Peel-and-stick solar cells can generate power on any surface

Personal devices could soon generate their own power with the use of peel-and-stick solar cells developed by Stanford University and the United States Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. A collaboration between the two institutions has resulted into a thin-film solar cell less than one-micron thick that can be attached to almost any surface. Stanford had previously developed the peel-...

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Ancient organism produces modern alternatives for chemical feedstocks

A chemist at the University of California, Davis is working with some of the oldest living organisms in the world to produce chemicals that are needed for modern life. At the lab of Shota Atsumi, an assistant professor of chemistry, blue-green algae or cyanobacteria is being studied for biological chemical production. With the support of Japanese chemical manufacturer Asahi Kasei Corp., Mr. Atsumi is working on developing alternative...

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Enzyme found to boost production of plant sugars – J.B.E.I.

An enzyme capable of boosting the amount of the polymer galactan in plant cell walls could increase the amount of fermentable sugars found plant biomass, raising the amount of advanced biofuel it can produce. The Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute has confirmed that GT92 enzyme is the first enzyme that has the ability to increase the production of galactan. Galactan is a polymer of galactose, a six-carbon sugar that can be fermented into cellulosic ethanol...

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Flexible solar cells from graphene and nanowires

Low-cost, light-weight and flexible solar cells are envisaged for the next-generation construction materials known as building integrated photovoltaics – windows, roofs and facades that could transform the light of the sun for an on-site source of power. Now, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a new solar cell that could fulfill these three requirements and has an added benefit of being transparent...

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Air-cleaning in a box brings down industrial pollutants – University of Copenhagen

An air cleaning device, based on the natural cleaning ability of the Earth’s atmosphere, could be the key to enable industries to meet stringent new emission rules.Matthew Johnson, of the University of Copenhagen’s department of Chemistry, has invented and patented the air cleaning method in a device known as an atmospheric photochemical accelerator. He was inspired by the Earth’s atmosphere where sunlight triggers a process in which polluting gases form particles...

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Stretchable conductive wires developed at North Carolina State University

Conductive wires that can be stretched up to eight times their original length while still permitting the flow of electrical charges have been developed by researchers from North Carolina State University. The wires can be used in personal gadgets such as headphones and phone chargers and have the potential for use in electronic textiles. According to Dr. Michael Dickey, an assistant professor of chemical...

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Technology to create and harness tornado for clean energy gets $300,000 startup

A novel technology to generate clean power from man-made “tornados” gets $300,000 in start-up funding from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel through his Breakout Labs program. The Atmosphere Vortex Engine, developed by Canadian electrical engineer and entrepreneur Louis Michaud, harnessed the physics of tornados to generate renewable energy at a significantly low-cost. It works by using a fan to blow some of the...

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Lithium build up in car battery impacts its performance – Ohio State

Lithium build up in the anodes of a lithium-ion battery is known to have a negative effect on its charge capacity, now a study from Ohio State University has found that lithium also accumulates on the battery’s copper current collector. Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries that are used in hybrid and electric vehicles. When the battery is in use, lithium ions move back and forth between the...

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Red dye plant could lead to green battery

An organic coloring from a plant used to create dye for textiles can be turned into a highly effective, natural cathode for lithium-ion batteries. Scientists at Rice University and the City College of New York have found that the madder plant or Rubia tinctorum can produce purpurin, an organic molecule that can electrochemically interact with lithium and bind lithium ions. Purpurin is found in the roots of the madder plant,...

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Researchers triple efficiency of organic solar cells

A nanostructured “sandwich” of semiconductor material has allowed a team of researchers from Princeton University to triple the efficiency of organic solar cells. Organic solar cells use conductive organic polymers to convert sunlight to an electric charge. Flexible and lightweight, they open themselves up to a variety of possible applications including building integrated photovoltaics. The problem with organic solar cells is that they have yet to meet...

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