Wrap an electrode material for Li-ion battery into the inner spacing of carbon nanotube

09-May-2018 - Researchers at the Toyohashi University of Technology have demonstrated the electrochemical performance of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) using phosphorus-encapsulated carbon nanotube electrodes, in which red phosphorus with considerable high capacity is introduced into the inner spacing of carbon ...

Chemists develop MRI-like technique to detect what ails batteries

04-May-2018 - A team of chemists has developed an MRI-based technique that can quickly diagnose what ails certain types of batteries--from determining how much charge remains to detecting internal defects--without opening them up. "The use of alternative energy and electrically powered vehicles will further ...

New materials for sustainable, low-cost batteries

02-May-2018 - A new conductor material and a new electrode material could pave the way for inexpensive batteries and therefore the large-scale storage of renewable energies. The energy transition depends on technologies that allow the inexpensive temporary storage of electricity from renewable sources. A ...

Nanowires could make lithium ion batteries safer

26-Apr-2018 - From cell phones and laptops to electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries are the power source that fuels everyday life. But in recent years, they have also drawn attention for catching fire. In an effort to develop a safer battery, scientists report that the addition of nanowires can not only ...

New technology could wean the battery world off cobalt

13-Apr-2018 - Lithium-based batteries use more than 50 percent of all cobalt produced in the world. These batteries are in your cell phone, laptop and maybe even your car. About 50 percent of the world's cobalt comes from the Congo, where it's largely mined by hand, in some instances by children. But now, a ...

Charging ahead to develop better batteries

29-Mar-2018 - Cellphones go dark during important conversations because a battery hasn't been recharged. Or the automotive industry revs up with excitement for a new battery-powered vehicle, but it needs frequent recharging. Or yardwork is delayed because the battery for your string trimmer is ...

Perovskite-based solar cells boosted by potassium

23-Mar-2018 - A simple potassium solution could boost the efficiency of next-generation solar cells, by enabling them to convert more sunlight into electricity. An international team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge found that the addition of potassium iodide 'healed' the defects and ...

Filling lithium-ion cells faster

Neutrons pave the way to accelerated production of lithium-ion cells

22-Mar-2018 - Developers from Bosch and scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are using neutrons to analyze the filling of lithium ion batteries for hybrid cars with electrolytes. Their experiments show that electrodes are wetted twice as fast in a vacuum as under normal pressure. One of the ...

Two better than one

Chemists advance sustainable battery technology

20-Mar-2018 - Utah State University chemists' efforts to develop alternative battery technology solutions are advancing. Tianbiao Liu, assistant professor in USU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and his team reported a new molecular design for aqueous organic redox flow batteries, known as ...

Lithium and Cobalt might not suffice

With the increased significance of lithium-ion batteries, the pressure on the availabiltity of relevant ressources rises

16-Mar-2018 - Lithium and cobalt are fundamental components of present lithium-ion batteries. Analysis by researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) shows that the availability of both elements could become seriously critical. Cobalt-free battery ...