Researchers at the University of California, Irvine may have just developed the ever-lasting battery. A recent study, published in ACS Energy Letters, details a nanowire-based battery material that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times – making more realistic the idea of a battery that would never need to be replaced. Potential applications for the battery range from computers and smartphones to cars and spacecrafts. Highly-conductive nanowires have always been thought appropriate for battery design, but were held back…
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There may soon be a shift in the transportation sector, where traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles become a thing of the past and electric vehicles start on their rise to dominance. In fact, we may be seeing that shift already. Last year, battery prices fell 35 percent, which contributed to the 60 percent increase in sales of electric vehicles. If that growth continues along the same path, electric vehicles have the potential to displace oil demand of two million barrels a…
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Wild mushrooms have recently made a surprising (but not unwelcome) foray into the battery realm. In a new study, researchers from Purdue University derived promising carbon fibers from a wild mushroom and modified them with nanoparticles to cook up new battery anodes that outperform conventional graphite electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. (READ: “Wild Fungus Derived Carbon Fibers and Hybrids as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries“) Outperforming traditional anodes “Current state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries must be improved in both energy density and power output…
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Battery Division Awards Nominations Deadline: March 15, 2016 ECS recognizes outstanding technical achievements in electrochemistry and solid-state science and technology through its Honors & Awards program. There are many deserving members of the Battery Division among us and this is an opportunity to highlight their contributions. We are currently accepting nominations for: Battery Division Research Award: established in 1958 to encourage excellence in battery and fuel cell research, and to encourage publication in ECS journals. Battery Division Technology Award: established…
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