The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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Toyota's fluoride-ion batteries power up with copper nitride cathodes. All-solid-state fluoride-ion batteries (FIBs) have attracted interest as candidates for next-generation energy storage for electric vehicles and other applications; however, cathodes with sufficiently high energy density have been lacking. Researchers, in collaboration with Toyota Motor Corp., have unveiled a new cathode material for the company's FIBs, reportedly boosting the capacity per volume to about...
Boosting safety and efficiency in the desperate search for energy transition metals. The critical minerals industry is poised for innovation across the supply chain, from exploration and extraction to processing, refining, manufacturing, and recycling. At the forefront of this revolution is artificial intelligence (AI). In a time when the global temperature is ticking upward, critical minerals pricing is volatile, and the mining workforce is aging out, AI has been...
A simple nanoemulsion of oil and water is all it takes to eliminate the most wasteful step in battery recycling. Scientists at the University of Leicester have developed a technique for recovering valuable metals from lithium-ion battery waste using an unexpected ingredient – vegetable oil. This simple process, which extracts valuable metals from battery waste in minutes at room temperature, could revolutionize battery recycling, making it far more sustainable, c...
Samsung SDI, Hyundai and Kia team up on specialized batteries for an industry taking off. Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corp., and Samsung SDI are teaming up to develop the next generation of robot batteries. This collaboration aims to tackle the issue of limited battery space, as current batteries are not optimized for the budding field of robotics, which has had to make do with ill-suited batteries off the shelf. Samsung SDI will develop high-capacity battery materials and effi...
A dash of acid, a little energy, and eco-friendly transparent aluminum oxide is born. Filipino researchers from Ateneo de Manila University, in collaboration with Japanese scientists from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology, have developed a cost-effective and eco-friendly method to create transparent aluminum oxide (TAlOx). Using mild acid solution and a tiny electric charge, this remarkable technique could revolutionize industries from personal electronics to aerosp...
Now is the chance to go diving for treasure – the question is how, and what will it cost? Both the Trump and Biden administrations have prioritized securing critical minerals, but have taken very different approaches. The current presidency is signaling support for deep-sea mining as a way to secure critical minerals, a shift from the previous administration's more cautious approach. The Biden administration sought alternatives to Chinese mineral supply chains by s...
By repurposing rust and leveraging seawater's natural chemistry, researchers have developed an inexpensive, scalable green battery solution. The U.S. currently generates over 15 million tons of unrecycled scrap iron waste each year, much of which turns to rust, but researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have developed a rechargeable alkaline iron battery chemistry that repurposes this discarded material for energy storage. Chloride ions – negatively charged ions...
Small but mighty Odin spacecraft aims for a metallic-class asteroid flyby. Asteroid mining, for most investors, remains on the same pie-in-the-sky menu as tech billionaire space tourism-dismissed as an expensive dream with insurmountable challenges. However, California-based mining startup AstroForge is on its way to turning fantasy into reality, and fast. Its ambition: mine asteroids for minerals like platinum group metals in space at a lower cost than current terrestrial...
Secures over a million in seed funding for innovative recovery process. As an environmental and chemical engineer, Leigh Staines has held a range of strategic, operational, and commercial roles with industry-leading companies such as ExxonMobil and Rio Tinto. Now, Staines is helming a bold new venture that could revolutionize copper production, spearheading the commercialization of an electrochemical process that can recover copper from low-grade resources once deemed...
True ASSB architecture is energy-dense, compact, safe, and ready to pilot. Microvast Holdings, Inc. has announced a groundbreaking development in battery technology with its True All-Solid-State Battery (ASSB), promising enhanced safety, higher energy density, and improved efficiency for critical applications such as powering data centers, electric vehicles, and robotics. By eliminating liquid electrolytes and introducing a bipolar stacking architecture, Microvast's ASSB aims...
Hyundai, Kia support nickel-titanium alloy tire that is flexible like rubber, stronger than steel. Reinventing the wheel is the top adage defining something as unnecessary – but not when it comes to tires. The Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology (SMART) Tire Company, backed by Hyundai Motor and Kia, is applying NASA's space-age technology to create airless, puncture-proof, and sustainable tires for everything from bicycles to electric vehicles here on Earth. In 2023, the c...
If they stick, steel and aluminum tariffs will penalize our northern neighbors and may cost average Americans more than industry benefits. President Donald Trump's hard line on tariffs has been heating up global trade tensions, with news on Monday of imposing blanket 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. It's a move that echoes his first-term policies and again strains relations with key U.S. allies like Canada and Mexico. With no exemptions for American companies...
Australian politicians and economists push for exceptions to Trump's 25% tariff on aluminum and steel. Trade Minister Don Farrell insists Australia has increased its aluminum exports to the United States with Washington's approval, pushing back against claims that his country disregarded commitments to limit supply. As Australia seeks an exemption from U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel going into effect March 12, Farrell emphasized that all exports were conducted...
Copper and other conventional conductors can only take us so far in nanotech. A world built up from the nanoscale is on the horizon where computers run faster, phone batteries last longer, and massive data centers consume less power – all thanks to materials just a few atoms thick. As electronics and processors get smaller, a critical hold-up has emerged where conventional materials like copper lose efficiency at small scales. To combat this, Stanford researchers have d...
Flameless, powerful electric calcination is approaching reality. Cement is the backbone of modern construction, but its production is one of the world's largest carbon emitters. Aiming to change that, the international Electric Calciner Technologies for Cement Plants of the Future (ECem) project is developing advanced electric heating to replace fossil-fueled kilns, with scientists from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) among its collaborators. The project, backed...
Building a better (and safer) lithium-metal battery with simple, biodegradable ingredients. In a surprise revelation, lithium metal battery manufacturers might be receiving an interesting recommendation that is familiar to people all over the world: more water and fiber. Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) have developed a new protective layer made from plant-based hollow nanofibers, manufactured through an electrospinning process using...
An eco-friendly method for extracting rare earth elements that's faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial for high-tech electronics, electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and military hardware, but their extraction has long been environmentally costly. With rising demand and climate change intensifying, electrokinetic mining (EKM), developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, offers a revolutionary solution for efficiently and...
Next steps focus on research and drilling in highly prospective areas. For decades, scientists have contended with the idea that naturally occurring geologic hydrogen – an abundant, clean-burning fuel – is a resource too elusive to use as an energy source despite its promise as a tailor-made alternative to fossil fuels for vehicles and high-heat industrial applications like smelting. While nations work to tap manmade hydrogen's potential, a comprehensive map from the U.S. Geo...
While most suspect a resource grab for oil and natural gas, undeveloped minerals that could support the green energy transition are also falling under Putin's hand. In July 2021, Ukraine and the European Union (EU) signed a Memorandum on Strategic Partnership in Raw Materials. Such agreements were also signed with Canada that year and with Kazakhstan and Namibia in 2022, with many more to follow as Western democracies have been investing in renewable energy and sustainable...
Samsung's oxide-based battery with record-busting energy density is on time for mass production this year. In a move to stay ahead in the battery technology race, Samsung launched into solid-state battery chemistry and production research in 2020 with confident targets set, initially projecting the debut of its first prototypes by 2025 and their subsequent integration into electric vehicles by 2027. All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have a solid electrolyte instead of the liqu...
Energy Fuels sets high standards, to remove 10,000 tons of uranium-bearing cleanup materials from abandoned mines at no cost. In a historic collaboration toward reconciliation and environmental stewardship, Energy Fuels Inc. and the Navajo Nation have signed an agreement to safely transport uranium ore and tackle the legacy of abandoned uranium mines that have marred tribal lands for decades. "The Navajo Nation has suffered longstanding impacts from uranium mining conducted...
Despite cost overruns and delays, NASA's heavy-lift rocket touted as essential to beat China to the Moon. As newly appointed chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Texas representative Brian Babin is doubling down on his support for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), calling it the only viable path for the U.S. to return to the Moon ahead of China. Amid ongoing debates over commercial alternatives like SpaceX's Starship, the senator insists that the SLS... Full story
Retains capacity after thousands of cycles with improved safety, sustainability, and affordability. Researchers have developed an aluminum-ion battery that outperforms lithium-ion in longevity, safety, and sustainability, retaining capacity after thousands of charge cycles. By incorporating a solid-state electrolyte, this innovation curtails the fire hazards and resource constraints associated with Lithium-ion technology while offering a cost-effective and recyclable solution... Full story
Commits $600,000 for emergency response, firefighting equipment, and community recovery. Exactly one month after a rash of fires devastated some of the most recognizable Southern Californian urban centers, Rio Tinto's U.S. Borax, which operates the Boron Mine in the Mojave Desert east of Bakersfield, has donated $200,000 each to the Kern County Fire Department, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Rio Tinto's Boron Mine is operated... Full story
Scientists enhance next-generation battery manufacturing tech with new carbon nanotube powder. A team led by Joong Tark Han at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center has developed an improved carbon nanotube (CNT) powder that resolves a problematic tendency for these hollow tubes of rolled-up graphene to clump together and resist thorough mixing with other materials in dry processing. A dry process is a chemical-free... Full story
