https://techxplore.com/energy-green-tech-news/ en-us The latest news on energy sciences and green technology, energy technology, energy renovation, alternative energy, and green energy. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have gained attention for their high power-conversion efficiencies and low-cost solution processing. However, ensuring their stability at high temperatures has been a challenge, as the points of contact between their different layers ("interfaces") are susceptible to degradation, leading to energy loss and decreased performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-high-temperature-stability-perovskite-solar-cells.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 13 Jul 2023 14:00:01 EDT news608474768 Clean energy plans, including the U.S. Infrastructure Investment Act's "Clean Hydrogen Road Map," are counting on hydrogen as a fuel of the future. But current hydrogen separation technology is still falling short of efficiency and sustainability goals. As part of ongoing efforts to develop materials that could enable alternative energy sources, researchers in Drexel University's College of Engineering have produced a titanium oxide nanofilament material that can harness sunlight to unlock the ubiquitous molecule's potential as a fuel source. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-titanium-oxide-material-sunlight-green.html Engineering Thu, 13 Jul 2023 10:41:16 EDT news608463672 When an electric vehicle is parked outside, its temperature can swing wildly from day to night and season to season, which can lead to deterioration of the battery. To dampen these fluctuations and extend the battery's lifespan, researchers have designed an all-season thermal cloak that can cool an electric vehicle by 8°C on a hot day and warm it by 6.8°C at night. The cloak, made predominantly of silica and aluminum, can do so passively without outside energy input and operates without any modification between hot or cold weather. This prototype is described July 11 in the newly launched Device, an application-oriented sister journal to Matter, Joule, and Cell. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-thermal-cloak-passively-electric-vehicles.html Engineering Thu, 13 Jul 2023 03:01:35 EDT news608436081 Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), rechargeable batteries that store energy via the reversible reduction of lithium ions, are used to power countless devices and technologies, ranging from laptops and smartphones to electric cars. While LIBs have several advantages over other battery technologies, their current energy densities restrict the distances that electric vehicles can travel before they need to be recharged. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-scalable-method-prelithiate-anodes-lithium-ion.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:10:05 EDT news608221236 A common food and medicine additive has shown it can boost the capacity and longevity of a next-generation flow battery design in a record-setting experiment. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-next-generation-battery.html Engineering Mon, 10 Jul 2023 16:59:19 EDT news608227151 Unused solar, wind, and hydroelectric power in the U.S. could support the exponential growth of transactions involving non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Cornell Engineering researchers have found. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-unused-renewable-energy-option-powering.html Business Mon, 10 Jul 2023 16:18:03 EDT news608224679 Inspired by kitesurfing, French firms want to deploy the same wind technology to propel everything from yachts to cargo ships in order to cut the shipping industry's massive carbon footprint. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-startup-kitesurf-shipping-pollution.html Energy & Green Tech Sun, 09 Jul 2023 07:44:20 EDT news608107452 University of California Berkeley researchers have designed an extreme-weather proven, hand-held device that can extract and convert water molecules from the air into drinkable water using only ambient sunlight as its energy source, a study published in Nature Water shows. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-portable-sun-powered-harvester-combat-scarcity.html Engineering Fri, 07 Jul 2023 09:39:22 EDT news607941557 Two teams of solar-power engineers, one led by a large group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, the other led by a group at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, has found two ways to improve the efficiency of solar cells by getting silicon and perovskite to work together better. Both teams have published papers in the journal Science outlining the details of their work and the results of their testing. Stefaan De Wolf and Erkan Aydin, with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, have published a Perspectives piece in the same journal issue outlining the work done by both teams. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-methods-efficiency-solar-cells-silicon.html Engineering Fri, 07 Jul 2023 08:47:09 EDT news607938408 Gisele Azimi is bringing battery recycling to a new level, using captured carbon dioxide to harvest the precious metals used for green technologies. Azimi, a University of Toronto professor and the Canada Research Chair for Urban Mining Innovations, has pioneered a method to separate critical metals from electronic waste like batteries, and wind turbine materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-recycling-precious-metals-electronic-captured.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 06 Jul 2023 16:46:11 EDT news607880769 Solid electrolytes with high lithium-ion conductivity can be designed for millimeter-thick battery electrodes by increasing the complexity of their composite superionic crystals, report researchers from Tokyo Tech. This new design rule enables the synthesis of high-entropy active materials while preserving their superionic conduction. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-high-entropy-superionic-solid-state-conductors.html Engineering Thu, 06 Jul 2023 14:00:01 EDT news607853165 Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and ETH Zurich have performed calculations to work out how air traffic could become climate-neutral by 2050. They conclude that simply replacing fossil aviation fuel with sustainable synthetic fuels will not be enough. Air traffic would also have to be reduced. The researchers are publishing their results today in the journal Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-climate-neutral-air.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 06 Jul 2023 11:11:05 EDT news607860661 Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, rechargeable batteries that can store energy via the reversible reduction of lithium ions, are among the most widespread battery technologies, due to their remarkable performance and extended life cycle. Many existing and emerging technologies are currently powered by these batteries, including smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-strategy-highly-cobalt-free-cathodes-lithium-ion.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 06 Jul 2023 09:45:53 EDT news607855548 Organic electronics can make a decisive contribution to decarbonization and, at the same time, help to cut the consumption of rare and valuable raw materials. To do so, it is not only necessary to further develop manufacturing processes, but also to devise technical solutions for recycling as early on as the laboratory phase. Materials scientists from FAU are now promoting this circular strategy in conjunction with researchers from the U.K. and U.S. in the journal Nature Materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-electronics-sustainability-entire-lifecycle.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 05 Jul 2023 10:39:32 EDT news607772368 A research group led by Professor Minoru Osada at the Institute for Materials and Systems for Sustainability (IMaSS), Nagoya University in Japan, in collaboration with NIMS, has developed a nanosheet device with the highest energy storage performance yet seen. Their results were published in Nano Letters. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-nanosheet-technology-boost-energy-storage.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:41:57 EDT news607682511 Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are a promising energy solution for reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector. As suggested by their name, these cells contain a proton-conducting membrane based on polymer materials that serves as an electrolyte. While PEMFCs could have notable advantages, their cost, durability and the availability of the fuel required to operate them will need to improve before they can be implemented on a large-scale. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-grooved-electrodes-proton-exchange-membrane-fuel.html Engineering Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:30:01 EDT news607595035 Efficient production of hydrogen, fuels, and even drinking water on roofs or in solar parks—this is what researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and their Canadian partners want to achieve with low-cost photoreactor modules. Now, they have reached major progress. They report their results in Joule. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-energy-transition-hydrogen-generated-rooftops.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 04 Jul 2023 06:47:38 EDT news607672054 Scientists in Australia and China are hoping to make the world's first safe and efficient non-toxic aqueous aluminum radical battery. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-aluminum-radical-battery-sustainable-power.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 04 Jul 2023 06:45:33 EDT news607671910 A research team led by Prof. Yu Shuhong from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) proposed a new strategy to prepare smart windows that dynamically regulate solar radiation, providing a more effective window for solar spectrum regulation and heat management in buildings. The work is published in Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-smart-windows-redefine-solar.html Engineering Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:28:03 EDT news607339681 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory were the first to use neutron reflectometry to peer inside a working solid-state battery and monitor its electrochemistry. They discovered that its excellent performance results from an extremely thin layer, across which charged lithium atoms quickly flow as they move from anode to cathode and blend into a solid electrolyte. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-neutron-reflectometry-solid-state-battery-key.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 28 Jun 2023 16:56:08 EDT news607190165 An ingredient in many toothpastes is sodium fluoride, a compound of fluorine. It is added to protect teeth against decay. But compounds containing fluorine have other practical uses that might surprise you. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a fluoride electrolyte that could protect a next generation battery against performance decline. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-ingredient-toothpaste-electric-cars.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 28 Jun 2023 12:45:03 EDT news607175101 New technology developed by Rice University engineers could lower the cost of capturing carbon dioxide from all types of emissions, a potential game-changer for both industries looking to adapt to evolving greenhouse gas standards and for the emergent energy-transition economy. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-electrochemical-device-captures-carbon-dioxide.html Engineering Wed, 28 Jun 2023 12:36:03 EDT news607174561 Promising new hydrogen fuel cell technology has up to 50% higher performance than current state-of-the-art technology, with improved durability. The grooved electrode design advance may help optimize next-generation fuel cell technology to power emission-free medium- and heavy-duty transportation. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-high-power-density-fuel-cells-durability.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 27 Jun 2023 15:33:03 EDT news607098781 Rechargeable batteries store electricity in their electrode materials, while redox flow batteries use chemicals stored in tanks attached to the electrodes. Researchers have now developed a battery system based on a hybrid cell, which not only stores and provides electricity but also produces valuable chemicals in a flow system. During operation, the furfural-nickel hydroxide battery converts biomass-derived molecular furfural into either furfuryl alcohol or furoic acid. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-hybrid-battery-electricity-valuable-chemicals.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:13:34 EDT news607014806 Two-thirds of the Earth's surface is awash with the stuff, but water—specifically, the clean and drinkable kind—is inaccessible to billions of people. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-dont-desalinate-approach-purification.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 26 Jun 2023 11:32:55 EDT news606997967 Cambridge scientists have set out principles for how computational science—which powers discoveries from unveiling the mysteries of the universe to developing treatments to fight cancer to improving our understanding of the human genome, but can have a substantial carbon footprint—can be made more environmentally sustainable. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-uncontrolled-carbon-footprint-science-scientists.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 26 Jun 2023 11:00:02 EDT news606991104 The race to make the widespread use of intermittent renewable energy a reality has taken a step forward with new research by experts from the University of Adelaide who are improving the efficiency of iridium-based catalysts. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-higher-efficiency-catalyst-key-green.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 23 Jun 2023 14:00:05 EDT news606728685 Researchers at Florida State University and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering are helping build the solar cells of tomorrow by examining how a next-generation material can operate efficiently under real-world conditions that include baking temperatures and hours of sunlight. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-solar-cell-material-real-world-conditions.html Engineering Thu, 22 Jun 2023 16:51:27 EDT news606671483 A thin layer of gold or silver helps improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells, but researchers have found a less expensive material that will enable commercialization of the technology without exorbitant cost. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-substitute-gold-layer-perovskite-cheaper.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 22 Jun 2023 10:39:03 EDT news606649141 The industrial sector—made up of businesses that support processing raw materials for manufacturing and consumer goods—is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and one that has proven difficult to decarbonize. In China, much of the industrial sector is organized into "parks" that have been zoned as areas for concentrated industrial activities. China has more than 2,500 industrial parks that are currently largely powered by coal. A recent study led by researchers at Princeton University finds that this clustering of industry provides unique and overlooked opportunities for targeted energy supply emissions reduction efforts. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-energy-transition-china-industry.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:50:59 EDT news606585050