Metals Tech

Batteries are widely used power sources that utilize electrochemical cells for powering various devices. Battery performance is impacted by intrinsic mechanisms of battery failure and degradation, which depend on the electrochemical and nanomechanical interactions of the constituent materials. Tremendous efforts have been made in industry towards the next generation high energy density and high C-rate […]

Researchers have come up with all sorts of innovative new chemistries to boost the efficiency of solar cells, but it looks plain old fish oil could do the trick. The nature-based solution applies to solar systems that produce heat as well as electricity. In that combo, a research team in Korea has assessed a solar […]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have conducted a comprehensive life cycle, cost and carbon emissions analysis on 3D-printed molds for precast concrete and have determined that the method is economically beneficial compared to conventional wood molds. The work is published in the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling. Precast concrete is used in building construction and produced […]

As the first generation of electric vehicles starts to retire en masse, their used batteries—which still have life in them—represent a largely untapped resource. EV battery storage systems can be connected to active or unused power stations to serve as backups during grid failure. However, since a lithium-ion battery storage station is potentially hazardous, plant […]

Canada and Japan on Thursday agreed to work more closely together to establishing sustainable and reliable global battery supply chains, the Canadian government said in a statement. The two sides signed a memorandum of cooperation on the supply chains during a visit by Japanese Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, it said, but gave no details. Canada, […]

Lithium-ion batteries have become the standard in the electrification revolution. In fact, they’ve become so unquestionably integral to the development of batteries that everyone from government to automakers to big oil is rushing to shore up access to the mineral. The only problem is, lithium is expensive, time-consuming and labor-intensive to extract. And that extraction process […]

A research team recently published a new study on initiating high voltage multi-electron reactions in NASICON cathodes in the journal Energy Material Advances. “Aqueous secondary batteries hold substantial promise for stationary energy storage,” notes lead researcher Professor Ying Bai, affiliated with the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology. “While commercial […]

While colder weather negatively affects the range of Tesla electric vehicles and electric vehicles in general, it may actually be good for the long-term longevity health of EV battery packs, according to a new study. Recurrent, which has access to data from over 12,500 Tesla vehicles in the US through its software service, has been […]

New investments in the United States and Europe aim to challenge China’s stranglehold on a key ingredient used in most electric vehicle batteries – graphite – but industry experts said that will be an uphill battle. The focus is shifting to a new front: Synthetic graphite, an element developed in the late 19th century, but only redirected toward […]

  Buildings are responsible for 40% of total energy use in the United States, including 75% of all electricity use and 35% of the nation’s carbon emissions. Although today’s decarbonization efforts often focus on renewable electricity or electric vehicles, decarbonizing the building stock is also essential. To facilitate decarbonization of the U.S. building stock, researchers […]