There’s been a lot of interest in Tesla’s 4680 batteries since before they were even announced, but their development and ramp-up have been a bit below par in terms of most people’s expectations. I’ve seen various claims about these, and those claims have diverged quite a bit as time has gone on, so it was […]
Metals Tech
Ion thermoelectric conversion devices for near room temperature
The electrode sheet of a thermoelectric device consists of ionic hydrogel, which is sandwiched between the electrodes to form, and the Prussian blue on the electrode undergoes a redox reaction to improve the energy density and power density of the ionic thermoelectric generator. New research on this topic appears in Energy Material Advances. Prof. Zeng Wei of the […]
Plasma treatment enhances electrode material for fuel cells in industry, homes and vehicles
Researchers from Skoltech and their colleagues have improved the properties of a carbon-based electrode material by exposing it to air plasma. Such treatment turned out to enhance electrode performance, which is the limiting factor for high-tech energy sources—particularly fuel cells. These are a promising technology for cleaner and more efficient electrical power generation. Published in the Journal of […]
Physicists Say The Ultimate Battery Could Harness The Power of Black Holes
The quest to generate more energy from less material while avoiding burning any more fossil fuels than our planet can handle is spawning some, let’s say, creative ideas. Nuclear fusion records are being smashed, even if only by the tiniest of margins and seconds at a time. Meanwhile, solar panels are becoming increasingly efficient as […]
Researchers develop sodium battery capable of rapid charging in just a few seconds
Sodium (Na), which is over 500 times more abundant than lithium (Li), has recently garnered significant attention for its potential in sodium-ion battery technologies. However, existing sodium-ion batteries face fundamental limitations, including lower power output, constrained storage properties, and longer charging times, necessitating the development of next-generation energy storage materials. A research team led by […]
Mess is best: Disordered structure of battery-like devices improves performance
The energy density of supercapacitors—battery-like devices that can charge in seconds or a few minutes—can be improved by increasing the ‘messiness’ of their internal structure. Researchers led by the University of Cambridge used experimental and computer modeling techniques to study the porous carbon electrodes used in supercapacitors. They found that electrodes with a more disordered […]
The EV Industry Has A Battery Oversupply Problem
Last year, demand for lithium-ion batteries that went into electric vehicles and stationary storage amounted to roughly 950 gigawatt-hours globally, according to estimates from BloombergNEF. At the same time, the total battery manufacturing capacity was almost triple, at about 2,600 GWh. At the end of next year, the total global announced battery manufacturing capacity is said […]
Cooler transformers could help electric grid
Most people do not give the U.S. electric grid a second thought—we flip a switch, and the lights come on. Behind the scenes are thousands of power plants and utilities linked by millions of miles of transmission lines. To make raw electricity useful, grid transformers convert high voltage to lower voltage that millions of households […]
Bumpy ride for electric cars in Europe
Electric cars are a key part of Europe’s green transition plans but the road ahead remains littered with obstacles with 10 years to go before a crucial milestone. Despite the fact that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the European Union as of 2035, sales of plug-in “zero emission” […]
Better battery manufacturing: Robotic lab vets new reaction design strategy
New chemistries for batteries, semiconductors and more could be easier to manufacture, thanks to a new approach to making chemically complex materials that researchers at the University of Michigan and Samsung’s Advanced Materials Lab have demonstrated. Their new recipes use unconventional ingredients to make battery materials with fewer impurities, requiring fewer costly refinement steps and […]