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Category: energy – Page 17
Spray drying tech used in instant coffee applied to high-capacity battery production
The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) have jointly developed spray drying technology-based high-performance dry electrode manufacturing technology for the realization of high-capacity secondary batteries. The study is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
Secondary battery electrodes are made by mixing active materials that store electrical energy, conductive additives that help the flow of electricity, and binders which act as a kind of adhesive. There are two methods for mixing these materials: the wet process, which uses solvents, and the dry process, which mixes solid powders without solvents.
The dry process is considered more environmentally friendly than the wet process and has gained significant attention as a technology that can increase the energy density of secondary batteries. However, until now, there have been many limitations to achieving a uniform mixture of active materials, conductive additives, and binders in the dry process.
A new dissipation-based method to probe quantum correlations
Quantum systems are known to be prone to dissipation, a process that entails the irreversible loss of energy and that is typically linked to decoherence. Decoherence, or the loss of coherence, occurs when interactions between a quantum system and its environment cause a loss of coherence, which is ultimately what allows quantum systems to exist in a superposition of states.
While dissipation is generally viewed as a source of decoherence in quantum systems, researchers at Tsinghua University recently showed that it could also be leveraged to study strongly correlated quantum matter.
Their paper, published in Nature Physics, introduces a new method to probe intrinsic quantum many-body correlations and demonstrates its potential for studying the dissipative dynamics in strongly correlated one-dimensional (1D) quantum gases.
A major breakthrough in high-temperature superconductivity 🌡️
A team of scientists has succeeded in creating a copper-free superconducting material operating at record temperatures. This breakthrough could transform our approach to electronic and energy technologies.
Researchers at the National University of Singapore synthesized a copper-free superconducting oxide that operates at around 40 K (−233°C) under ambient pressure. This nickel-based material opens new perspectives for understanding high-temperature superconductivity. The results were published in Nature, marking a key milestone since the discovery of copper oxides in 1987.
Controlling the optical properties of solids with acoustic waves
However, moderately significant changes have only been achieved under equilibrium conditions and at low temperatures. Significant differences at ambient temperatures, which are essential for applications, have so far been lacking.
For the first-ever time in collaboration with the theory groups of Angel Rubio (Max-Planck Institute, Hamburg) and Pascal Ruello (Université de Le Mans), EPFL scientists were able to control the excitonic properties using acoustic waves.
Scientists launched a high-frequency, large-amplitude acoustic wave in a material using ultrashort laser pulses. Doing this allowed them to manipulate the exciton properties at high speed. This astounding outcome was reached on titanium dioxide at room temperature, a cheap and abundant semiconductor that is used in a wide variety of light-energy conversion technologies, for example, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and transparent conductive substrates.
Dangerous by design: Runaway miniature battery makes safety testing more accessible and affordable
Overheating batteries are a serious risk, in the worst cases leading to fires and explosion. A team including researchers from the University of Tokyo has developed a simple, cost-effective method to test the safety of lithium-ion batteries, which opens up opportunities for research into new and safer batteries for the future. The work is publishedNature Energy.
The researchers created an intentionally unstable battery which is more sensitive to changes that could cause overheating. The battery is one-50th the size of conventional batteries, so it is less resource-intensive and tests can be carried out in a smaller lab environment.
News stories abound of lithium-ion batteries overheating, smoking or even exploding. This makes safety testing a top priority for both manufacturers and consumers.
Redox flow battery achieves energy efficiency of 87.9% and longer cycling life with new catalytic electrode
A team of materials scientists, chemical engineers, and environmental scientists affiliated with a host of institutions in China has developed a redox flow battery (RFB) with 87.9% energy efficiency, which can also last for 850 cycles. In their project, published in the journal Nature Communications, the group developed a new kind of catalytic electrode to improve the efficiency of the battery.