New anode for aqueous batteries allows use of cheap, plentiful seawater as an electrolyte

13-Jan-2021

Lithium-ion batteries are critical for modern life, from powering our laptops and cell phones to those new holiday toys. But there is a safety risk - the batteries can catch fire. Zinc-based aqueous batteries avoid the fire hazard by using a water-based electrolyte instead of the conventional ...

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Model predicts promising new materials

23-Dec-2020

Superhard materials are in high demand in industry, from energy production to aerospace, but finding suitable new materials has largely been a matter of trial and error based on classical materials such as diamonds. Until now. Researchers from the University of Houston and Manhattan College have ...

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New cathode, electrolyte allow high-power battery previously considered impossible

04-Dec-2020

Magnesium batteries have long been considered a potentially safer and less expensive alternative to lithium-ion batteries, but previous versions have been severely limited in the power they delivered. Researchers from the University of Houston and the Toyota Research Institute of North America ...

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26-Oct-2020

Converting heat into electricity is a property thought to be reserved only for stiff materials like crystals. However, researchers--inspired by the infrared (IR) vision of snakes--developed a mathematical model for converting soft, organic structures into so-called "pyroelectric" materials. The ...

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The nanofluid is made from commercially available sodium using household blender

15-Sep-2020

Researchers from the University of Houston have demonstrated that an inexpensive and non-toxic nanofluid can be used to efficiently recover even heavy oil with high viscosity from reservoirs. The nanofluid, made in a common household blender using commercially available sodium, allowed for ...

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13-Nov-2019

Seawater is one of the most abundant resources on earth, offering promise both as a source of hydrogen - desirable as a source of clean energy - and of drinking water in arid climates. But even as water-splitting technologies capable of producing hydrogen from freshwater have become more ...

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Organic cathode offers more reliable contact with electrolyte, a key to stability

24-Apr-2019

Solid-state sodium-ion batteries are far safer than conventional lithium-ion batteries, which pose a risk of fire and explosions, but their performance has been too weak to offset the safety advantages. Researchers reported developing an organic cathode that dramatically improves both stability ...

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Can detect levels below EPA standards

28-Sep-2018

The discovery of lead in Flint, Michigan's drinking water drew renewed attention to the health risks posed by the metal. Now researchers at the University of Houston have created an inexpensive system using a smartphone and a lens made with an inkjet printer that can detect lead in tap water at ...

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23-Apr-2018

If Star Wars' R2-D2 is your idea of a robot, think again. Researchers led by a University of Houston engineer have reported a new class of soft robot, composed of ultrathin sensing, actuating electronics and temperature-sensitive artificial muscle that can adapt to the environment and crawl, ...

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23-Mar-2018

Hydrogen holds promise as an inexpensive form of clean energy, but finding an efficient and affordable way to produce the fuel from water - a technique known as water-splitting - remains a key scientific challenge. A researcher from the University of Houston is working with a colleague in Taiwan ...

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