Headline: Pyrite, also known as fool's gold, may contain valuable lithium, a key element for green energy

■ Release Date: 2024.4.15

■ Published by: European Geosciences Union

■ Keywords: pyrite, lithium, batteries

■ Abstract:

The technology revolution and development of new renewable energy resources is driving demand for lithium to new heights, but it is not a common mineral. Scientists say they have found lithium in an unexpected place; fool's gold, or pyrite, deposits.

Headline: Quantum electronics: Charge travels like light in bilayer graphene

■ Release Date: 2024.4.16

■ Published by: University of Göttingen

■ Keywords: graphene, transistors, nanoscale 

■ Abstract:

An international research team has demonstrated experimentally that electrons in naturally occurring double-layer graphene move like particles without any mass, in the same way that light travels. Furthermore, they have shown that the current can be 'switched' on and off, which has potential for developing tiny, energy-efficient transistors -- like the light switch in your house but at a nanoscale.

Headline: A single atom layer of gold: Researchers create goldene

■ Release Date: 2024.4.16

■ Published by: Linköping University

■ Keywords: gold, silicon, carbon dioxide

■ Abstract:

For the first time, scientists have managed to create sheets of gold only a single atom layer thick. The material has been termed goldene. According to researchers, this has given the gold new properties that can make it suitable for use in applications such as carbon dioxide conversion, hydrogen production, and production of value-added chemicals.

Headline: Trash to treasure -- researchers turn metal waste into catalyst for hydrogen

■ Release Date: 2024.4.16

■ Published by: University of Nottingham

■ Keywords: metal waste, hydrogen, catalyst

■ Abstract:

Scientists have found a way to transform metal waste into a highly efficient catalyst to make hydrogen from water, a discovery that could make hydrogen production more sustainable.

Headline: Nanostitches' enable lighter and tougher composite materials

■ Release Date: 2024.4.16

■ Published by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

■ Keywords: carbon nanotubes, polymer, carbon fiber

■ Abstract:

In an approach they call 'nanostitching,' engineers used carbon nanotubes to prevent cracking in multilayered composites. The advance could lead to next-generation airplanes and spacecraft.

Headline: From defects to order: Spontaneously emerging crystal arrangements in perovskite halides

■ Release Date: 2024.4.17

■ Published by: European Geosciences Union

■ Keywords: Tokyo Institute of Technology

■ Abstract:

A new hybrid layered perovskite featuring elusive spontaneous defect ordering has been found, report scientists. By introducing specific concentrations of thiocyanate ions into FAPbI3 (FA = formamidinium), they observed that ordered columnar defects appeared in the stacked crystalline layers, taking up one-third of the lattice space. These findings could pave the way to an innovative strategy for adjusting the properties of hybrid perovskites, leading to practical advances in optoelectronics and energy generation.

Headline: Atom-by-atom: Imaging structural transformations in 2D materials

■ Release Date: 2024.4.17

■ Published by: University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering

■ Keywords: silicon, transistor, graphene

■ Abstract:

Silicon-based electronics are approaching their physical limitations and new materials are needed to keep up with current technological demands. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have a rich array of properties, including superconductivity and magnetism, and are promising candidates for use in electronic systems, such as transistors. However, precisely controlling the properties of these materials is extraordinarily difficult.

Headline: Clearing the air: Wind farms more land efficient than previously thought

■ Release Date: 2024.4.17

■ Published by: McGill University

■ Keywords: wind power, energy, electricity

■ Abstract:

Wind power is a source of energy that is both affordable and renewable. However, decision-makers have been reluctant to invest in wind energy due to a perception that wind farms require a lot of land compared to electric power plants driven by fossil fuels. Research was based on the assessment of the land-use of close to 320 wind farms in the U.S. paints a very different picture.

Headline: Can bismuth prevent oil leaks?

■ Release Date: 2024.4.18

■ Published by: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

■ Keywords: bismuth, oil, alloy

■ Abstract:

Companies can't simply walk away from old oil and gas wells. They have to be capped in a way that protects the environment and prevents leaks. A new approach to today's solution could be better for the environment and cheaper, too.

Headline: Novel material supercharges innovation in electrostatic energy storage

■ Release Date: 2024.4.18

■ Published by: Washington University in St. Louis

■ Keywords: capacitor, energy storage, ferroelectric

■ Abstract:

Scientists have developed artificial heterostructures made of freestanding 2D and 3D membranes that have an energy density up to 19 times higher than commercially available capacitors.

Headline: Mess is best: Disordered structure of battery-like devices improves performance

■ Release Date: 2024.4.18

■ Published by: University of Cambridge

■ Keywords: supercapacitors, energy storage, carbon electrodes

■ Abstract:

The energy density of supercapacitors -- battery-like devices that can charge in seconds or a few minutes -- can be improved by increasing the 'messiness' of their internal structure. Researchers used experimental and computer modelling techniques to study the porous carbon electrodes used in supercapacitors. They found that electrodes with a more disordered chemical structure stored far more energy than electrodes with a highly ordered structure.

Headline: A flexible and efficient DC power converter for sustainable-energy microgrids

■ Release Date: 2024.4.19

■ Published by: Kobe University

■ Keywords: energy storage, converter, batteries

■ Abstract:

A new DC-DC power converter is superior to previous designs and paves the way for more efficient, reliable and sustainable energy storage and conversion solutions. The development can efficiently interface with a wide range of energy sources while enhancing system stability and simplicity at an unprecedented efficiency.