[Images above] Credit: NIST
ENERGY
Researchers develop new technique to upscale the production of perovskite solar cells
Researchers from City University of Hong Kong and the Southern University of Science and Technology demonstrated that a self-assembled monolayer can facilitate the formation of a large-area perovskite film using a blade-coating process, and thus promote the upscaling of perovskite photovoltaic technology.
Researchers identify alternative to lithium-based battery technology
University of Houston researchers developed a homogeneous glassy electrolyte that enables reversible sodium plating and stripping at a greater current density than previously possible.
Self-charging battery generates electricity from moisture in the air
Australian company Strategic Elements is working with the University of New South Wales and CSIRO to develop a flexible, self-charging battery technology that harvests electrical energy from moisture in the air to directly power devices without ever needing to plug them in.
As wind power is added, researchers have to reengineer recovery from power outages
Iowa State University researchers are working to develop strategies and controllers that would re-energize power grids dominated by wind power. The first challenge was engineering a grid-forming control strategy that allows turbines to operate on the grid independently of any gas or hydro turbines, which is not currently possible.
New model finds best sites for electric vehicle charging stations
North Carolina State University researchers developed a computational model that can be used to determine the optimal places for locating electric vehicle charging facilities, as well as how powerful the charging stations can be without placing an undue burden on the local power grid.
BIOMATERIALS
Bone, heal thyself: Toward ceramics tailored for optimized bone self-repair
Tokyo Medical and Dental University researchers determined chemical parameters that affect the rate of calcium phosphate ceramic conversion into hydroxyapatite in a simulated body fluid. Shorter carbon chain lengths in the phosphate ester facilitated faster remodeling than longer chains.
ENVIRONMENT
Engineers invent world’s first zero emissions cement
University of Cambridge engineers filed a patent and were awarded new research funding for their invention of the world’s first zero-emissions cement. They make the cement using a virtuous recycling loop that not only eliminates emissions of cement production but also saves raw materials and reduces emissions in making lime-flux.
Mussel shell waste is a sustainable alternative to traditional glassmaking techniques
Architects based in London and a design student discovered that the quagga mussel, a species of freshwater mussels, can be used as an ingredient in creating glass tiles. By mixing the quagga mussel shell waste with local sands and waste wood ash, they created a “unique glass recipe” that can theoretically be used in future building designs.
MANUFACTURING
Direct sound printing is a potential game-changer in 3D printing
Concordia University researchers developed a new platform technology called direct sound printing, which uses ultrasound waves to create complex and precise objects. The process relies on chemical reactions created by fluctuating pressure inside tiny bubbles suspended in a liquid polymer solution.
OTHER STORIES
How structural changes affect the superconducting properties of a metal oxide
Researchers led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers discovered how subtle structural changes in strontium titanate can alter the material’s electrical resistance and affect its superconducting properties.
Grain boundaries go with the flow
Rice University engineers who mimic atom-scale processes to make them big enough to see have modeled how shear influences grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials.
Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science at University of Tokyo used molecular dynamics simulations to better understand the unusual properties of glass. They found that certain dynamical defects help explain the allowed vibrational modes inside the material.
Ancient ocean floors could help search for critical minerals
University of Queensland researchers led a collaborative study that examined the remnants of ocean floors in eastern Australia and central Asia and applied a method to date the age of calcite trapped inside.
Properties of regional Alhabia clays
Researchers characterized and appraised the ceramic uses of clays from the Alhabia clays deposit in Almera, Spain. They proposed the raw clay could be made via extrusion because it has moderate plastic capabilities and acceptable molding properties.
With glass buried under ice, Microsoft plans to preserve music for 10,000 years
Located in Norway, the Global Music Vault is part of a cold-storage facility drilled into the very same mountain as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. A venture company called Elire Group is overseeing the vault, while a partnership with Microsoft is testing a new, glass-based storage medium to make this vision possible.