Energy

Securing the future of energy: Glass-based sealants for solid oxide fuel cells

By Lisa McDonald / August 3, 2021

Solid oxide fuel cells hold great potential among fuel cell technologies due to their high heat and power efficiency, long-term stability, fuel flexibility, and relatively low cost. Glass and glass-ceramics are of great interest as sealants in SOFCs, and today’s CTT looks at a few recent studies on glass-based sealants.

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That’s a wrap for MCARE-EHS 2021: The last two days from a student blogger perspective

By Lisa McDonald / July 27, 2021

MCARE-EHS 2021 took place virtually July 19–22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ACerS student members Alessandro De Zanet and Rishabh Kundu share their experiences from the last two days of the conference.

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Kick-off of MCARE-EHS 2021: The first two days from a student blogger perspective

By Lisa McDonald / July 23, 2021

MCARE-EHS 2021 took place virtually July 19–22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ACerS student members Rishabh Kundu and Alessandro De Zanet share their experiences from the first two days of the conference.

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A concentrated effort—researchers develop ceramic lattice structures for high-temperature heat exchangers

By Lisa McDonald / June 29, 2021

In concentrated solar power systems, higher operating temperature leads to greater efficiency—if the thermal energy is properly managed. Heat exchangers are one option for thermal management, and researchers in Switzerland and Italy explored designing ceramic lattice structures for use in such devices.

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The power of good vibrations: Material and process developments for piezoelectric energy harvesting

By Jonathon Foreman / June 25, 2021

The field of piezoelectric energy harvesting looks to convert mechanical motion, notably from vibration sources, directly into electricity. Recent papers in several ACerS journals discuss challenges and research into developing both materials and processes for PEH.

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Cathodes for Li-ion batteries—researchers explore complex defect structure of LiFePO4

By Lisa McDonald / June 11, 2021

Lithium iron phosphate is a widely used cobalt-free cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. It is known to experience certain kinds of defects in its crystal structure, however, and a recent study led by researchers at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology explores the existence of hydroxyl groups in phosphorus vacancies.

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Lining up for better performance: Researchers tailor interfaces in solid-state batteries

By Lisa McDonald / June 4, 2021

One of the main challenges to commercializing solid-state batteries is stabilizing the interface between the solid electrolyte and electrodes. In a recent paper, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and Xerion Advanced Battery Corporation look at the role interface morphology and crystallography play in solid-state battery performance.

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Rechargeable cement-based batteries could reform the built environment

By Lisa McDonald / May 21, 2021

As renewable energy technologies become more widely deployed, we need a way to store all of the generated energy. Two researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden explored creating a cement capable of storing energy, an ability that would allow future buildings to essentially serve as giant batteries.

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‘Molecular glue’ enhances perovskite solar cell reliability

By Lisa McDonald / May 18, 2021

Perovskite solar cells struggle with long-term reliability due to their love–hate relationship with the sun. Brown University researchers explored using self-assembled monolayers to “glue” interfaces within the cells and thus make the cells more efficient, stable, and reliable.

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Determine oxidation stability of materials at MAX speed

By Lisa McDonald / April 23, 2021

Determining oxidation stability of new MAX phases is a difficult and expensive process with current computational and experimental methods. Researchers at Texas A&M University designed a new machine-learning-based scheme for predicting the oxidation of MAX phases at high temperatures, allowing them to conduct studies that may otherwise take years to perform.

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