Royal Society of Chemistry

Tracing paper boost for solar cells

A piece of transparent paper made from wood-based cellulose fibres is an unlikely addition to a solar cell that actually increases its efficiency.

Implant harvests heartbeat power

A flexible piezoelectric implant that harnesses energy from the body's natural motions has been developed by researchers in the US and China.

Scorched hair makes supercapacitors greener

Researchers in China have used human hair to make a vital component of energy-storage devices.

From seaweed to solar cells

After years of using platinum, scientists suggest they could one day use extracts from marine plants to replace it in solar cells.

New battery design concept

Efforts to produce a workable design for a rechargeable lithium-air battery with respectable commercial performance have been going on for years. Problems have appeared to be insoluble.

Harnessing acoustic vibrations boosts solar cell efficiency

UK researchers have shown how solar cell efficiency can be boosted by up to 50% by harnessing acoustic vibrations in the environment, including those caused by roof-top machinery, traffic and even pop music.

New jelly substance could replace platinum in fuel cells

A substance made from gelatin could be used to replace platinum in fuel cells, according to research.

Smart supercapacitor shuts down when it overheats

Researchers in China have designed a smart supercapacitor that reversibly shuts down when it gets too hot.

First polymer LED that stays lit up when stretched and scrunched

Researchers say that they have produced the first polymer organic light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) that can be stretched while lit.

Pigments used to prototype light-harvesting antennas

A ring of protein and pigments, half synthetic and half natural, can be used to quickly prototype light-harvesting antennas that absorb more sunlight than fully natural ones.

Self-powering cloth electronics

Self-contained power generation complements flexibility by removing the need for bulky external power supplies to make smaller devices more feasible.

Synthetic antenna mimics plants' light harvesting abilities

Researchers have developed a dye-based molecule that mimics the light harvesting complex found in plants.

Tiny bendy power supply for even smaller portable electronics

The tiny power supply measures less than half a centimetre across and is made from a flexible material, opening up the possibility for wearable electronics.

Cobalt redox couple boosts thermoelectric cells

Scientists in Australia have improved a technology that recycles waste heat into useable energy by using ionic liquids containing cobalt redox couples as the electrolytes in thermoelectric cells.

New research grants to enhance the use of wonder material

Research projects that will focus on how to enhance the 'manufacturability' of graphene, one of the thinnest, strongest and most conductive materials known to man, are to receive £21.5 million in funding.

Skeleton and skin strategy improves supercapacitor

The ultrathin supercapacitor could have potential uses in lightweight and flexible storage devices for portable electronic devices.

Creating energy and light from air

Researchers from the University are studying how to make electricity from electrodes coated in bacteria, and other living cells, using light or hydrogen as the fuel.

Tanaka Precious Metals develops ruthenium material for DRAM

Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (a company of Tanaka Precious Metals) has succeeded in the joint development of ruthenium material able to form a film up to six times the normal depth for capacitor electrodes used in semiconductor memory DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) with Professor Seiji Ogo of the Graduate School of Engineering Department of Applied Chemistry at Kyushu University.

Power supply for smart garments

Scientists in the US have taken the first steps towards designing a flexible and lightweight fabric that can act as a power supply for smart garments.

Harvesting energy from respiration

In a recent paper US scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison described a device that converts air flow from human breath into electricity.