Sun Yat-Sen University

Machine Learning Helps to Locally Restore Wetlands

Worldwide, coastal wetlands like salt marshes and mangroves are increasingly recognized as valuable natural defenses that protect coasts. Tidal salt marshes enhance flood safety by being 'wave absorbers' that protect the dikes behind them, and by being 'flood fighters' that lower the flood depth by limiting the size of breaches when a dike would fail during severe storms. This raises the question if we can establish and restore these wetlands where needed, now that the sea level is rising, and storms become stronger and more frequent.

Transparent Nanolayers for More Solar Power

Silicon solar cells have been steadily improved over the past decades and have already reached a very high level of development. However, the disturbing effect of recombination still occurs after the absorption of sunlight and the photovoltaic generation of electrical charge carriers. In this process, negative and positive charge carriers that have already been generated combine and cancel each other out before they could be used for the flow of solar electricity. This effect can be countered by special materials that have a special property - passivation.

Engineers Mix and Match Materials to Make New Stretchy Electronics

At the heart of any electronic device is a cold, hard computer chip, covered in a miniature city of transistors and other semiconducting elements. Because computer chips are rigid, the electronic devices that they power, such as our smartphones, laptops, watches, and televisions, are similarly inflexible. Now a process developed by engineers may be the key to manufacturing flexible electronics with multiple functionalities in a cost-effective way.

Route to flexible electronics made from exotic materials

Engineers have developed a technique to fabricate ultrathin semiconducting films made from a host of exotic materials other than silicon. To demonstrate their technique, the researchers fabricated flexible films made from gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, and lithium fluoride — materials that exhibit better performance than silicon but until now have been prohibitively expensive to produce in functional devices.

Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells with highest power conversion

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has successfully developed perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells with the world's highest power conversion efficiency of 25.5% .

Vibration energy the secret to self powered electronics

ncorporated directly into a cell phone housing, the team's nanogenerator could harvest and convert vibration energy from a surface, such as the passenger seat of a moving vehicle, into power for the phone.

Engineers show how to optimize carbon nanotube arrays for hot spots

Experimental evidence and computer simulations suggest how to grow structures with the best trade offs between three desired characteristics: strength, flexibility and the ability to dissipate heat.

Canadian Government invests in vehicles of the future

The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, announced last week six new projects supported by the Automotive Partnership Canada (APC) initiative at the University of Windsor.

BASF signs licensing agreement to acquire LFP technology

BASF, through its global Battery Materials business unit, today announced that it has signed a long-term licensing agreement to acquire global rights for the production and sale of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery materials technology from LiFePO4+C Licensing AG, Muttenz, Switzerland.

Distance record for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

In 2012, four Liquid Robotics "PACX Wave Glider" AUV gliders set a new distance world record by travelling autonomously almost 6000 kilometers.

Molycorp to acquire leading rare earth processor in $1.3 billion deal

Transaction will create global, vertically integrated rare earth technology leader and will give Molycorp a greater range of products and increased sales opportunities across Asia.

President Obama launches EV-Everywhere Challenge

By 2022 the USA Energy Department hopes that companies in the United States will be the first in the world to produce a 5-passenger affordable American electric vehicle with a payback time of less than 5 years and sufficient range and fast-charging ability to enable average Americans everywhere to meet their daily transportation needs more conveniently and at lower cost.

Toyota finds way to avoid using rare earth materials

Toyota Motor Corp has developed a way to make hybrid and electric vehicles without the use of expensive rare earth metals, in which China has a near-monopoly.

Lowering the cost of EV batteries - U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu

Industry and government are on track to bring down the cost of batteries to power hybrid and electric cars, which is crucial for improving commercial appeal of those vehicles, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said.

Making hydrogen powered travel a reality in the UK

A ground breaking project to ensure the UK is well positioned for the commercial roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles has been launched in the UK.

New hybrid synergy drive for the Toyota Yaris

Toyota are adding a new hybrid to their collection and have developed a smaller version of the Hybrid Synergy Drive system to power it.

Plugless Power Apollo Launch Programme

Clemson University's International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) announced recently that it will participate in the 2012 Apollo Launch Program hosted by Evatran, the developer of Plugless Power wireless electric vehicle recharging systems.

KleenSpeed KAR EV technology

KleenSpeed aim to become a leader in the global electric car marketplace through advanced engineering and design with the production versions of the KleenSpeed KAR.