Lithium-ion batteries supply billions of portable devices with energy. While current Li-ion battery designs may be sufficient for applications such as smartphones and tablets, the rise of electric vehicles and power storage systems demands new battery technology with new electrode materials and electrolytes. ECS student member Michael Metzger is looking to address that issue by developing a new battery test cell that can investigate anionic and cationic reactions separately. Along with Benjamin Strehle, Sophie Slochenbach, and ECS Fellow Hubert A….
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Silly putty isn’t just for kids anymore. Researchers in Ireland combined the classic kid’s toy with a special form of carbon to create a new material that has potential applications in medical devices such as heart monitors. About 70 years ago, scientists came up with the recipe for silly putty as a substitute for rubber. The resulting formula yielded strange properties, but not many applications. However, by taking the strange silly putty formula and mixing it with graphene, the new…
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Water and energy are inextricably linked. The two have shared a long technological and symbolic connection, which has led to what researchers in the field call the energy/water nexus. The energy/water nexus refers to the relationship between the water used for energy production and the energy consumed to extract, purify, and deliver water. During the PRiME 2016 meeting in October, researchers from across the globe gathered together for the Energy/Water Nexus: Power from Saline Solutions symposium to discuss emerging technologies…
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A team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University is building a flow battery prototype to provide cleaner, cheaper power. The team, co-led by ECS member Bob Savinell, is working to scale up the technology in order develop a practical, efficient energy storage device that can store excess electricity and potentially augment the grid in light of a shift toward renewables. With a $1.17 million federal grant, the team has started to build a 1-kilowatt prototype with enough power to…
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Thank you to our symposia sponsors Symposia sponsors enable ECS to support the travel expenses and registration fees of invited speakers, students and researchers with limited financial resources. The deadline is February 28, 2017 to become a symposium sponsor for the 231st ECS Meeting. If you have questions about symposia sponsorship, please contact John Lewis at 609.737.1902 ext. 120. Symposium sponsors Silver level King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, PSE Division H03 - Properties and Applications of 2-Dimensional Layered...
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Google is going green. Tech giant Google announced that it will run entirely on renewable energy in 2017. This will be a huge shift for the company that, according to the New York Times, consumed as much energy as the city of San Francisco in previous years. Google states that both its data centers and offices will reach the 100 percent renewable energy mark in 2017, with the majority of power derived from wind and solar. According to a press…
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UPDATE (2/6/2017): Meng Tao has recently been awarded the 2017 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Alternative Energy Technology. The Fulbright Distinguished Chair awards are viewed as among the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program, awarded to eminent scholars with significant publication and teaching records. Tao will be working at Chalmers University of Technology for the 2017/2018 academic year, working with Swedish colleagues on two projects: solar photovoltaic systems to charge electric vehicles and value-added recycling of wafer-silicon solar modules....
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Global energy demands are predicted to reach 46 terawatts by 2100. That number is a far reach from the 18 terawatts of energy currently generated around the world. According to one expert in the field, a major shift in the way we produce and consume energy is necessary in order to meet future demands. Meng Tao, ECS member and Arizona State University professor, discussed how society could move toward meeting those demands at the PRiME 2016 meeting, where he presented…
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The San Francisco Section is currently accepting nominations for the following award: Daniel Cubicciotti Student Award: established in 1994 to assist a deserving student in Northern California in pursuing a career in the physical sciences or engineering. Qualified candidates will be full or part-time graduate or advanced undergraduate student(s) in good standing at a university or college in Northern California. The award consists of an etched metal plaque and a $2,000 prize which is intended to assist with the educational…
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Just over ten years ago, the number of electric vehicles on the road could be counted in the hundreds. Now, more than 1.3 million EVs have been deployed across the globe. But even as EVs become a stronger force in the transportation sector, many buyers still cite one major deterrent in going electric: range anxiety. Range anxiety refers to the fear that during longer trips, the EV battery may run out of energy and leave drivers stranded without a charging…
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