American Chemical Society

Even graphene has weak spots

Graphene, the single-atom-thick form of carbon, has become famous for its extraordinary strength. But less-than-perfect sheets of the material show unexpected weakness.

ORNL research paves way for larger, safer lithium ion batteries

Looking toward improved batteries for charging electric cars and storing energy from renewable but intermittent solar and wind, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed the first high-performance, nanostructured solid electrolyte for more energy-dense lithium ion batteries.

Large-scale production of edge-functionalized graphene nanoplatelets

The electrocatalytic activity of heteroatom-doped carbon-based nanomaterials has become a growing interest in the past few years due to their potential applications for fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

Stretchable energy storage devices

Rechargeable and stretchable energy storage devices, also known as supercapacitors, are urgently needed to complement advances currently being made in flexible electronics.

Tubular films show promise for touchscreens

A Rice University team has hit upon a method to produce nearly transparent films of electrically conductive carbon nanotubes, a goal sought by researchers around the world.

Caterpillar unveils first hybrid excavator

Caterpillar unveiled the first model in its new line of hybrid excavators, the Cat® 336E H, at its Mossville Industrial Design Center last week.

Latest progress on solution-processed OLEDs

IDTechEx recently attended the SID Organics meeting held at Imperial College London. Here we will provide a brief update on the activities of several major chemical companies that are actively pursuing OLED.

Batteries from world's thinnest material could power tomorrow's EV

Engineering Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Use Intentionally Blemished Graphene Paper To Create Easy-To-Make, Quick-Charging Lithium-ion Battery With High Power Density

Toughened silicon sponges may make tenacious batteries

Rice University, Lockheed Martin researchers extract multiple anodes from a single wafer for lithium-ion batteries

Highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity

UCLA researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside.

Nano-infused paint can detect strain

Rice University's fluorescent nanotube coating can reveal stress on planes, bridges, buildings

Ancient effect harnessed to produce electricity

A phenomenon first observed by an ancient Greek philosopher 2,300 years ago has become the basis for a new device designed to harvest the enormous amounts of energy wasted as heat each year to produce electricity.

Graphene boosts efficiency of next-generation solar cells

Graphene, a two-dimensional honeycomb of carbon atoms, is a rising star in the materials community for its radical properties. One of those properties is electrical conductivity, which could make it a key ingredient in the next generation of photovoltaic cells.

Nature holds key to energy storage

It is possible to extend the length of time a battery-like enzyme can store energy from seconds to hours.

UWM discovery advances graphene-based electronics

Graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of carbon that resembles a flat sheet of chicken wire at nanoscale, has the potential to revolutionize electronics because it conducts electricity much better than the gold and copper wires used in current devices.

Transparent memory chips are coming

The Rice lab has since developed a working two-terminal memory device that can be stacked in a three-dimensional configuration and attached to a flexible substrate.

Butterfly wings inspire improvements in solar technology

Butterfly wings may rank among the most delicate structures in nature, but they have given researchers powerful inspiration for developing better solar technology.

Engineers create piezoelectric graphene

Materials engineers at Stanford have described how they have engineered piezoelectrics into graphene, extending for the first time such fine physical control to the nanoscale.

Biofuel cells implanted in snails

A team at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, have implanted tiny biofuel cells into brown garden snails that extract electrical power from the glucose and oxygen in the snail's blood to produce electricity.

Autonomous microrockets for biomedical and industrial use

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have recently published research into bubble propelled microrockets for use in the human stomach.