As the global batteries market expands rapidly in parallel with renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles, manufacturers are looking for new sources of critical materials. Deep sea mining is one possibility—but at what cost to the environment?
Read More
Cathodoluminescent lamps offer a clean and energy-efficient alternative to incandescents and compact fluorescent bulbs. Now, researchers have created cathodoluminescent lamps using specially-designed carbon fiber bundles.
Read More
The United States is becoming vulnerable to China’s dominance of rare-earth materials. The Critical Materials Institute, with a grant from the DOE, works to reduce U.S. dependence on China for rare earths.
Read More
Smashing metallic micro-cubes makes them ultrastrong, glow-in-the-dark dye could fuel liquid-based batteries, and other materials stories that may be of interest for November 23, 2016.
Read More
Sodium-ions in a standard battery format, new form of iron oxide has surprising characteristics, and other materials stories that may be of interest for December 9, 2015.
Read MoreWhat an active field! Oxygen tolerance of an in silico-designed bioinspired hydrogen-evolving catalyst in water (PNAS) Certain bacterial enzymes, the diiron hydrogenases, have turnover numbers for hydrogen production from water…
Read MoreA “criticality matrix” shows how the impact of supply risk for certain critical minerals. This matrix was developed by the National Research Council panel for a 2008 report, “Minerals, Critical…
Read MoreGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao discussed rare earth supplies in their Feb. 2, 2012 meeting. Credit Xinhua; Xie Huanchi. There have been long-standing and well-known strains between…
Read MoreThe Department of Energy recently released its second “Critical Materials Strategy” report. Credit: DOE. In late December 2011, the Department of Energy released its 2011 update (pdf) to its report,…
Read More