The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the February 28, 2024 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 9 of 9

  • Periodic table symbol for cobalt, with name and atomic number in electric blue.

    Jervois narrows US cobalt refinery locale

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 12, 2024

    Investigating the advantages of industrial sites in Pennsylvania and Louisiana ahead of final decision. Industrial sites in Pennsylvania and Louisiana are on Jervois Global Ltd.'s short list of locations to build a domestic refining and recycling plant that will help break the United States' dependence on countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and China for cobalt used in the lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles. Jervois already owns Idaho Cobalt...

  • A car with an EV plug showing graphics indicating fast charge.

    Solid-state battery hits fast-charge goal

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 9, 2024

    Ampcera's solid-state battery tech surpasses DOE fast charging goal. Due to mounting charge anxiety over limited at-home charging options and prolonged urban charging station wait times, the United States Advanced Battery Consortium and U.S. Department of Energy have both set commercial manufacturers a goal of 80% battery ultrafast charge in 15 minutes – which Ampcera's all-solid-state (ASSB) battery tech has just blown past. Last year, Ampcera was awarded a $2.1 million g...

  • SK Siltron silicon carbide wafers lined up neatly in a package.

    DOE offers $544M to semiconductor company

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 9, 2024

    Department of Energy hopes to build a more secure and resilient semiconductor supply chain for EV manufacturing in the U.S. Once again investing in the future of secure, domestic manufacturing, the U.S. Department of Energy, through its Loan Programs Office (LPO) has conditionally committed to loan SK Siltron CSS, LLC $544 million to expand American production of high-quality silicon carbide (SiC) wafers for electric vehicles. This more than half-a-billion-dollar loan toward...

  • Computer generated graphic depicting the metrics of an EV battery being charged.

    Scientists: EV battery range can double

    Rose Ragsdale, For Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 9, 2024

    Stanford researchers identify low-cost method to extend the life of lithium-metal batteries and increase range of EVs by up to 600 miles. Electric vehicles may soon run on lithium-metal (Li-metal) batteries with ranges that could double the capacity of batteries currently used by EV manufacturers, according to a recent study completed by Stanford University researchers. The scientists published an article about their discovery, "Recovery of isolated lithium through discharged...

  • Team of researchers presenting carbon graphics in a curve-screened theater.

    Waste carbon into battery-grade graphite

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 9, 2024

    A startup launched by students out of Curtin University's Accelerate program creates graphite from waste carbon. High-purity graphite is substantially sought-after for graphene production and is in heavy demand for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries. A new technology developed through Curtin University's Accelerate program in Australia, coined RapidGraphite, transforms waste carbon into battery-grade graphite within seconds. The Accelerate program supports early-stage...

  • Aerial view of a ship being loaded with iron ore.

    Canada backs decarbonization of iron ore

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 9, 2024

    Invests $18 million to lower CO2 emissions from Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in Labrador. In a move aimed at battling climate change and bolstering the nation's economy, the Canadian government has awarded C$18.1 million (US$13.4 million) to lower carbon dioxide emissions from Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Being awarded from Canada's Low Carbon Economy Fund, this grant to Rio Tinto's Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) will go...

  • Student at work in North Carolina BATT CAVE research center.

    BMW deal grows Albemarle's innovation aims

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 9, 2024

    Long-term partnership will secure battery-grade lithium hydroxide for automaker and accelerate both companies' expansion into EV space. This week, Albemarle announced a long-term partnership with BMW to deliver battery-grade lithium hydroxide for the automaker's next generation of high-performance electric vehicles and to work together to develop technology for safer and more energy-dense batteries. "Albemarle is committed to building a more resilient world," said Albemarle...

  • Sparks arc out of a vat being filled with molten steel.

    Green steel made from Baffinland iron

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Mar 9, 2024

    European steelmakers are looking across the Atlantic for high-quality iron ore mined on Canada's Baffin Island. Due to the combination of high strength, low cost, and the abundance of the minerals and metals from which it is made, steel is the most used metal on Earth. The making of this alloy that serves as the skeleton of modern society, however, is also responsible for roughly 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. To help reduce the CO2 footprint of this building material...

  • A microscopic picture of the supports built to hold MIT’s metamaterial.

    MIT prints particle-proof metamaterial

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Feb 27, 2024

    Supersonic experiments help identify atomic resilience in metamaterials for spacecraft, vehicles, helmets, or other objects. In a "sound-breaking" study conducted by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a novel method has been unveiled for rapidly assessing the resilience of metamaterials and their architectures by exposure to supersonic impacts, positioning research toward possible nanoscale particle-proof protective hulls and segments that can withstand...