Royal Dutch Shell

Stretchy plastic electrolytes for new lithium-ion battery design

The growing popularity of lithium-ion batteries in recent years has put a strain on the world's supply of cobalt and nickel - two metals integral to current battery designs - and sent prices surging. In a bid to develop alternative designs for lithium-based batteries with less reliance on those scarce metals, researchers have developed a promising new cathode and electrolyte system that replaces expensive metals and traditional liquid electrolyte with lower cost transition metal fluorides and a solid polymer electrolyte.

Gerben Hilboldt appointed as CTO of Koolen Industries

Electric vehicle specialist Gerben Hilboldt has been appointed as chief technology officer of the Dutch clean energy solutions conglomerate Koolen Industries.

Quantum dots: changing and expanding application landscape

Quantum dots (QD) are a success story in displays. The current incumbent mode of integration is film type (enhancement film). The value chain for this is well-established. The technology can be integrated in large displays (TVs) from 27" to 98". This article provides a brief look at multiple key applications.

3-D Printed Mother-of-Pearl creates tough new smart materials

Researchers are drawing inspiration from mollusks to build lightweight, strong materials for wearable technology and more.

Building a 'Swarm' of 3D-Printing Robots

Imagine the interior of a cavernous structure, a factory or airplane hangar, for example. And inside this spacious room, a swarm of robots, dozens, if not hundreds of autonomous machines, scaled up to the size of giant forklifts, are working together, like army ants, to build a commercial airplane, layer by layer, instead of assembling and riveting metal sheets.

Avantium

Avantium is a spin-out from Royal Dutch Shell, founded to develop advanced catalysts to create more environmentally friendly materials. IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr Bryony Core finds out about their latest activities in the world of biobased intermediates and polymers.

Financing gives major boost to Tanzania's mini-grid sector

CrossBoundaryEnergyAccess, Africa's first project financing facility for mini-grids, is announcing its first transaction to finance 60 mini-grids in Tanzania in partner-ship with PowerGen Renewable Energy.

New laws of attraction: Scientists print magnetic liquid droplets

Scientists have made a new material that is both liquid and magnetic, opening the door to a new area of science in magnetic soft matter. Their findings could lead to a revolutionary class of printable liquid devices for a variety of applications from artificial cells that deliver targeted cancer therapies to flexible liquid robots that can change their shape to adapt to their surroundings.

Solar mini-grid distribution in Nigeria

Arnergy's distributed renewable energy systems harness the combination of solar power, superior storage solutions and proprietary remote management technologies to deliver scalable, reliable and affordable energy solutions that are tailored to tackle issues related to intermittency and grid unreliability.

Hydropower Questioned by IDTechEx Research: Better Alternatives Exist

Hydropower takes years to install and it can drown vegetation creating years of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Dams have burst in three countries recently. Fortunately many better options are available or emerging. The strong trend now is to making electricity where you need it, from your solar watch to your village microgrid. Both are evidence of another trend which is the ability to move your zero-emission electricity generation.

Slothbot takes a leisurely approach to environmental monitoring

For environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, infrastructure maintenance and certain security applications, slow and energy efficient can be better than fast and always needing a recharge. That's where "SlothBot" comes in.

TRENDE, Toyota , UTokyo experiment next-gen electricity system

TRENDE Inc, Toyota Motor Corporation and the University of Tokyo will conduct a joint experiment with a next-generation peer-to-peer electricity system that enables homes, businesses, and electric vehicles connected to the electricity grid to trade electricity using a blockchain.

How the snail's shell got its coil

Successfully applying CRISPR gene editing technology to molluscs for the first time, researchers have now made snails with mutations in a gene called Lsdia1, which had previously been suggested - but not conclusively proven - to be involved in snail shell coiling; snails without a functional copy of Lsdia1 produce offspring with shells that coil to the left, showing that this single gene is responsible for rightwardcoiling.

Zero-emission trucking takes another leap forward

Toyota, Kenworth, the Port of Los Angeles and the California Air Resources Board took the next great leap towards the future of zero-emission trucking, unveiling the first of Toyota and Kenworth's jointly developed fuel cell electric heavy-duty trucks.

Snake-inspired robot slithers even better

Bad news for ophiophobes: Researchers have developed a new and improved snake-inspired soft robot that is faster and more precise than its predecessor.

Next Electric Vehicles Get Ultra Lightweight Motors

In electric aircraft, motor power-to-weight ratio is paramount for endurance, the main constraint on sales. You cannot lug ever more battery weight to get range. Indeed, better motors mean less battery in a land, water or air vehicle. The new IDTechEx Research report, "Electric Motors for Electric Vehicles: Land, Water, Air 2019-2029" explains the new emphasis on power-to-weight ratio with good efficiency.

Elastic fibre with the strength of metal

Researchers have developed a fiber that combines the elasticity of rubber with the strength of a metal, resulting in a tougher material that could be incorporated into soft robotics, packaging materials or next-generation textiles.

JIOS Aerogel

Update on JIOS Aerogel in March 2019.

Shell has agreed to acquire 100% of sonnen

Shell has agreed to acquire 100% of sonnen, a leader in smart energy storage systems and innovative energy services for households. This follows an investment by Shell in May 2018 and means that, post regulatory approval and completion, sonnen will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell.