The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the January 10, 2024 edition


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  • Hands hold a disc of epitaxial graphene semiconductors.

    A graphene paradigm shift for electronics

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 20, 2024

    As silicon reaches its limits, Georgia Tech and Chinese researchers have created graphene semiconductors that may usher in new era of next-gen electronics. Silicon, which has been the foundational material for computers and electronics over the past seven decades, is reaching its limits in terms of making the next generations of faster and smaller electronic devices. The creation of the world's first graphene semiconductor by a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of...

  • The U.S. Air Force Base in Spangdahlem, Germany, in the 1990s.

    Strengthening USAF airfields with graphene

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 20, 2024

    Accelerating efforts to broaden its rare earths and critical elements supply chain, American Resources Corp. announced that its affiliated company, Novusterra Inc., has signed a strategic partnership with key industries leaders, including the United States Air Force, for its patented technology on the production of carbon nanomaterial additives for future sustainable infrastructure. "We are honored to serve alongside our partners at Kenai Defense, Texas Tech University and...

  • Wafer of coal-derived memristors made from Kentucky Blue Gem coal.

    Low-tech coal sees high-tech applications

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 15, 2024

    As the world continues to shift away from older technologies and carbon-emitting energy production, researchers have sought ways to reimagine their uses and align them with modern ideals. The number one candidate – coal – has been an energy lynchpin and an economic keystone for more than a century. Instead of cutting away the lifeline, science seeks to utilize this ancient material in new, high-tech ways. With companies turning coal into clean technologies such as bui...

  • Computer graphic image of a battery hovering above an electronic motherboard.

    The dangers of a battery 'monoculture'

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 15, 2024

    As 2024 gets underway, the direction of rechargeable battery design continues to have major implications for the mining industry. A range of renewable power technologies are under development and expansion across the globe to replace fossil fuels. These advancements and the continued electric vehicle push driving the need for increased energy storage capacity, continue to add to the world's energy transition minerals shopping list. The numbers are already in – the new mines n...

  • Closeup of a QuantumScape solid-state battery cell.

    VW's solid-state 'forever' EV battery

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 15, 2024

    The current industry standard for electric vehicle batteries targets a 20% capacity loss over 700 charging cycles, which means an EV that rolls off the lot with a 250-mile range could end its life with a range of 50 fewer miles per charge by the time the odometer clicks to around 150,000 miles. (For some vehicles like the Tesla Model S, the pricier 100-kilowatt-hour batteries degrade faster than 85- and 70-kWh options.) Meanwhile, U.S. company QuantumScape's solid-state cell...

  • A pile of goldenrod-colored powder containing mixed rare earth elements.

    Ucore to process Defense Metals REEs

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 15, 2024

    A sample of mixed rare earths from Wicheeda project to be processed through Ucore's RapidSX demo plant in Ontario. In a milestone along the path to establishing a complete rare earth elements supply chain in North America, Defense Metals Corp. will ship a mixed rare earth carbonate sample from its Wicheeda project in British Columbia to Ucore Rare Metals Inc.'s RapidSX REE commercialization and demonstration facility in Ontario for processing. "We expect to ship a mixed rare...

  • Abeeway Smart Badge displayed over an illustrated picture of workers.

    Peru copper mine upgrades worker safety

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 15, 2024

    In the world of technological interconnectivity, Mina Justa, a Peruvian mining operation that produces nearly 150,000 metric tons of copper concentrates and cathode material per year, will employ modern solutions toward worker safety and security with the implementation of strategic internet of things technologies at this critical material mine. A US$1.6 billion greenfield copper project near Marcona, Peru, Mina Justa lies roughly 400 kilometers (250 miles) southeast of Lima...

  • Graphic of human body and biosensor targets against graphene lattice backdrop.

    Graphene used for early cancer detection

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 12, 2024

    HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. is a commercial manufacturer of high-quality nanomaterials whose graphene product has been selected and successfully trialed in Hawkeye Bio's biomedical sensor designed for the early detection of lung cancer. Only the third company to be certified globally by the Graphene Council, HydroGraph is headquartered in Toronto, with a manufacturing facility in Kansas where the company has exclusive license from Kansas State University to produce both... Full story