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2 August, 2013 | created using fivefilters.org

Soft approach leads to revolutionary energy storage: Graphene-based supercapacitors

Aug 1, 2013 02:23PM Researchers have brought next generation energy storage closer with an engineering first agraphene-based device that is compact, yet lasts as long as aconventional battery.

How does hydrogen metallize?

Jul 29, 2013 04:17PM Hydrogen is deceptively simple. It has only asingle electron per atom, but it powers the sun and forms the majority of the observed universe. As such, it is naturally exposed to the entire range of pressures and temperatures available in the whole cosmos. But researchers still struggle to understand even basic aspects of its various forms under high-pressure conditions. New work makes significant additions to our understanding of this vital elements high-pressure behavior.

Key factors for wireless power transfer

Jul 31, 2013 12:25PM What happens to aresonant wireless power transfer system in complex electromagnetic environments? Researchers explored the influences at play in this type of situation and describe how efficient wireless power transfer can be achieved in the presence of metal plates.

See-through solar film: Researchers double efficiency of novel solarcell

Jul 29, 2013 01:36PM Nearly doubling the efficiency of aphotovoltaic breakthrough made in 2012, researchers have developed atwo-layer, see-through solar film that could be placed on building windows, sunroofs, smartphone displays and other surfaces to harvest energy from thesun.

Cause of LED efficiency droop identified

Jul 30, 2013 03:06PM Researchers have identified the mechanism behind aplague of LED light bulbs: aflaw called efficiency droop that causes LEDs to lose up to 20 percent of their efficiency as they are subjected to greater electrical currents.

Best of both worlds: Solar hydrogen production breakthrough

Jul 29, 2013 11:19AM Using asimple solar cell and aphoto anode made of ametal oxide, scientists have successfully stored nearly five percent of solar energy chemically in the form of hydrogen. This is amajor feat as the design of the solar cell is much simpler than that of the high-efficiency triple-junction cells based on amorphous silicon or expensive III-V semiconductors that are traditionally used for this purpose.

Suburban sprawl to power cities of the future

Jul 30, 2013 09:11AM A citys suburbs could hold the solution to dwindling fuel supplies by producing enough energy to power residents cars and even top up power resources, pioneering new research hasfound.

Cement converted into an electrical conductor

Jul 29, 2013 08:32AM Researchers have developed acementitious material incorporating carbon nanofibers in its composition, turning cement into an excellent conductor of electricity capable of performing functions beyond its usual structural function.

New nuclear fuel-rod cladding could lead to safer power plants

Jul 25, 2013 10:49AM In the aftermath of Japans earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was initially driven into shutdown by the magnitude 9.0 quake; its emergency generators then failed because they were inundated by the tsunami. But the greatest damage to the complex, and the greatest release of radiation, may have been caused by explosions of hydrogen gas that built up inside some of the reactors. That hydrogen buildup was the result of hot steam coming into contact with overheated nuclear fuel rods covered by acladding of zirconium alloy, or zircaloy the material used as fuel-rod cladding in all water-cooled nuclear reactors, which constitute more than 90 percent of the worlds power reactors. When it gets hot enough, zircaloy reacts with steam to produce hydrogen, ahazard in any loss-of-coolant nuclear accident. Ateam of researchers is developing an alternative that could provide similar protection for nuclear fuel, while reducing the risk of hydrogen production by roughly athousandfold.

Could HYCCUPS boost phone battery life?

Jul 22, 2013 12:30PM A new system that goes by the name of hybrid contextual cloud in ubiquitous platforms comprising of smart phones or HYCCUPS for short, has been developed by computer scientists. The system boosts phone battery life by booting power-consuming computational tasks on to an on-the-fly ad-hoc cloud in which smart phones are both clients and computing resources.

Bringing color to solar panels

Jul 22, 2013 10:55AM Covering aroof or afaade with standard solar cells to generate electricity will change abuildings original appearance and not always for the better. At present only dark solar panels are widely available on the market.

Harvesting electricity from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide

Jul 23, 2013 01:44PM A new method for producing electricity from carbon dioxide could be the start of aclassic trash-to-treasure story for the troublesome greenhouse gas, scientists are reporting. The method uses CO2 from electric power plant and other smokestacks as the raw material for making electricity.

Researchers put squeeze on cells to deliver

Jul 22, 2013 10:35AM A rapid and highly efficient system for transferring large molecules, nanoparticles, and other agents into living cells opens new avenues for disease research and treatment.

Thin, flexible glass for energy storage

Jul 22, 2013 10:35AM A new use for glass could make future hybrid-electric and plug-in electric vehicles more affordable and reliable.

Off-grid sterilization with solar steam

Jul 22, 2013 02:15PM Nanotechnology researchers have unveiled asolar-powered sterilization system that could be aboon for more than 2.5 billion people who lack adequate sanitation. The solar steam sterilization system uses nanomaterials to convert as much as 80 percent of the energy in sunlight into germ-killing heat.

Climate friendly fuel cells for hydrogen cars have come one step closer
Jul 21, 2013 04:17PM Climate friendly fuel cells for hydrogen cars have come one step closer. Researchers have shown how to build fuel cells that produce as much electricity as current models, but require markedly less of the rare and valuable precious metal platinum.

Internets backbone can readily be made more sustainable, experts say

Jul 19, 2013 01:59PM The US Department of Energy has announced that it wants to establish minimum energy efficiency standards for all computers and servers sold in the United States. Anew study shows that large server farms can, in fact, cut electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions sharply with off-the-shelf equipment and proven energy management practices.

Using bacteria batteries to make electricity

Jul 17, 2013 05:17AM Their idea is state of the art: Students have set their sights on constructing abio-battery. They want to make use of the bacteria Escherichia coli to convert glucose into energy.

Why does hot weather cause power outages?

Jul 19, 2013 10:31AM Why is the power grid so sensitive to high temperatures? Its quite simple really. First, we certainly love our air conditioners, and air conditioners demand alot of power. Second, power is generated at only afew places in the country, and yet our air-conditioned homes and businesses and factories are everywhere.

New thermocell could harvest waste heat from power stations and even vehicle exhaust pipes
Jul 16, 2013 09:27AM Harvesting waste heat from power stations and even vehicle exhaust pipes could soon provide avaluable supply of electricity.

Scientists break record for thinnest light-absorber: May lead to more efficient, cheaper solarcells
Jul 18, 2013 11:15AM Scientists have built the thinnest, most efficient absorber of visible light on record, ananosize structure that could lead to less-costly, more efficient, solarcells.

CASL milestone validates reactor model using TVAdata

Jul 10, 2013 03:57PM Today, the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) announced that its scientists have successfully completed the first full-scale simulation of an operating nuclear reactor. CASL is modeling nuclear reactors on supercomputers to help researchers better understand reactor performance with much higher reliability than previously available methods, with the goal of ultimately increasing power output, extending reactor life, and reducing waste.

Optics: Astep in time savestwo

Jul 18, 2013 10:08AM A technique that reduces the time to simulate the operation of active optical devices aids the design of nanoscale lasers.

Peak oil concerns should ease, experts predict

Jul 10, 2013 11:44AM Should concerns about peak oil focus on demand for oil rather than dwindling supplies of it? Yes, according to anew analysis. Limits to consumption by the wealthy, better fuel efficiency and lower priced alternative fuels should begin driving down demand for oil around 2035. Thats good news overall, but policymakers should pay attention to the mix of substitutes that will replace conventional oil.

The key to ion beams polarizability

Jul 17, 2013 09:53AM Polarizability determines the force with which an inhomogeneous external electric field acts on the ions of an ion beam. However, it can be quite tricky to obtain accurate values for this force. Now chemists have devised formulas providing the polarizability of atomic ions as afunction of their total charge number.

Chemical/bioengineers use adhesion to combine advantages of silicones and organic materials

Jul 9, 2013 02:35PM Bioengineers have found away to strongly adhere hydrogels to hydrophobic silicone substrates, an innovation that provides avaluable new tool for microscale biotechnology.

Radically better smarphones may be possible using system inspired by bird migration: Molecular chains hypersensitive to magnetic fields
Jul 5, 2013 10:20AM Researchers have for the first time created perfect one-dimensional molecular wires of which the electrical conductivity can almost entirely be suppressed by aweak magnetic field at room temperature. The underlying mechanism is possibly closely related to the biological compass used by some migratory birds. This spectacular discovery may lead to radically new magnetic field sensors, for smartphones for example.

Researchers patent new electrolytes based on ionic liquids that prolong the life of solar cells and batteries
Jul 9, 2013 11:52AM Researchers have discovered anew family of ionic liquids that produce electrolytes that improve the performance, stability and durability of electrochemical and electronic devices.

New catalyst replaces platinum for electric-automobiles

Jul 3, 2013 10:14AM Scientists have developed anovel bio-inspired composite electrocatalyst outperforming platinum.

Nano-tool for designing the next big battery: Eavesdropping on lithium ions
Jul 8, 2013 02:33PM Its ajungle down there at batteries atomic level, with ions whacking into electrodes, eventually causing the battery to fail. Now, ascientist has developed adevice that lets researchers spy on the actions of lithium ions inside ananobattery and use that data to develop better, longer-lasting batteries to power everything from electric cars to cell phones.

Graphene provides efficient electronics cooling

Jul 3, 2013 10:10AM A layer of graphene can reduce the working temperature in hotspots inside aprocessor by up to 25 percent which can significantly extend the working life of computers and other electronics. Scientists have now shown that graphene has aheat dissipating effect on silicon based electronics.

Enhanced yet affordable material for supercapacitors

Jul 8, 2013 10:35AM Scientists have developed anew method to massively synthesize enhanced yet affordable materials for supercapacitors.

Fluorescent fingerprint tag aims to increase IDs from hidden prints on bullets and knives
Jul 2, 2013 08:29PM Neutron scattering at ILL and ISIS delves inside anew crime scene forensics technique. The research is to address the fact that only 10 percent of fingerprints taken from crime scenes yield identifications that are usable incourt.

Designer droplets open new possibilities

Jul 5, 2013 09:21PM By designing droplets using electricity, researchers have created atechnique that could possibly be used for everything from extracting oil from wells to creating makeup andfood.

New system to harness energy from ocean currents

Jul 2, 2013 10:03AM Researchers have created and are testing aprototype of adevice to harness energy from ocean currents.

Power for seaports may be the next job for hydrogen fuelcells
Jun 27, 2013 08:27AM Providing auxiliary hydrogen power to docked or anchored ships may soon be added to the list of ways in which hydrogen fuel cells can provide efficient, emissions-free energy.

Surprise superconductor
Jul 1, 2013 03:18PM Superconductivity is arare physical state in which matter is able to conduct electricity maintain aflow of electrons without any resistance. This phenomenon can only be found in certain materials under specific low-temperature and high-pressure conditions. New research found unexpected superconductivity that could help scientists better understand the structural changes that create this rare phenomenon.

Solar power heads in anew direction: Thinner

Jun 26, 2013 03:39PM Atom-thick photovoltaic sheets could pack hundreds of times more power per weight than conventional solarcells.

Exotic alloys for potential energy applications

Jun 27, 2013 01:09PM Thermoelectric materials, used in wine refrigerators and spacecraft, promise to help deliver greener energy in the future.

Getting the carbon out of emissions

Jun 26, 2013 02:31PM Researchers propose anew method to remove carbon from emissions that could be more efficient than previous systems and easier to retrofit in existing power plants.

Organic electronics: Imaging defects in solarcells

Jun 27, 2013 12:55PM Researchers have developed anew method for visualizing material defects in thin-film solarcells.

Chemists work to desalinate the ocean for drinking water, one nanoliter at atime
Jun 27, 2013 12:55PM By creating asmall electrical field that removes salts from seawater, chemists have introduced anew method for the desalination of seawater that consumes less energy and is dramatically simpler than conventional techniques. The new method requires so little energy that it can run on astore-bought battery.

Big environmental footprints: 21 percent of homes account for 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions
Jun 26, 2013 02:29PM Energy conservation in asmall number of households could go along way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, scientists are reporting. Their study measured differences in energy demands at the household level.

A cheaper drive to cool fuels

Jun 21, 2013 09:53AM Chemists have developed an inexpensive catalyst that uses the electricity generated from solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into synthetic fuels.

Sound waves precisely position nanowires

Jun 19, 2013 10:28AM The smaller components become, the more difficult it is to create patterns in an economical and reproducible way, according to an interdisciplinary team of researchers who, using sound waves, can place nanowires in repeatable patterns for potential use in avariety of sensors, optoelectronics and nanoscale circuits.

Polymer-coated catalyst protects artificial leaf

Jun 17, 2013 11:12AM One option is to use the electrical energy generated inside solar cells to split water by means of electrolysis, in the process yielding hydrogen that can be used for astorable fuel.

Tiny batteries: 3-D printing could lead to miniaturized medical implants, compact electronics, tiny robots
Jun 18, 2013 02:14PM Three-dimensional printing can now be used to print lithium-ion microbatteries the size of agrain of sand. The printed microbatteries could supply electricity to tiny devices in fields from medicine to communications, including many that have lingered on lab benches for lack of abattery small enough to fit the device, yet provide enough stored energy to powerthem.

Making electric vehicles smaller and more comfortable

Jun 17, 2013 09:24AM The vehicle looks like an electric scooter and zooms by almost without asound. Its driver masters tight corners first and then safely brakes to ahalt. He doesnt need to put his feet on the ground because the two rear wheels provide plenty of stability. Called the Electromobile City Scooter, the new three-wheeled electric vehicle is designed to open up new possibilities for the urban transportation of tomorrow.

Is there an invisible tug-of-war behind bad hearts and power outages?

Jun 17, 2013 12:24PM Researchers report the first purely physical experimental evidence that an invisible and chaotic tug-of-war known as achimera state can occur naturally within any process that relies on spontaneous synchronization, including clock pendulums, power grids and heart valves.

Saving energy in subway stations

Jun 17, 2013 09:24AM As well as being the backbone of urban public transport systems, subways are also major consumers of energy. For example, the entire underground train network in Barcelona consumes around 63.1 million kWh ayear. Athird of the total energy is used to operate subsystems in the subway stations, such as air conditioning, escalators, elevators, and lighting. If it were possible to reduce energy consumption by just afew percent, this would save an impressive quantity of electricity.

Efficient and inexpensive: Researchers develop catalyst material for fuelcells

Jun 17, 2013 11:12AM Efficient, robust and economic catalyst materials hold the key to achieving abreakthrough in fuel cell technology. Scientists have developed amaterial for converting hydrogen and oxygen to water using atenth of the typical amount of platinum that was previously required. With the aid of state-of-the-art electron microscopy, the researchers discovered that the function of the nanometre-scale catalyst particles is decisively determined by their geometric shape and atomic structure.

Unzipped nanotubes unlock potential for batteries

Jun 13, 2013 03:33PM Graphene nanoribbons and tin oxide make an effective anode for lithium ion batteries, as discovered in earlytests.

Autonomous energy-scavenging micro devices will test water quality, monitor bridges, more
Jun 13, 2013 03:33PM Researchers are using photonics in their quest to bring the lab to the sample, developing sophisticated micro instruments that scavenge power from sunlight, body heat, or other sources, for uses such as monitoring water quality or assessing bridge safety.

Cameras five times more sensitive to light? An ultrasensitive molybdenum-based image sensor developed
Jun 12, 2013 01:31PM Scientist have built aprototype for an image sensor based on the semi-conducting properties of molybdenite. It could one day result in cameras that are five times more light sensitive than current technology.

Greater convenience and safety for wheelchair users

Jun 13, 2013 11:20AM With modern communication aids, users of electric powered wheelchairs can operate aPC and cellphone without human assistance. Anew module is set to transform electric powered wheelchairs into communication hubs.

Nano-thermometer enables first atomic-scale heat transfer measurements

Jun 12, 2013 01:30PM In findings that could help overcome amajor technological hurdle in the road toward smaller and more powerful electronics, an international research team has shown the unique ways in which heat dissipates at the tiniest scales.

Repairing turbines with the help of robots

Jun 13, 2013 10:41AM Compressor and turbine blades are important components in aircraft engines and gas turbines. When they become damaged, it is often cheaper to repair them than to buy replacements. Now there is anew robotassisted technique that is boosting efficiency.

Producing cheaper and more flexible multiple thin crystalline silicon wafers
Jun 12, 2013 09:36AM Scientists have found away to make the manufacture of crystalline silicon materials faster and more affordable.

Filmmaking magic with polymers

Jun 12, 2013 01:31PM Self-assembled copolymer block film is now being fabricated with intricately organized nanostructures, giving them multiple functions and flexibility on amacroscale level never before seen.

Electric cars in action: Small and medium-sized companies sharing fleets of electric vehicles
Jun 11, 2013 10:20AM Imagine anumber of different companies sharing asingle fleet of electric vehicles. Researchers in Germany are busy working out just how to make this vision areality. The Shared E-Fleet research project aims not only to work up suitable IT solutions, but also to design the smart energy management and profitable business models that are called for.