “Current War” of the late...

A Breakthrough in Fast-Charging Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Research shows that the next generation of lithium-sulfur batteries may be capable of being charged in less than five minutes, instead of the current several hours it takes.

The Future of Hybrid and Electric Military Vehicles

Rick Kewley, Vice President, Product Development and Advanced Engineering for GM Defense LLC, is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to discuss some of the company's latest research and development on hybrid and electric-powered military vehicles.

A New Process for Turning CO2 into Sustainable Fuel

A process of heating carbon nitride to the required degree of crystallinity, maximizing the functional properties of this material for photocatalysis.

All-Liquid Iron Flow Battery Is Safe, Economical

A commonplace chemical used in water treatment facilities has been repurposed for large-scale energy storage in a new battery design by researchers at the DoE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

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 (Li-ion) batteries for electric vehicles.

An AI-Based Approach for Controlling Microgrids

UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Yu Zhang and his lab are leveraging tools to improve the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of power systems, and have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based approach for the smart control of microgrids for power restoration when outages occur.

New Fuel Cell Architecture Uses Nanowires for Durability

A promising, more durable fuel cell design could help transform heavy-duty trucking and other clean fuel cell applications.

Conductive Carbon Fiber Polymer Composite

Inventors from NASA Langley and NASA Ames have created a new type of carbon fiber polymer composite that has a high thermal conductivity.

How Adhesives Address the Challenges of Manufacturing Microbatteries

Currently, researchers are exploring the use of adhesives in combination with laser-cut gasket materials to deliver maximum energy density, miniaturization, and while maintaining a high degree of hermetic integrity to assure long-lived operation and efficiency.

Putting a New ‘Charge’ in EV Recharging

Although there have been questions about the continuing consumer uptake of EVs, BMW’s Niels Bohn said that the robustness of the charging network is the key to achieving consumer acceptance.

New Products

See the new products, including Beam Global’s EV ARC, an advanced sustainable charging infrastructure solution for EVs; Solvay's SolvaLite® 716 FR, an innovative fast-curing epoxy prepreg system; Recyclus Group's solution for the safe storage and transportation of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, the LiBox; and Freudenberg Sealing Technologies' new type of foldable gasket for battery electric vehicles.