Stanford University

Perovskites provide big boost to silicon solar cells

Stacking perovskites, a crystalline material, onto a conventional silicon solar cell dramatically improves the overall efficiency of the cell, according to a new study.

Unconquered Sun, University Of Windsor join forces

Sun Solar Technologies Inc has received the green light on government funding for an exciting new R&D collaboration with The University of Windsor aimed at optimizing Unconquered Sun's already popular Solar Fueled Electric Vehicle Powertrain technology.

World's thinnest full-color flexible display

Royole Corporation has successfully demonstrated the world's thinnest full-color flexible display. The thickness of the whole display is only about 0.01 mm (10 μm), which is less than one fifth the diameter of the human hair.

High-tech mirror to beam heat away from buildings into space

Engineers have invented a revolutionary coating material that can help cool buildings, even on sunny days, by radiating heat away from the buildings and sending it directly into space.

Seed grants for innovative energy research

Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy, Precourt Energy Efficiency Center and TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy have awarded eight seed grants totaling about $1.5 million for promising new research in clean technology and energy efficiency.

Lithium-ion battery that warns of potential fire hazards

Scientists have developed a "smart" lithium-ion battery that gives ample warning before it overheats and bursts into flames.

Tiny, sound-powered chip to serve as medical device

Engineers are developing a way to send power - safely and wirelessly - to smart chips programmed to perform medical tasks and report back the results.

Blades of grass inspire advance in organic solar cells

Using a bio-mimicking analog of one of nature's most efficient light-harvesting structures, blades of grass, an international research team led by Alejandro Briseno of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has taken a major step in developing long-sought polymer architecture to boost power-conversion efficiency of light to electricity for use in electronic devices.

Study sheds new light on why batteries go bad

A comprehensive look at how tiny particles in a lithium ion battery electrode behave shows that rapid-charging the battery and using it to do high-power, rapidly draining work may not be as damaging as researchers had thought - and that the benefits of slow draining and charging may have been overestimated.

Batteryless, ant sized radios for the internet of things

Researchers have built a radio the size of an ant, a device so energy efficient that it gathers all the power it needs from the same electromagnetic waves that carry signals to its receiving antenna - no batteries required.

Pure lithium anode closer to reality

Researchers report that they have taken a big step toward accomplishing what battery designers have been trying to do for decades - design a pure lithium anode.

C3Nano

C3nano was founded in 2010, as a spin out from Prof Zhenan Bao's group at Stanford university. C3Nano has developed solution-coated, transparent, conductive materials that compete directly with indium tin oxide (ITO) and claim to have the highest conductivity with the best optical quality in the market due to their IP on AgNWs.

Self cooling solar cells last longer and have more power

By adding a specially patterned layer of silica glass to the surface of ordinary solar cells, a team of researchers has found a way to let solar cells cool themselves by shepherding away unwanted thermal radiation.

A look inside SLAC's battery lab

A team of scientists is making and testing new types of lithium-ion batteries. Their goal: create a battery five times better than the ones we use today.

How to make more efficient fuel cells

Fuel cells use oxygen and hydrogen as fuel to create electricity; if the process were run in reverse, the fuel cells could be used to store electricity, as well.

Engineers envision an electronic switch just three atoms thick

Computer simulation shows how to make a crystal that would toggle like a light switch between conductive and non-conductive structures. This could lead to flexible electronic materials and, for instance, enable a cell phone to be woven into a shirt.

Government investment drives UK lead in IoT

A consortium of more than 40 UK-based technology companies funded by the UK's innovation agency, Technology Strategy Board, has delivered on the first phase of its initiative to accelerate the widespread move to the Internet of Things.

Creeping nanocrystals behind lithium-ion battery degradation

Batteries do not age gracefully. The lithium ions that power portable electronics cause lingering structural damage with each cycle of charge and discharge, making devices from smartphones to tablets tick toward zero faster and faster over time.

Safe way to transfer energy to medical chips in the body

A Stanford electrical engineer has invented a way to wirelessly transfer power deep inside the body, and then use this power to run tiny electronic medical gadgets such as pacemakers, nerve stimulators or new sensors and devices yet to be developed.

Scientists find new way to harness waste heat

Researchers have developed a new battery technology that captures waste heat and converts it into electricity.