The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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Materials scientists identified europium as an ideal element for a new material that is a strong candidate for use in quantum memory. Pioneering into the frontiers of technology has scientists venturing deeper into the periodic table to discover elements with properties required for tomorrow's innovations. This is especially true for quantum computers and networks, which demand very specific and unique attributes that require a scientific expedition into unexplored chemical re...
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...
Initial studies test graphene as an emerging biological contaminant – where microplastics and pharmaceuticals have fallen. Graphene, a truly revolutionizing nanomaterial with potential that is hard to overstate, may continue to be developed without acute risk to human health, research suggests. Science has discovered an emergence of contaminants as unanticipated drawbacks to technological development – notably microplastics and pharmaceuticals that have made their way int...
Aims to curb industrial heat's CO2 footprint, which is more than cars and planes combined. Climate tech company DexMat and Rice University have received $1.5 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding on a project to replace aluminum or copper fins in heat exchangers with a thermal conductivity-enhanced version of DexMat's flagship product, Galvorn – a high-performance, carbon nanomaterial that is stronger than steel, lighter than aluminum, and as conductive as copper. T...
DOE national lab verifies stronger and more flexible 3D-printed metal. As additive manufacturing continues to shift from hobbyist to mainstream, research has ramped up to delve deeper into its expansive applications. A significant focus lies in the materials, such as those being called high-entropy alloys, that unlock unprecedented compositions unattainable through conventional methods. This innovation being explored by scientists has now been examined to its very atomic...
"At the time, physicists were just starting to talk about the potential of quantum technologies and quantum computers," 36-year-old Mickael Perrin recalled of his career beginnings 12 years ago. "Today there are dozens of start-ups in this area, and governments and companies are investing billions in developing the technology further. We are now seeing the first applications in computer science, cryptography, communications and sensors." Perrin's research has married...
Exploring the potential of near-infinite geometries, engineers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has partnered with Elemuntum 3D to print rocket engines from a metal that, for all intents and purposes, is not ideal for millions of pounds of thrust – aluminum. The capabilities of additive manufacturing, however, may just unlock a different future into the stars. Aluminum has many of the hallmarks of an ideal metal for building rockets – lower density, high-strength, and...
Arguments against the expense and impracticality of space exploration have been ongoing since before the Apollo missions ever got off the ground. In fact, NASA's budget has hovered between a minute 1% and 0.4% of the total federal budget since the 1970s. Missions fail, lose funding, or fall out of favor between presidencies. But there is one assurance that private investors can take to the bank-innovation in the face of space exploration always pays. "You have to innovate, an...
Trapping qubits inside diamonds, MIT researchers create memory nodes that may unlock quantum computing realm. Quantum computers have the potential to carry out calculations millions of times faster than today's most advanced supercomputers, but this game-changing computing power has yet to be realized due to the fragile nature of qubits, the quantum realm equivalent of the bits that store and transfer data in today's computers. Diamonds, however, could provide the armor that p...
Compile national-scale datasets to assist tri-national critical minerals mapping initiative. Part of a larger collaboration to better understand the critical minerals potential across Australia, Canada, and the United States, the federal geological surveys from the three countries have merged national-scale geological, geophysical, and mineral resource information into a single dataset that is expected to enhance critical mineral discovery. "Geology doesn't stop at the border...
While most leaders in the clean energy sector strongly indicate the concept of solid-state batteries is better, a few hurdles have long held this superior rechargeable battery in the realm of pacemakers and smartwatches, and out of electric vehicles where they are desperately needed. Solid-state technology replaces the liquid electrolyte in lithium batteries with a solid ceramic or polymer material. This increases energy density, stability, and heat resistance. For EV...
Separating your plastics, paper, metals, and food waste has generally been a personal choice throughout most of modern recycling history. However, current demand for resources predicts we won't have enough to support net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Hence, now is the best time for consumers to become educated and self-determined with their buying power, manufacturers to begin considering recycling as part of the initial design, and a new circular economy that resurrects a tr...
Compile national-scale datasets to assist tri-national critical minerals mapping initiative. Part of a larger collaboration to better understand the critical minerals potential across Australia, Canada, and the United States, the federal geological surveys from the three countries have merged national-scale geological, geophysical, and mineral resource information into a single dataset that is expected to enhance critical mineral discovery. "Geology doesn't stop at the border...
Shining a spotlight on a provider of the metals needed for the lithium batteries powering America's clean energy technologies, American Battery Technology Company announced a visit from representatives from the White House. "We are proud to be part of the Nevada community that is at the forefront of working to build the domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain," said American Battery Technology Company CEO Ryan Melsert. Visiting ABTC's facility in Northern Nevada, National...
Two metals, nickel and titanium, come together in a unique alloy that is gaining popularity in new applications, including in outer space. Known as "nitinol," this high-demand metal is prized for its ability to snap back to a heat-trained shape after being pulled, twisted or deformed. Accidentally discovered by metallurgist William Buehler at the Navy Ordinance Laboratories in 1959, nitinol has been used in increasingly sophisticated applications over the years, finding...
U of T researchers begin to compile database for self-printing additive manufacturing. Tapping into the unlimited potential of additive manufacturing, University of Toronto researchers are reevaluating the processes of metal 3D printing to build the framework of a future system where production with printers is completely automated, down to each molecule. Experimenting at the university's first metal 3D printing laboratory, a team led by Professor Yu Zou in the Faculty of...
Hoping to gain insights into processes that would create longer-lasting batteries and lighter vehicles, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington are investigating the effects of physical forces on metals at the atomic level as they undergo shear deformation. Shear deformation occurs when an object changes shape when forces are applied to it but not in the way of just becoming longer or shorter. The PNNL researchers are taking a direct look at changes...
Researchers at Drexel University in Philadelphia have succeeded in using a new method of analysis to peel back the atomic layers of two-dimensional metallic compounds known as MXenes (pronounced max-eens), opening the door to development of a wide range of new materials. Two-dimensional materials are substances with a thickness of a few nanometers or less. Electrons in these materials are free to move in the two-dimensional plane, but their restricted motion in the third...
Coal ash, acid drainage, and tailings for future green economy As the world continues to prime itself for the global energy shift, academia, governments and the private sector are scrambling to extract the valuable minerals and metals necessary to power the low-carbon renewable future – resulting in some truly innovative and unconventional methods. In addition to the rare earths, cobalt, lithium, and other technology metals that capture headline attention, this list often miss...
For years, researchers have sought a viable method for making the common zinc alkaline battery rechargeable. Now, a team of international researchers has developed a technique for doing just that. Prolonged research led the scientists to develop a new electrode design that is set to enable the rechargeability of alkaline zinc, one of the most common types of non-rechargeable batteries used in our daily lives. The technique also sheds light on a potentially wider application of...
Aiming to kick off the Artemis era later this year, NASA is preparing for the first launch of its Space Launch System (SLS) mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft, which will fly without any crew around the Moon and back on a trip lasting between 26 and 42 days. NASA hopes this Artemis 1 mission will be a steppingstone to its next giant goal, landing astronauts at the lunar south pole by the end of 2025. On the morning of March 17, the world's largest set of doors rolled...
The U.S. Department of Energy March 18 announced $30 million in funding to support scientific research of domestic supplies of the critical minerals and metals needed to produce clean energy technologies. Under the Biden administration, and following an executive order signed in February requiring greater coordination among federal agencies on supply chain issues, the Department of Energy has prompted possible funding toward national laboratories, universities, industry, and...
Recently, Phoenix Tailings announced it has become a recipient of the National Science Foundation Phase I Small Business Innovation Research award to continue on breakthrough research and discovery on material separation. America's Seed Fund, powered by the National Science Foundation, awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses to transform scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost...
What are critical minerals, where do we find them, and why are they considered critical? These are among the questions that will be addressed by experts during a two-day virtual workshop hosted by Missouri University of Science and Technology on August 2-3. This "Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals" workshop will provide insight and answers to issues surrounding materials such as cobalt for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, germanium for transistors, tellurium for...