Brookhaven National Laboratory

Lithium's Narrow Paths Limit Batteries

If you could shrink enough for a fantastic voyage across a lithium battery electrode, you'd see the level of charge at every scale is highly uneven. This is not good for the battery's health. Researchers who recognize the problem worked to view in great detail how the various particles in an electrode interact with lithium during use.

Ultrathin Solar Cells Get a Boost

Engineers have achieved a new benchmark in the design of atomically thin solar cells made of semiconducting perovskites, boosting their efficiency while retaining their ability to stand up to the environment.

'Founding Father' of Lithium Ion Batteries Helps Solve 40 Year Problem

In the late 1970s, M. Stanley Whittingham was the first to describe the concept of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, an achievement for which he would share the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Yet even he couldn't have anticipated the complex materials science challenges that would arise as these batteries came to power the world's portable electronics.

New Possibilities for 3D-Printing Human Tissue, Vocal Chord Repair

There is no replacement for the vocal cords when damage is severe or permanent. Now, a team of materials scientists has developed a soft material with promise of new treatments in the future. Their novel soft material, called an elastomer, is very stretchable and 10,000 times softer than a conventional rubber, matching the mechanical properties of vocal cords. The elastomer can be 3D printed for use in health care.

New Lead-Based Anode for Next-Gen Lithium-Ion Batteries

Scientists report a new electrode design for the lithium-ion battery using the low-cost materials lead as well as carbon.

AI and autonomy for chemistry and materials science (Part 2)

IDTechEx attended 2 leading conferences on the impact of AI and autonomy for chemistry and materials science, from both R&D to production.

AI and autonomy for chemistry and materials science (Part 1)

IDTechEx attended 2 leading conferences on the impact of AI and autonomy for chemistry and materials science, from both R&D to production.

Finalists Announced for 2019 R&D 100 Awards

Finalists for the venerable R&D 100 Awards have been announced by R&D World magazine and its new parent company, WTWH Media, LLC.

Manganese may finally solve hydrogen fuel cells' catalyst problem

Manganese is known for making stainless steel and aluminum soda cans. Now, researchers say the metal could advance one of the most promising sources of renewable energy: hydrogen fuel cells.

Catalyst advance could lead to economical fuel cells

Researchers have developed a new way to make low-cost, single-atom catalysts for fuel cells — an advance that could make important clean energy technology more economically viable.

Applying machine learning to the universe's mysteries

Computers can beat chess champions, simulate star explosions, and forecast global climate. We are even teaching them to be infallible problem-solvers and fast learners.

Surprising discovery could lead to better batteries

Scientists have observed how lithium moves inside individual nanoparticles that make up batteries. The finding could help companies develop batteries that charge faster and last longer

Forget about it: A material that mimics the brain

Inspired by human forgetfulness - how our brains discard unnecessary data to make room for new information - scientists conducted a recent study that combined supercomputer simulation and X-ray characterization of a material that gradually 'forgets.' This could one day be used for advanced bio-inspired computing.

Efficient catalyst for key step in artificial photosynthesis

Chemists have designed a new catalyst that speeds up the rate of a key step in "artificial photosynthesis" -- an effort to mimic how plants, algae, and some bacteria harness sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into energy-rich fuels.

A wearable brain scanner

The scanner can be "worn" like a helmet, allowing research subjects to stand and make movements as the device scans.

Images reveal battery materials' chemical reactions in five dimensions

Researchers have created a new imaging technique that allows scientists to probe the internal makeup of a battery during charging and discharging using different x-ray energies while rotating the battery cell.

Trapped electrons to blame for lack of battery efficiency

Research has the potential to create more efficient batteries by shedding light on the cause of one of their biggest problems -- a "traffic jam" of ions that slows down their charging and discharging process.

New catalyst offers efficient storage of alternative energies

Researchers have designed the most efficient catalyst for storing energy in chemical form, by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, just like plants do during photosynthesis.