Rechargeable zinc metal batteries (RZMBs) could be a viable alternative to lithium ion batteries, which are currently used to power many types of electronic devices, as well as electric vehicles. Recent studies suggest that using optimized electrolytes could lead to...
Energy & Green Tech
Correcting anode-free cell failure to enable higher-energy-density batteries
Batteries with high energy densities could enable the creation of a wider range of electric vehicles, including flying vehicles that can transport humans in urban environments. Past studies predict that to support the operation of vehicles capable of take-off and...
Lithium metal batteries that perform well at low temperatures
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.
Dye-sensitized solar cells that adapt to different light conditions
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...
How can agriculture in the Colorado River Basin best address pressures on its water?
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...
New electrocatalysts to produce ethanol more efficiently
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...
A method to produce hydrogen in vivo photosynthetically
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...
A New Filtration Technique That Could Reduce Lithium Extraction Times
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.
A new flexible piezoelectric composite for 3-D printing
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...
Simultaneously tuning the surface structure and oxidation state of copper catalysts
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...