Metals Tech

While lithium-ion batteries have been the go-to technology for everything from smartphones and laptops to electric cars, there are growing concerns about the future because lithium is relatively scarce, expensive and difficult to source, and may soon be at risk due to geopolitical considerations. Scientists around the world are working to create viable alternatives. An […]

An international team of scientists has used machine learning to help them develop perovskite solar cells with near-record efficiency. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how they used the machine-learning algorithm to help them find new hole-transporting materials to improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells. Currently, one part of […]

Increased global demand for electric vehicles could tax supplies of raw materials by the end of the decade, according to new analysis from McKinsey & Company. The firm estimates that EV sales will increase sixfold, from approximately 4.5 million vehicles globally in 2021 28 million in 2030. But analysts believe producers of raw materials may […]

Rapid advancements in solid-state battery technology are ushering in a new era of energy storage solutions, with the potential to revolutionize everything from electric vehicles to renewable energy systems. Advances in electrolyte engineering have played a key role in this progress, enhancing the development and performance of high-performance all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). A review paper dived […]

A research team has achieved a significant breakthrough in clean energy technology. The team has successfully enhanced a crucial component of a bio-electrochemical cell, enabling more efficient hydrogen production from microorganisms found in waste. This advancement resolves longstanding power loss challenges in conventional processes, offering a transformative pathway toward large-scale, cost-effective hydrogen production. The work […]

The electronics industry is approaching a limit to the number of transistors that can be packed onto the surface of a computer chip. So, chip manufacturers are looking to build up rather than out. Instead of squeezing ever-smaller transistors onto a single surface, the industry is aiming to stack multiple surfaces of transistors and semiconducting […]

A groundbreaking advancement in technology is paving the way for mobile phones and other electronic devices to recharge simply by being kept in a pocket. This innovative system enables wireless charging throughout three-dimensional (3D) spaces, encompassing walls, floors, and air. On December 12, Professor Franklin Bien and his research team in the Department of Electrical […]

A team has developed the world’s first technology to prevent damage caused by “positive lightning,” which frequently occurs in offshore wind farms during winter. Just as voltage has positive and negative poles, lightning also has positive and negative polarities. When clouds carry a positive charge and the ground carries a negative charge, positive polarity lightning […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) helps heat pumps to operate more efficiently, by avoiding incorrect device settings and optimizing system operation. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is researching a new generation of smart heat pumps that use artificial neural networks to adapt to environmental conditions and to learn as conditions change. This increases both energy […]

Electrocatalytic water splitting, a process that entails breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen, is a promising approach to produce clean hydrogen for fuel cells, which could in turn be used to power large electric vehicles. So far, the real-world use of this process has been limited by the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution […]