Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

US Navy Growler jet noise over Whidbey Island could impact 74,000 people's health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As often as four days a week, Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island fly loops overhead as pilots practice touch-and-go landings. The noise is immense. New research shows that the noise isn't just disruptive -- it presents a substantial risk to public health.

Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries
Published

Disorder improves battery life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What determines the cycle life of batteries? And, more importantly, how can we extend it? An international research team has discovered that local disorder in the oxide cathode material increases the number of times Li-ion batteries can be charged and discharged.

Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

This sound-suppressing silk can create quiet spaces      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers developed a silk fabric, which is barely thicker than a human hair, that can suppress unwanted noise and reduce noise transmission in a large room.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Mathematics: Modeling Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Why getting in touch with our 'gerbil brain' could help machines listen better      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have debunked a 75-year-old theory about how humans determine where sounds are coming from, and it could unlock the secret to creating a next generation of more adaptable and efficient hearing devices ranging from hearing aids to smartphones.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Physics: General
Published

Cost-effective, high-capacity, and cyclable lithium-ion battery cathodes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Charge-recharge cycling of lithium-superrich iron oxide, a cost-effective and high-capacity cathode for new-generation lithium-ion batteries, can be greatly improved by doping with readily available mineral elements.

Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology
Published

How electric vehicle drivers can escape range anxiety      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Two of the biggest challenges faced by new and potential electric vehicle (EV) drivers are range anxiety and speed of charging, but these shouldn't have to be challenges at all. Researchers discovered that a change in refueling mindset, rather than improving the size or performance of the battery, could be the answer to these concerns.

Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

This salt battery harvests osmotic energy where the river meets the sea      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Estuaries -- where freshwater rivers meet the salty sea -- are great locations for birdwatching and kayaking. In these areas, waters containing different salt concentrations mix and may be sources of sustainable, 'blue' osmotic energy. Researchers report creating a semipermeable membrane that harvests osmotic energy from salt gradients and converts it to electricity. The new design had an output power density more than two times higher than commercial membranes in lab demonstrations.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Engineering: Graphene
Published

More economical and sustainable rechargeable batteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lithium salts make batteries powerful but expensive. An ultralow-concentration electrolyte based on the lithium salt LiDFOB may be a more economical and more sustainable alternative. Cells using these electrolytes and conventional electrodes have been demonstrated to have high performance. In addition, the electrolyte could facilitate both production and recycling of the batteries.

Energy: Batteries Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

The biggest barrier to a vibrant second-hand EV market? Price      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As early adopters of electric vehicles (EVs) trade up for the latest models, the used EV market is beginning to mature in the United States. Yet many potential buyers, particularly low-income drivers, are skeptical of EV's conveniences and are put off by the price.

Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology
Published

Mess is best: Disordered structure of battery-like devices improves performance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The energy density of supercapacitors -- battery-like devices that can charge in seconds or a few minutes -- can be improved by increasing the 'messiness' of their internal structure. Researchers used experimental and computer modelling techniques to study the porous carbon electrodes used in supercapacitors. They found that electrodes with a more disordered chemical structure stored far more energy than electrodes with a highly ordered structure.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Data-driven music: Converting climate measurements into music      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A geo-environmental scientist from Japan has composed a string quartet using sonified climate data. The 6-minute-long composition -- entitled 'String Quartet No. 1 'Polar Energy Budget'-- is based on over 30 years of satellite-collected climate data from the Arctic and Antarctic and aims to garner attention on how climate is driven by the input and output of energy at the poles.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Neutrons rule the roost for cage-free lithium ions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists using neutrons set the first benchmark (one nanosecond) for a polymer-electrolyte and lithium-salt mixture. Findings could boost power and safety for lithium batteries.

Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Pyrite, also known as fool's gold, may contain valuable lithium, a key element for green energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The technology revolution and development of new renewable energy resources is driving demand for lithium to new heights, but it is not a common mineral. Scientists say they have found lithium in an unexpected place; fool's gold, or pyrite, deposits.

Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries
Published

Discovery brings all-solid-state sodium batteries closer to practical use      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a mass synthesis process for sodium-containing sulfides. Mass synthesis of electrolytes with high conductivity and formability is key to the practical use of all-solid-state sodium batteries, thought to be safer than lithium-ion batteries and less expensive, as sodium is far more plentiful than lithium.

Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology
Published

BESSY II: How pulsed charging enhances the service time of batteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An improved charging protocol might help lithium-ion batteries to last much longer. Charging with a high-frequency pulsed current reduces aging effects, an international team demonstrated.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology
Published

Drawing inspiration from plants: A metal-air paper battery for wearable devices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Drawing inspiration from the way plants breathe, a group of researchers has created a paper-based magnesium-air battery that can be used in GPS sensors or pulse oximeter sensors. Taking advantage of paper's recyclability and lightweight nature, the engineered battery holds promise for a more environmentally friendly source of energy.

Chemistry: General Energy: Batteries Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Unleashing disordered rocksalt oxides as cathodes for rechargeable magnesium batteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have made a groundbreaking advancement in battery technology, developing a novel cathode material for rechargeable magnesium batteries that enables efficient charging and discharging even at low temperatures.

Energy: Batteries
Published

New materials discovered for safe, high-performance solid-state lithium-ion batteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries offer enhanced safety and energy density compared to liquid electrolyte counterparts, but face challenges like lower conductivity and insufficient electrode contact. In a recent study, scientists have discovered a stable, highly conductive lithium-ion conductor in the form of a pyrochlore-type oxyfluoride. This innovation addresses the need for non-sulfide solid electrolytes, offering higher conductivity and stability and paves the way for advanced all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries with improved performance and safety.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Are high-purity cathode materials truly necessary?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers introduce a groundbreaking alternative to reduce secondary battery costs.