Powering pacemakers with heartbeat vibrations

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:14:14 EST

Aerospace engineers have developed a prototype device that could power a pacemaker using a source that is surprisingly close to the heart of the matter: vibrations in the chest cavity that are due mainly to heartbeats.
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Mystery of car battery's current solved

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:33:33 EST

Chemists have solved the 150 year-old mystery of what gives the lead-acid battery, found under the bonnet of most cars, its unique ability to deliver a surge of current.
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Self-healing electronics could work longer and reduce waste

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:39:39 EST

Engineers have developed a self-healing system that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in less time than it takes to blink. As a crack propagates, microcapsules filled with liquid metal break open and the liquid fills the gap, restoring electrical flow. The technology is especially attractive for applications where repair is impossible, such as a battery, or finding the source of a failure is difficult, such as an air- or spacecraft.
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New method significantly reduces production costs of fuel cells

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:37:37 EST

Researchers have developed a new and significantly cheaper method of manufacturing fuel cells. A noble metal nanoparticle catalyst for fuel cells is prepared using atomic layer deposition.
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The onset of electrical resistance

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:42:42 EST

Researchers have observed the extremely fast onset of electrical resistance in a semiconductor by following electron motions in real-time.
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Efficiency metrics for energy storage devices need standardization

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:59:59 EST

Solving the mystery of prematurely dead cell phone and laptop batteries may prove to be a vital step toward creating a sustainable energy grid according to researchers. Scientists now call for a new, standardized gauge of performance measurement for energy storage devices.
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Nanoparticle electrode for batteries could make grid-scale power storage feasible

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:19:19 EST

Researchers have used nanoparticles of a copper compound to develop a high-power battery electrode that is so inexpensive to make, so efficient and so durable that it could be used to build batteries big enough for economical large-scale energy storage on the electrical grid -- something researchers have sought for years.
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Insect cyborgs may become first responders: Search and monitor hazardous places

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:35:35 EST

New developments may lead to insects monitoring hazardous situations before humans are sent in. The principal idea is to harvest the insect's biological energy from either its body heat or movements. The device converts the kinetic energy from wing movements of the insect into electricity, thus prolonging the battery life. The battery can be used to power small sensors implanted on the insect (such as a small camera, a microphone or a gas sensor) in order to gather vital information from hazardous environments.
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Better batteries: New technology improves both energy capacity and charge rate in rechargeable batteries

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:20:20 EST

Engineers have created an electrode for lithium-ion batteries that allows the rechargeable batteries to hold a charge up to 10 times greater than current technology. The batteries also can charge 10 times faster than current batteries. The researchers combined two chemical engineering approaches to address two major battery limitations -- energy capacity and charge rate -- in one fell swoop. The technology could pave the way for better batteries for cellphones, iPods and electric cars.
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Fluoride shuttle increases storage capacity: Researchers develop new concept for rechargeable batteries

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:55:55 EDT

Researchers have developed a new concept for rechargeable batteries. Based on a fluoride shuttle -- the transfer of fluoride anions between the electrodes -- it promises to enhance the storage capacity reached by lithium-ion batteries by several factors. Operational safety is also increased, as it can be done without lithium.
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Electrically powered maneuverable public transportation with high capacity

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:43:43 EDT

Electric and hybrid vehicles will be conquering the cities: cars, bicycles, buses and trains. This is why new ideas are in demand for individual and public transportation.
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Lithium-ion batteries made faster with new process

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:26:26 EDT

Engineers have been inspired by nature. To fill the porous electrodes of lithium-ion batteries more rapidly with liquid electrolyte, they are using a physico-chemical effect that also provides for transport in trees. The new process increases the throughput of battery production and reduces investment costs.
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Redox flow batteries, a promising technology for renewable energies integration

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EDT

Today there is a wide variety of energy storage technologies at very different stages of development. Among them, the Redox Flow Battery (RFB) is an innovative solution based on the use of liquid electrolytes stored in tanks and pumped through a reactor to produce energy. Researchers are currently working in the development of high performance RFBs.
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Researchers invent tiny artificial muscles with the strength, flexibility of elephant trunk

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:50:50 EDT

An international team of researchers has invented new artificial muscles strong enough to rotate objects a thousand times their own weight, but with the same flexibility of an elephant's trunk or octopus limbs.
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Crash-safe battery protection for electric cars

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:04:04 EDT

Engineers in Germany have replaced a battery box for lithium-ion batteries in electric cars with a lightweight component. Not only does the housing save weight and sustain no damage in an accident -- for the first time ever, it can also be mass-produced.
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Novel energy-storage membrane: Performance surpasses existing rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:40:40 EDT

Researchers in Singapore have developed a novel membrane with a performance that surpasses existing rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors, promising a low-cost, environmentally-friendly energy source.
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Better lithium-ion batteries are on the way

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:55:55 EDT

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from smart phones to electric cars, but especially when it comes to lowering the cost and extending the range of all-electric vehicles, they need to store a lot more energy. The critical component for energy storage is the anode, and scientists have developed a new anode material that can absorb eight times the lithium and has far greater energy capacity than today's designs.
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Reducing costs of electric vehicle batteries

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:16:16 EDT

Costs of manufacture of batteries and power trains of electric vehicles can be halved by 2018, if the gaps in the innovation chain can be closed. For reaching this objective, scientists develop concrete, close-to-industry solutions for energy stores and power trains and combine them on the system level.
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New material possible boon for lithium ion batteries

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:53:53 EDT

Batteries could get a boost from a discovery that increases power, energy density and safety while dramatically reducing charge time.
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Powered by seaweed: Polymer from algae may improve battery performance

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:51:51 EDT

By looking to Mother Nature for solutions, researchers have identified a promising new binder material for lithium-ion battery electrodes that could not only boost energy storage, but also eliminate the use of toxic compounds now used in manufacturing the components. Known as alginate, the material is extracted from common, fast-growing brown algae.
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Solar industry responsible for lead emissions in developing countries, research finds

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:59:59 EDT

Solar power heavily reliant on lead batteries has the potential to release more than 2.4 million tons of lead pollution in China and India, according to new research.
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Hydrogen powered prototype vessel for inland waterways: Canal boat runs on fuel cell drive

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:39:39 EDT

Researchers have been operating a canal boat with a fuel cell drive for three years now. In the world of shipbuilding, however, different rules apply than those in the automobile manufacturing industries. Weight is of practically no significance, but the propulsion plant must have an operating lifetime as long as that of the boat itself. The hydride storage system -- the hydrogen tank -- must meet this challenging requirement.
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Human gait could soon power portable electronics

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:51:51 EDT

In a new paper, researchers describe a new energy-harvesting technology that promises to dramatically reduce our dependence on batteries and instead capture the energy of human motion to power portable electronics.
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Nano bundles pack a powerful punch: Solid-state energy storage takes a leap forward

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:25:25 EDT

Researchers have created a solid-state, nanotube-based supercapacitor that promises to combine the best qualities of high-energy batteries and fast-charging capacitors in a device suitable for extreme environments.
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Working towards replacing platinum in fuel cells: Performance of iron-based catalysts improved

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:31:31 EDT

Researchers have developed a new and improved iron-based catalyst capable of generating even more electric power in fuel cells for transportation applications. Previously, only platinum-based catalysts could produce similar performance.
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Hybrid solar system makes rooftop hydrogen

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:22:22 EDT

While roofs across the world sport photovoltaic solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity, an engineer believes a novel hybrid system can wring even more useful energy out of the sun's rays. Instead of systems based on standard solar panels, an engineer proposes a hybrid option in which sunlight heats a combination of water and methanol in a maze of glass tubes on a rooftop. After two catalytic reactions, the system produces hydrogen much more efficiently than current technology without significant impurities. The resulting hydrogen can be stored and used on demand in fuel cells.
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Sun-free photovoltaics: Materials engineered to give off precisely tuned wavelengths of light when heated

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:02:02 EDT

A new photovoltaic energy-conversion system can be powered solely by heat, generating electricity with no sunlight at all. While the principle involved is not new, a novel way of engineering the surface of a material to convert heat into precisely tuned wavelengths of light -- selected to match the wavelengths that photovoltaic cells can best convert to electricity -- makes the new system much more efficient than previous versions.
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Scientists build battery in a nanowire: Hybrid energy storage device is as small as it can possibly get

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:56:56 EDT

Scientists have packed an entire lithium ion energy storage device into a single nanowire. The researchers believe their creation is as small as such devices can possibly get, and could be valuable as a rechargeable power source for new generations of nanoelectronics.
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Graphene nanocomposite a bridge to better batteries

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:15:15 EDT

Researchers have built a high-capacity energy storage device for lithium ion batteries by constructing a unique nanoscale sandwich of graphene and tin. The device is engineered to improve electrochemical cycling of the battery, which reduces charging time and allows repeated recharging without degrading battery performance.
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Ohio Supercomputer Center lifts land speed racer toward 400-mph goal

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:04:04 EDT

A team of engineering students at the Ohio State University's Center for Automotive Research recently began running aerodynamics simulations at the Ohio Supercomputer Center, one of the first steps in the long and careful process of researching, designing, building and racing the fourth iteration of their record-breaking, alternative-fuel streamliner. In partnership with Venturi and A123 Systems, the team began the development process for a completely re-engineered test vehicle designed to break the 400-mph mark.
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