Engineer improves rechargeable batteries with MoS2 nano 'sandwich'
Manhattan KS (SPX) Apr 22, 2015 -
The key to better cellphones and other rechargeable electronics may be in tiny "sandwiches" made of nanosheets, according to mechanical engineering research from Kansas State University.
Gurpreet Singh, assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering, and his research team are improving rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The team has focused on the lithium cycling of molybdenum ...
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Cobalt film a clean-fuel find
Houston TX (SPX) Apr 22, 2015 -
A cobalt-based thin film serves double duty as a new catalyst that produces both hydrogen and oxygen from water to feed fuel cells, according to scientists at Rice University.
The inexpensive, highly porous material invented by the Rice lab of chemist James Tour may have advantages as a catalyst for the production of hydrogen via water electrolysis. A single film far thinner than a hair ca ...
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Japan robot receptionist welcomes shoppers
Tokyo (AFP) Apr 21, 2015 -
She can smile, she can sing and this robot receptionist who started work in Tokyo on Monday never gets bored of welcoming customers to her upmarket shop.
"My name is ChihiraAico. How do you do?" she says in Japanese, blinking and nodding to customers in the foyer of Mitsukoshi, Japan's oldest department store chain.
Clad in an elegant traditional kimono, ChihiraAico - a name that sou ...
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Scientists develop mesh that captures oil - but lets water through
Columbus OH (SPX) Apr 19, 2015 -
The unassuming piece of stainless steel mesh in a lab at The Ohio State University doesn't look like a very big deal, but it could make a big difference for future environmental cleanups. Water passes through the mesh but oil doesn't, thanks to a nearly invisible oil-repelling coating on its surface.
In tests, researchers mixed water with oil and poured the mixture onto the mesh. The water ...
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Technique could slash energy used to produce many plastics
Boulder CO (SPX) Apr 19, 2015 -
A new material developed at the University of Colorado Boulder could radically reduce the energy needed to produce a wide variety of plastic products, from grocery bags and cling wrap to replacement hips and bulletproof vests.
Approximately 80 million metric tons of polyethylene is produced globally each year, making it the most common plastic in the world. An essential building block for ...
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Better battery imaging paves way for renewable energy future
Madison WI (SPX) Apr 22, 2015 -
In a move that could improve the energy storage of everything from portable electronics to electric microgrids, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Brookhaven National Laboratory researchers have developed a novel X-ray imaging technique to visualize and study the electrochemical reactions in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries containing a new type of material, iron fluoride.
"Iron fluorid ...
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Beyond the lithium ion -- a significant step toward a better performing battery
Chicago IL (SPX) Apr 22, 2015 -
The race is on around the world as scientists strive to develop a new generation of batteries that can perform beyond the limits of the current lithium-ion based battery. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have taken a significant step toward the development of a battery that could outperform the lithium-ion technology used in electric cars such as the Chevy Volt.
They ha ...
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