Technology
Flexible ribbons of graphite make for better, stronger battery anode
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18 Jun 2013
- Published on Tuesday, 18 June 2013 07:51
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Ribbons of graphene and tin oxide have been used by researchers at Rice University to boost the efficiency of a lithium ion battery. The researchers built proof-of-concept anodes using these two substances that show an initial capacity to store lithium ions that is greater than the theoretical capacity of tin oxide alone. The material is also long lasting, going through 50 charge-discharge cycles while...
Sulfur used for cheaper, more energy dense batteries
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13 Jun 2013
- Published on Thursday, 13 June 2013 08:08
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A lithium-sulfur battery developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory could outlast the best of the commercially available lithium-ion batteries. The lab researchers have designed and tested their battery, which uses the abundant and low-cost element sulfur, and found that it has approximately four times the energy density of a lithium-ion battery. The concept of lithium-sulfur batteries...
Getting the right ratio improves performance of quantum dots
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29 May 2013
- Published on Wednesday, 29 May 2013 09:16
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Small particles of semiconductor material known as quantum dots are considered as promising component for the next generation of solar photovoltaic devices. Photovoltaics based on quantum dots can be made from abundant and inexpensive materials and can allow for the absorption of light over a wider range of wavelengths (see related story). However, most solar cells developed using quantum dots still have...
Oil adsorbent material cleans spills, recovers oil
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21 May 2013
- Published on Tuesday, 21 May 2013 08:49
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Big oil spills are an environmental and public health disaster – not to mention an economic one. The last big oil spill, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill resulted in millions of gallons of oil spilling into the sea – a nightmare to clean up. While big oil spills are a cause of concern and often spur an indignant cry from the global community, everyday, little oil spills are occurring in our waters. Along our...
Making it stick, adding boron improves graphene’s ability to absorb lithium
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17 May 2013
- Published on Friday, 17 May 2013 08:36
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Rice University scientists have developed a battery anode made up of a mix of graphene and boron for use in high-capacity lithium ion batteries. Graphene is considered a promising material with many applications. Despite being only one-atom material, it has a massive surface area. Counting both sides, one gram would cover around 2,630 square meters or nearly half a football field. Battery manufacturers...
Paint-like organic solar cells to be the future of solar
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15 May 2013
- Published on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 08:55
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The next-generation of photovoltaic materials could be cheap, organic and as easy to apply as a coat of paint. Qiaoqiang Gan, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Buffalo, is developing a new generation of photovoltaic cells that could produce more power but cost less to manufacture than what is currently on the market. He uses plasmonic-enhanced organic photovoltaic...
Finding flaws on the manufacturing floor for better lithium-ion batteries
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14 May 2013
- Published on Tuesday, 14 May 2013 08:09
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Researchers at Purdue University have developed a technique to check the electrodes of a lithium-ion battery for defects as early as the manufacturing stage. Defects and inconsistencies in the thickness of lithium-ion batteries electrodes can affect battery life and reliability. A lithium ion-battery has two electrodes, an anode and a cathode. Lithium ions travel from one to another while the...
Better organic compound developed for thermoelectric devices
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09 May 2013
- Published on Thursday, 09 May 2013 09:14
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By mixing two polymers used in L.E.D.s and solar cells, researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a better thermoelectric material. Thermoelectric materials can turn heat into electricity and are being looked at as a way to harness waste heat from industrial processes or even automobiles as a source of power. Most efficient thermoelectric materials are made of rare inorganic semiconductors...
Low-cost flow batteries for effective grid energy storage
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07 May 2013
- Published on Tuesday, 07 May 2013 09:39
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In order for renewable energy sources to be completely integrated into the power grid, there has to be a way to store and release quantities of renewable energy into the grid as needed. A low-cost, long-life battery is needed to incorporate more solar and wind in the grid as it cannot tolerate large and sudden power fluctuations caused by a decrease or increase in power produced. When talking...
Lower-quality silicon can produce more efficient solar cells – U.N.S.W.
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07 May 2013
- Published on Tuesday, 07 May 2013 08:53
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Controlling the hydrogen atoms in low-grade silicon could enable the creation of more efficient, less costly solar panels. Solar engineers from the University of New South Wales have developed a patented technique to improve the quality of low-grade silicon. “The process will allow lower-quality silicon to outperform solar cells made from better-quality materials,” said Scientia Professor Stuart Wenham...
