Lithium (Li) batteries, or lithium metal batteries, use metallic lithium as an anode. Over the past few decades, rechargeable Li batteries have been used to power a wide variety of electronic devices, including toys, portable consumer devices and electric vehicles.
Solar cells made of semi-transparent photovoltaic (PV) materials typically have a fixed optical transmission, which results in either high transparency or high efficiency, but rarely both. In order to perform optimally when integrated on buildings, however, they...
Water from the Colorado River is critical for agriculture, people and the environment. As populations burgeon and environmental flows are in jeopardy, many see agriculture as the ‘go to’ source to meet shortages. A group of researchers at Colorado State University has...
In recent years, researchers worldwide have been exploring new methods of producing ethanol, a chemical compound that is extensively used in a variety of industrial settings. One way to produce this compound is via what is known as the carbon dioxide electroreduction...
Researchers have been trying to produce hydrogen photosynthetically for quite some time now, as this could pave the way toward a more sustainable energy infrastructure. Some of them have succeeded by fusing different hydrogenases (H2ase) to photosystem I (PSI) in...
Researchers at Monash University, CSIRO, the University of Melbourne and the University of Texas have devised a new lithium extraction method that could pave the way towards a greener future.
Researchers at Peking University, Southern University of Science and Technology and the University of Jinan in China have recently designed a ceramic-polymer composite that can be used to print complex 3-D grid architectures. This composite, first presented in a paper...
Electrical energy derived from renewable sources could be used to rearrange bonds in carbon dioxide (CO2) and water molecules into complex hydrocarbons, which can then be burnt to produce new energy and CO2, ultimately enabling a carbon cycle. Copper is a catalytic...
The global demand for rechargeable batteries has grown exponentially over the past decade or so, as they are needed to power the increasing numbers of portable electronic devices such as smart phones, laptops, tablets, smart watches and fitness trackers. To work most...
In recent years, robots have become increasingly sophisticated, hence they are now able to complete a wide variety of tasks. While some robots are designed to work individually, for instance providing basic assistance in people's homes, others might be more efficient...