If you have been considering joining ECS, now is the perfect time. The current membership rate is $95 plus $10 for division dues. These rates will increase to $115 and $15 as of January 2016, so don’t wait!

Here are just a few of the reasons why you should become an ECS member today:

• 100 full-text downloads from the ECS Digital Library ($3,300 value)
• Deep savings for ECS meeting registrations
• Inclusion in and access to the ECS member directory
• Free print subscription to Interface magazine

Check out the complete list of the membership benefits.

Join NOW with our simple online application, it will only take a couple of minutes and could save you hundreds of dollars.

Discussion during poster session. From left to right: Maximilian Bernt, Lukas Seidl, Thomas Mittermeier, Ludwig Asen, Benedikt Brandes (hidden).

Networking and knowledge exchange are at the heart of the newly established Munich student chapter.

“We wanted to establish an easy way to find people you could talk to when you encounter problems, want to vent your ideas about your experiments, or get some help,” says Thomas Mittermeier, chair of the student chapter and PhD student at Technische Universität München.

The student chapter, which pulls students from multiple universities across Munich, is working to assist in connecting themes and ideas happening in electrochemical research across the city. For Mittermeier and the rest of the students, it provides an avenue to transfer knowledge and bring more depth to research with ease.

“Since we’re from different individual research groups that all relate in some way to electrochemistry, the initial idea to start a student chapter was sparked from that,” Mittermeier says.

Establishing the Chapter

From ideas to research tools, the Munich student chapter is using an organized flow between universities and research groups to make research easier, producing better results. While the idea for this collaboration was sparked from the diversity and depth in research happening in Munich, the ideal platform was not always as apparent.

As a student member, Mittermeier regularly received ECS’s student newsletter. After seeing a list ranking universities by their number of student members, Mittermeier thought it was strange that his own university— Technische Universität München—was so high on the list but did not have a student chapter. With this, the ball started rolling for what would be the Munich student chapter.

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The space elevator: a concept first conceptualized in the late 19th century that has been highly disputed and contested over the years. Many scientists and research institutions believe that the space elevator can be actualized in our lifetime. Up until 2014, Google X’s Rapid Evaluation R&D team was still working on bringing this concept to life. However, the project came to a halt due to the lack of advancement in the field of carbon nanotubes—the material that many deemed necessary to meet the strength requirements for the space elevator.

But work in the field of carbon nanotubes pressed on, and in 2014 diamond nanothreads were first synthesized. With strength properties similar to that of carbon nanotubes, researchers are once again interested in the development of the space elevator.

After testing from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, researchers are putting a breath of fresh air into the space elevator with large scale diamond nanothreads, which may potentially be the world’s strongest substance.

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Image: AlexanderAIUS

From solar cells to fuel cells to body armor, graphene has more potential applications than one could briefly summarize. Now, this wonder material is entering into a new realm of possibility.

According to new research from the University of Belgrade in Serbia, graphene has amazing sound detection qualities. Because of this, the researchers have developed the world’s first graphene-based condenser microphone. At about 32 times the strength of some of today’s best microphones, the graphene-based device has the ability to detect a range of audible frequencies. Further, the researchers believe that with a little more tweaking, it will be able to pick up sound that is well beyond the range of human hearing.

This from Gizmodo:

The researchers used a chemical vapor deposition process to “grow” sheets of graphene on a nickel foil substrate. They then etched the nickel away and placed the remaining graphene sheet (about 60 layers thick) in a commercial microphone casing. There, it acts as a vibrating membrane, converting sound to electric current.

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With energy demands increasing every day, researchers are looking toward the next generation of energy storage technology. While society has depended on the lithium ion battery for these needs for some time, the rarity and expense of the materials needed to produce the battery is beginning to conflict with large-scale storage needs.

To combat this issue, a French team comprised of researchers primarily from CNRS and CEA is making gains in the field of electrochemical energy storage with their new development of an alternative technology for lithium ion batteries in specific sectors.

Beyond Lithium

Instead of the rare and expensive lithium, these researchers are focusing on the use of sodium ions—a more cost efficient and abundant materials. With efficiently levels comparable to that of lithium, many commercial sectors are showing an increasing interest for sodium’s potential in storing renewable energy.

While this development takes the use of sodium to a new level, the idea has been around since the 1980s. However, sodium never took off as the primary battery building material due to low energy densities and short life cycles. It was then that researchers chose to power electronics with lithium for higher efficiency levels.

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The effort to harvest atmospheric carbons and transform the greenhouse gases into renewable fuels has taken one step closer to practicality due to new research out of Monash University.

Through the novel combination of cheap materials to develop an energy efficient catalyst, the researchers believe they could electrochemically reduce carbon dioxide into syngas. This produced syngas would be comprised of a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen—the elements widely used as the starting point to produce sustainable fuels and materials.

“Our research found that a combination of cheap materials—Molybdenum Sulphide catalytic nano-particles with a conductive layer of graphene and a well-known polymer called polyethylenimine acted together to create this energy efficient catalyst. Each component in the catalyst played a specific role in the reaction and it was only when the three were combined that the energy efficiency of the process was realized,” said Jie Zhang, lead author of the study.

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Two ECS members were recently awarded the 2015 RUSNANOPRIZE Nanotechnology International Prize for their work in developing nanostructured carbon materials, which have facilitated the commercialization and wide-use of supercapacitors in energy storage, automotive, and many other industries. The organization honored Yury Gogotsi and Patrice Simon for their exemplary research in this field.

The RUSNANOPRIZE Nanotechnology International Prize, established in 2009, is presented annually to those working on nanotechnology projects that have substantial economic or social potential. The prize is aimed to promote successful commercialization of novel technology and strengthening collaboration in the field of nanotechnology.

Yury Gogotsi is a professor at Drexel University and director of the Anthony J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute. Among his most notable accomplishments, Gogotsi was a member of a team that discovered a novel family of two-dimensional carbides and nitrides, which have helped open the door for exceptional energy storage devices. Additionally, Gogotsi’s hand in discovering and describing new forms of carbon and the development of a “green” supercapacitor built of environmentally friendly materials has advanced the field of energy technology.

Gogotsi is a Fellow of ECS and is currently the advisor of the Drexel ECS Student Chapter.

Patrice Simon is a professor at Paul Sabatier University. As a materials scientist and electrochemist, Simon has special interest in designing the next generation of batteries and supercapacitors. As the leader of the French Network on Electrochemical Energy Storage, Simon is making strides in developing next-gen technology through combining 17 labs and 15 companies in an effort to apply novel principals to issues in energy storage and technology. As an internationally recognized leader in the field of nanotechnology for energy storage, Simon’s work focuses on benefiting the entire energy storage industry.

Simon has been a member of ECS for 15 years.

ICYMI: Find other ECS researchers are doing in the world of nanocarbons.

Question: What do Doron Aurbach, Peter Bruce, Yet-Ming Chiang, Yi Cui, Jeff Dahn, Clare Grey, Linda Nazar, Petr Novak, and Jean-Marie Tarascon all have in common?

Answer: They will all be giving invited presentations at IMLB 2016!

In fact, 70 of the world’s leading experts on lithium batteries have now confirmed their participation in IMLB 2016.

What are you waiting for?

Join us in Chicago this June to present your work as well.

Submit your abstract today!
Deadline: Jan. 15, 2016

Five things to know about IMLB:

1. About 2,000 of the industry’s top researchers will be discussing the current state of lithium battery science and technology, as well as current an future applications in transportation, commercial, aerospace, biomedical, and other promising sectors.

2. Conference topics will include Li battery anodes, Li battery cathodes, Li battery electrolyte systems (solutions, polymeric, solid-state), Li sulfur system, Li-oxygen systems, magnesium batteries, sodium batteries, interfaces, diagnostic challenges, safety matters, red-ox, and flow non-aqueous battery systems.

3. ECS will publish a volume of ECS Transactions (ECST) devoted to papers from IMLB 2016. Find out more.

4. IMLB will include a Technical Exhibit, featuring presentations and displays by over 40 manufactures of instruments, materials, systems, publications, and software. Learn more about exhibit and sponsorship opportunities.

5. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago, IL. Explore the “Windy City” and its famed attractions in your free time, including the Navy Pier, Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain.

In a practical effort to address climate change, researchers are looking at the possibility to capture harmful greenhouse gasses and transforming them into something useful for society. Recently, researchers from the University of South Carolina started exploring this topic, opening the door for more research in green fuels produced by carbon. Now, a team from the University of South Australia is taking that concept and applying nanoporous carbon nitride to help solve global warming.

With carbon dioxide levels at their highest in 650,000 years, scientists are developing innovative ways to help contain the greenhouse gas. The team at the University of South Australia, led by Ajayan Vinu, is working to capture and convert carbon dioxide molecules with the help of nanoporous materials.

“Their interesting properties—a semiconducting framework structure and ordered pores—make them exciting candidates for the capture and conversion of [carbon dioxide] molecules into methanol which can then be used as a source of green energy with the help of sunlight and water,” Vinu said.

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A team lead by Brad Bundy, chemical engineering associate professor, is paving the way for new life-saving vaccine technology.
Image: Mark A. Philbrick

When viruses emerge—spreading in a rapid and extensive way—researchers must scramble to create life-saving vaccines. At Brigham Young University, researchers are working to speed up that process.

A team of chemical engineers has devised a way to create machinery for vaccine production en masse, freeze drying the produced vaccines and stockpiling them for future use. This development could aid in relief efforts when new viruses hit populations, allowing researchers to rapidly produce vaccines.

“You could just pull it off the shelf and make it,” says Brad Bundy, senior author of the study. “We could make the vaccine and be ready for distribution in a day.”

This from Brigham Young University:

Bundy’s idea is a new angle on the emerging method of ‘cell-free protein synthesis,’ a process that combines DNA to make proteins needed for drugs (instead of growing protein in a cell). His lab is creating a system where the majority of the work is done beforehand so vaccine kits can be ready to go and be activated at the drop of a dime.

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