Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

One of the world’s highest energy densities achieved. NIMS and Softbank Corp. have developed a lithium-air battery with an energy density over 500Wh/kg – significantly higher than currently lithium ion batteries. The research team then confirmed that this battery can be charged and discharged at room temperature. In addition, the team found that the battery developed by the team shows the highest energy densities and best cycle life performances ever achieved...

Lithium-ion batteries are relatively safe, long-lasting, fast charging and better for the environment than non-rechargeable batteries—right? Not quite. The rocking-chair mechanism that allows for commercial power storage generally uses rare earth elements, such as nickel and cobalt.

Researchers have long been on the hunt for alternative batteries that boast all the benefits of lithium-ion versions but include ecological and economic advantages.

Now, a team from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is closing in on an improved approach...

The climate crisis requires ramping up usage of renewable energy sources like solar and wind, but with intermittent availability, scalable energy storage is a challenge. Hydrogen —especially carbon-free green hydrogen—has emerged as a promising clean energy carrier and storage option for renewable energy such as solar and wind. It adds no carbon emissions to the atmosphere, but currently is costly and complex to create.

One way to produce green hydrogen is electrochemical water splitting. This process involves running electricity through water in the presence of catalysts to yield hydrogen and oxygen.

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and Geor...

The field of self-repairing materials is rapidly expanding, and what used to be science fiction might soon become reality, thanks to scientists who developed eco-friendly nanocrystal semiconductors capable of self-healing. Their findings describe the process, in which a group of materials called double perovskites display self-healing properties after being damaged by the radiation of an electron beam.

From the Terminator to Spiderman’s suit, self-repairing robots and devices abound in sci-fi movies. In reality, though, wear and tear reduce the effectiveness of electronic devices until they need to be replaced...