American Chemical Society

Battery that 'breathes' could power next-gen electric vehicles

Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) nearly doubled in 2013, but most won't take you farther than 100 miles on one charge.

Maximum light trapping in solar cells

Researchers at TU Delft have opened the way for the realization of the next generation of high-efficiency, cost-effective and ultra-thin crystalline silicon solar cells.

Metal ink could ease way toward flexible electronic books, displays

Scientists are reporting the development of a novel metal ink made of small sheets of copper that can be used to write a functioning, flexible electric circuit on regular printer paper.

Nanogenerator for acoustic energy harvesting

Scientists have developed a triboelectrification-based thin-film nanogenerator for harvesting acoustic energy from ambient environments.

Oxford research team pioneers semi-transparent perovskite solar cells

Advances in solar technology are set to revolutionise the Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) market with the development of a new type of cell which combines semi-transparency with good efficiency, opening up the possibility of entire facades formed of electricity generating glass.

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.

Fingers produce electricity with new nanogenerator

A research team has developed has developed the biotemplated design of a flexible piezoelectric energy harvesting nano generator.

Triboelectric generators capture wasted power

Researchers are developing a family of power generators that take advantage of the triboelectric effect to produce small amounts of electricity for portable devices and sensors.

Solar-powered battery woven into fabric

Though some people already seem inseparable from their smartphones, even more convenient, wearable, solar-powered electronics could be on the way soon, woven into clothing fibers or incorporated into watchbands.

Success in dye absorption structure control

The Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Photovoltaics Group of the NIMS, Global Research Center for Environment and Energy based on Nanomaterials Science (GREEN), elucidated the relationship between the photocurrent and the peculiar changes in the absorption structure occurring in the vicinity of the molecular-electrode interface in dye-sensitized solar cells, by conducting a soft X-ray radiation experiment at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK).

Nanogenerator harvests wind energy

Researchers report a triboelectric effect based wind energy harvester as a sustainable power source and a self-powered wind vector sensor system for wind speed and direction detection.

Discovery could make solar power cheaper, more accessible

University of Alberta researchers have found that abundant materials in the Earth's crust can be used to make inexpensive and easily manufactured nanoparticle-based solar cells.

Breakthrough advances nanomaterials for printable solar cells

Research collaboration with top scientists in Australia and Japan is advancing next generation solar cells.

Discovery could make solar power cheaper, more accessible

Researchers have found that abundant materials in the Earth's crust can be used to make inexpensive and easily manufactured nanoparticle-based solar cells.

Battery design gets boost from aligned carbon nanotubes

The research shows the potential of manufactured sheets of aligned carbon nanotubes coated with silicon, a material with a much higher energy storage capacity than the graphite composites typically used in lithium ion batteries.

Artificial skin that senses touch, humidity and temperature

Using tiny gold particles and a kind of resin, a team of scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has discovered how to make a new kind of flexible sensor that one day could be integrated into electronic skin, or e-skin.

Enhanced yet affordable material for supercapacitors

Researchers have developed a new method to massively synthesize enhanced yet affordable materials for supercapacitors.

Battery design gets boost from aligned carbon nanotubes

Researchers have created a new flexible nano-scaffold for rechargeable lithium ion batteries that could help make cell phone and electric car batteries last longer.

The diabetes 'breathalyzer'

Chemists have demonstrated a sensor technology that could significantly simplify the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes through breath analysis alone.

Revolutionary new device joins world of smart electronics

Researchers at the University of Exeter have developed a new photoelectric device that is both flexible and transparent.