Energy

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.

New Cathode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have invented and patented a new cathode material that replaces lithium ions with sodium and would be significantly cheaper.

Cobalt-Free Batteries Could Power EVs of the Future

Many electric vehicles are powered by batteries that contain cobalt — a metal that carries high financial, environmental, and social costs. MIT researchers have now designed a battery material that could offer a more sustainable way to power electric cars. The new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery includes a cathode based on organic materials, instead of cobalt or nickel (another metal often used in Li-ion batteries).

Improving and Increasing Energy Density of Batteries

When it comes to making batteries that last longer, a team of researchers including engineers at Brown University and Idaho National Laboratory believes the key might be in how things get clean — specifically how soap works in this process.

Leveraging AI for EV Performance Improvement

As commercial fleets adopt more electric vehicles, they need accurate state-of-health measurements and smart charging algorithms to ensure their EVs have minimum unscheduled downtime. To solve these problems effectively, we need comprehensive data collection, capable computing infrastructure, and intelligent algorithms.

Upcycling Commercial Fleets into Circular EVs

Based on the success thus far, Evolectric hopes to introduce its technology to more markets worldwide where demand is growing for affordable and accessible EVs. The company hopes to build a network of local partners capable of carrying out all installation and maintenance services.

Can Solid-State Batteries Commercialize by 2030?

Automakers are increasingly focusing on the long-delayed promise of solid-state batteries. With no liquid electrolyte, these batteries can be lighter, safer (with reduced fire risk), faster to recharge, and more energy dense while still being able to deliver ranges of 600 miles (965 km) or more.

Structurally Healable, Highly Conductive New Cathode for Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new cathode material for solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries that is electrically conductive and structurally healable — features that overcome the limitations of these batteries’ current cathodes.

How To Shift Gears in a Molecular Motor

Scientists have long strived to develop artificial molecular motors that can convert energy into directed motion. Researchers at Linköping University have now presented a solution to a challenging...

My Opinion: Renewables' Weak Link — Transmission Lines

The electrification of practically everything these days calls for much more attention to be paid to the transmission system — the electric power grid.

Medium Voltage for More Efficient Power Transmission

Prasad Kandula and a group of scientists and engineers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing a modular medium-voltage system to fill the existing gap between high-voltage transmission and low-voltage power electronics.

How Much Do You Know About Stand-Alone Power Supplies?

A stand-alone power supply has many uses. It can be part of the standard equipment on a test bench or built into a larger system. It can be simple or quite complex, but some version can be seen anywhere electrical/electronic equipment is being built or tested. Test your knowledge with this quiz.

The Path to Net-Zero with Green Propane

A promising technology in green energy capable of converting carbon dioxide into propane is being developed at Illinois Institute of Technology.

Fast-Charging Li Battery Could Make ‘Range Anxiety’ a Thing of the Past

A team at Cornell University created a new lithium battery that can charge in under five minutes — faster than any such battery on the market — while maintaining stable performance over extended cycles of charging and discharging.

A Thermoelectric Cooler to Restore Sensation in Amputees

This advancement, one of the first of its kind, enables a useful new capability for a variety of applications, including improved prostheses, haptics for new modalities in augmented reality (AR), and thermally modulated therapeutics for applications such as pain management. The technology also has a variety of potential industrial and research applications.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including: a new wireless smart textile technology that can boost hand mobility of stroke patients, a metal-free magnetic gel, and a new fuel cell that harvests energy from microbes living in dirt.

Tiny Power Converters Run on Vibrational Energy

Scientists at the University of California San Diego and CEA-Leti have developed a ground-breaking piezoelectric-based DC-DC converter that unifies all power switches onto a single chip to...

An Electrifying Improvement in Copper Conductivity

A common carbon compound is enabling remarkable performance enhancements when mixed in just the right proportion with copper to make electrical wires. It’s a phenomenon that defies...