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Archive for the ‘energy’ category: Page 5

Jan 22, 2024

Accidental Discovery: How a Whiff of an Unusual Chemical Transforms Seedlings Into Super Plants

Posted by in categories: chemistry, energy, genetics

Researchers have found that treating seeds with ethylene gas increases both their growth and stress tolerance. This discovery, involving enhanced photosynthesis and carbohydrate production in plants, offers a potential breakthrough in improving crop yields and resilience against environmental stressors.

Just like any other organism, plants can get stressed. Usually, it’s conditions like heat and drought that lead to this stress, and when they’re stressed, plants might not grow as large or produce as much. This can be a problem for farmers, so many scientists have tried genetically modifying plants to be more resilient.

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Jan 22, 2024

Diamond Electronics Suit Green Power Grids

Posted by in categories: electronics, energy

Carbon’s crystalline form works well with renewables’ high voltages and currents.

Jan 19, 2024

Dragonfire is the first UK laser weapon used against aerial targets

Posted by in categories: energy, military

The UK Ministry of Defence has demonstrated the DragonFire high-powered, directed-energy laser weapon system against aerial targets.

Jan 19, 2024

North Korea Unveils New Missile Designed for US Mainland Strike

Posted by in categories: energy, existential risks, military

North Korea claimed to have launched a new solid-fuel, intermediate-range missile with a hypersonic warhead, aiming to test its reliability and maneuverability. The missile, designed to strike U.S. military bases in Guam and Japan, flew approximately 620 miles before landing between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The test follows a previous claim of successfully testing […] The post North Korea Unveils New Missile Designed for US Mainland…

Jan 19, 2024

These tiny ‘power plants’ use the wind and rain to generate electricity

Posted by in category: energy

Researchers develop artificial ‘power plants’ in the form of tiny leaf-shapes to harness energy from the wind and rain.

Can Emir

Jan 18, 2024

Revolutionizing Electric Car Batteries: MIT’s Cost-Efficient, Cobalt-Free Solution

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability, transportation

“I think this material could have a big impact because it works really well,” said Dr. Mircea Dincă. “It is already competitive with incumbent technologies, and it can save a lot of the cost and pain and environmental issues related to mining the metals that currently go into batteries.”


Electric vehicles (EVs) have become a household name in the last few years with several companies fighting to compete in the everchanging EV landscape as EV technology continues to improve in cost, efficiency, and the materials used to manufacture the batteries responsible for sustaining this clean energy revolution. While EV batteries have traditionally used cobalt for their battery needs, a recent study published in ACS Central Science discusses how organic cathode materials could be used as a substitute for cobalt for lithium-ion batteries while potentially offering similar levels of storage capacity and charging capabilities, as cobalt has shown to be financially, environmentally, and socially expensive.

“Cobalt batteries can store a lot of energy, and they have all of features that people care about in terms of performance, but they have the issue of not being widely available, and the cost fluctuates broadly with commodity prices,” said Dr. Mircea Dincă, who is a W.M. Keck Professor of Energy at MIT and a co-author on the study.

Continue reading “Revolutionizing Electric Car Batteries: MIT’s Cost-Efficient, Cobalt-Free Solution” »

Jan 18, 2024

EU breakthrough laser beams could power nanosatellites in space wirelessly

Posted by in categories: energy, nanotechnology, satellites

The research project demonstrated a power output of 20 watts using a fiber-optic laser and aims to increase this to kilowatts in the future.


The main goal of the WiPTherm project was to create an innovative wireless energy transfer system that could recharge energy storage components on micro and nano-sized satellites.

The IFIMUP was tasked with developing thermoelectric sensors capable of absorbing light at 1,550 nm and using them to charge energy storage devices.

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Jan 16, 2024

Researchers use light-reactive molecules to capture carbon dioxide

Posted by in categories: chemistry, energy

The new method from ETH Zurich departs from traditional carbon capture, relying on temperature or pressure, minimizing energy consumption.


The details of the study, led by Maria Lukatskaya, Professor of Electrochemical Energy Systems at ETH Zurich, were published in the journal ACS.

Acid switch

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Jan 15, 2024

This hydrogen-powered supercar can drive 1,000 miles on a single tank

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability, transportation

Hyperion, a California-based company, has unveiled a hydrogen-powered supercar the company hopes will change the way people view hydrogen fuel cell technology.

The Hyperion XP-1 will be able to drive for up to 1,000 miles on one tank of compressed hydrogen gas and its electric motors will generate more than 1,000 horsepower, according to the company. The all-wheel-drive car can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in a little over two seconds, the company said.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars are electric cars that use hydrogen to generate power inside the car rather than using batteries to store energy. The XP-1 doesn’t combust hydrogen but uses it in fuel cells that combine hydrogen with oxygen from the air in a process that creates water, the vehicle’s only emission, and a stream of electricity to power the car.

Jan 15, 2024

Model outlines how ionic blockades influence energy recovery in forward bias bipolar membranes

Posted by in categories: chemistry, energy

Bipolar membranes (BPMs) are a class of ion-exchange membranes typically comprising a cation-and an anion-exchange layer. While these membranes have recently been integrated in various electrochemical devices for a wide range of application, the processes underlying their operation are not yet fully understood.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently developed a new mechanistic model that explains the forward bias polarization mechanisms of BPMs in mixed electrolytes with varying acidities and basicities. Their model, introduced in Nature Energy, could guide the development of strategies to overcome the issue of ionic blockades, which can adversely impact the performance of forward bias BPM devices.

“We were initially trying to design an electrolyzer that converts carbon dioxide CO2 into useful feedstocks or fuels using bipolar membranes (BPMs),” Yogesh Surendranath, co-author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. “To provide a little context, CO2 electrolyzers are most efficient when operating with alkaline electrolyte solutions such as , but because CO2 is an acid gas, it reacts with alkaline solutions to produce carbonate solutions over time.”

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