Metals Tech

Picture a smartphone clad in a casing that’s not just for protection but also doubles as a reservoir of electricity, or an electric car where the doors and floorboard store energy to propel it forward. Such technologies may one day be a reality, thanks to recent work by engineers at the University of California San […]

Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding and overcoming the challenges associated with Ni-rich cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries. While these materials can reach high voltages and capacities, their real-world usage has been limited by structural issues and oxygen depletion. Their study revealed that ‘oxygen hole’ formation – where an oxygen ion loses […]

Flat coin cell batteries (the kind used in watches) have been around for decades. But the combination of solid and liquid components makes it very hard to see how the components fail inside these batteries. To learn more, scientists froze an entire battery, cut it open with a super-fast laser, and took pictures of the […]

Transport is at a crossroads as we move away from filling our tanks with liquid fossil fuels and powering them up from battery charging points. However, the lithium-ion batteries that displaced those tanks have a finite lifespan and must be replaced when their recharge capacity falls below a usable level. With millions of electric vehicles […]

A team of mechanical engineers at Chung-Ang University in South Korea has developed an exosuit that can help runners cover short distances faster. Their project is reported in the journal Science Robotics. An exosuit is a type of device that can be worn over the body. Engineers and roboticists have been creating exosuits over the […]

The world’s fifth-largest EV battery manufacturer, South Korea’s SK On, recently announced it created a new material that could change the efficiency of solid-state batteries forever. The project was completed in collaboration with Dankook University and resulted in patent applications for technology both in the country and abroad. According to the report published in Advanced […]

The zinc smelting industry is facing new challenges in meeting China’s carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets. To address these challenges, researchers from Central South University in China have developed a control method that reduces carbon emissions from zinc oxide rotary kilns while maintaining high profits. Their findings have been published in the journal Engineering. […]

Researchers reveal the root cause of rechargeable battery breakdown. For decades, scientists have assumed that the inevitable filmy buildup on electrodes inside rechargeable batteries is the driver of performance loss. Now, we know that view is backward. The buildup of mossy or tree-like structured lithium metal deposits on battery electrodes is not the root cause […]

Demand for valuable metals needed in batteries is poised to grow over the coming decades in step with the growth of clean energy technologies, and the best place to source them may be by recycling spent batteries. A battery recycling process developed by Rice University scientists can remove the inert layer on battery metals and lower their oxidation […]

SEARCY, Ark. — In the decarbonized future envisioned by many states, utilities and the federal government, expect more power plants like Entergy Arkansas’ facility here, where thousands of gleaming panels and banks of batteries spread across 800 acres about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. The Searcy Solar Energy Center, a 100-megawatt solar and storage […]