science wire

UW researchers develop a stretchable, wearable device that lights up an LED using only the warmth of your skin One of the drawbacks of fitness trackers and other wearable devices is that their batteries eventually run out of juice. But what if in the future, wearable technology could use body heat to power itself? UW researchers have developed a flexible, durable electronic prototype that can harvest energy from body heat and turn it into electricity that can be used to power small electronics, such as batteries, sensors or LEDs.

Membranes based on natural silk and cellulose can remove many contaminants, including "forever chemicals" and heavy metals. Water contamination by the chemicals used in today's technology is a rapidly growing problem globally. A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that 98 percent of people tested had detectable levels of PFAS, a family of particularly long-lasting compounds also known as "forever chemicals," in their bloodstream.

The Nanofabrication Facility (NFF) at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) processes materials at the nanoscale, helping research projects ranging from material science, and quantum computing to life sciences.

Adapted from a by the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. Today the U.S. Department of Energy (Doe) announced the creation of two new Energy Innovation Hubs.

Researchers will advance battery technologies going beyond current lithium ion capabilities Maximizing the benefits of clean energy requires new ways to store it, and University of Michigan engineers

A new family of integrated rock salt-polyanion cathodes opens door to low-cost, high-energy storage. For the past decade, disordered rock salt has been studied as a potential breakthrough cathode material for use in lithium-ion batteries and a key to creating low-cost, high-energy storage for everything from cell phones to electric vehicles to renewable energy storage.

Soft polymers with the combined properties of electrolytes and traditional polymers offer some unique and desirable properties that can be drastically changed on demand. These gels, called metallo-polyelectrolyte complexes (MPECs, pronounced "EM-pecks"), can be stimulated externally by magnetic, electrochemical, and optical stimuli, making them ideal for some energy devices, responsive actuators, and nanofiltration systems.

MIT researchers have found a way to make structural materials last longer under the harsh conditions inside a fusion reactor. For many decades, nuclear fusion power has been viewed as the ultimate energy source. A fusion power plant could generate carbon-free energy at a scale needed to address climate change.

Interdisciplinary Research Team Aims to Use Recycled Phosphate for Lithium-ion Batteries To recover phosphate from existing sources such as wastewater or farm manure and reuse it in lithium-ion batte

MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub research presents a streamlined pavement life-cycle assessment tool to enable a large set of stakeholders to conduct environmental analysis of pavements. Roads are the backbone of our society and economy, taking people and goods across distances long and short. They are a staple of the built environment, taking up nearly 2.8 million lane-miles (or 4.6 million lane-kilometers) of the United States' surface area.

Advances in 3D printing have enabled applications across a variety of disciplines like medicine, manufacturing and energy.

A team of researchers at TU Delft are the first in the world to apply quantum computing to solve an old riddle in the design of fibre-reinforced composite materials: how to determine the optimal sequence of angles at which the material's layers are composed and stacked. This layering determines the mechanical properties of the material, essential for the application of composites for lightweight aircraft, wind turbine blades, cars or even batteries, etc.

Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Published: The biopolymer lignin is found in large quantities in trees.

Nyobolt, a University of Cambridge spin-out company, has demonstrated its ultra-fast charging batteries in an electric sportscar prototype, going from 10% to 80% charge in under five minutes, twice the speed of the fastest-charging vehicles currently on the road.

Manchester is a world-leader in the novel fabrication of semiconductors devices from 2D materials to silicon.

On the 21 of June, the Nanolab of the University of Twente opened a new state-of-the-art research facility.

Guido Kusters created mathematical models to aid in the development of smart polymers, and he defended his PhD thesis cum laude at the Department of Applied Physics and Science Education on May 29th.

New manufacturing method builds tougher materials that were previously considered useless for twisting light into more robust optical devices Study: Nano-achiral complex composites for extreme polari

Thermophotovoltaics developed at U-M can recover significantly more energy stored in heat batteries Study: High efficiency air-bridge thermophotovoltaic cells (DOI:10.1016/j.joule.

Scientists at Bath, introduce a breakthrough carbon-based sensor for detecting lactic acid levels in saliva - avoiding the need for an electrical power source. Scientists at the University of Bath, working in collaboration with industrial partner, Integrated Graphene , have created a new type of chemosensor (demonstrated for lactic acid sensing) which functions with electricity but without the need for reference electrodes or battery power.

In a future scenario where astronauts chart long-distance space flights, they won't be able to call down to earth for a shipment of replacement hardware components like they do today.

The doctoral candidate will use the prize to find novel phases of matter and particles. Physics graduate student Jeong Min (Jane) Park is among the 32 exceptional early-career scientists worldwide chosen to receive the prestigious 2024 Schmidt Science Fellows award.

With laser-based precision tools for measuring and tuning materials, MIT spinout Optigon aims to rev up the energy transition.

Smartphones, solar panels, medical equipment and electric vehicles are just a few examples of everyday products that use critical raw materials.

MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering grad students are undertaking a broad range of innovative research projects.

All-perovskite tandem solar cells could soon pick up where silicon solar cells reach their limits. These highly efficient, lightweight and flexible cells have already proven themselves in the laboratory - now, researchers are working on scaling them up and making them ready for the real world. Roof tiles are becoming a thing of the past: Today, more and more Swiss roofs boast large black and blue rectangles that convert sunlight into electricity.

Discarded lithium-ion cells from electric cars could be re-used as stationary power storage units. Researchers at TU Graz have established the first indicators for a reliable assessment of their condition. In 2030, around 1.2 million lithium-ion batteries of electric cars, buses and construction machinery will be decommissioned worldwide because they will reach the end of their planned service life, their warranty will expire or the entire vehicles will be scrapped.