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Categories: Ecology: Research, Energy: Technology
Published New invention: The oxygen-ion battery
(via sciencedaily.com) An oxygen-ion-battery has been invented, based on ceramic materials. If it degrades, it can be regenerated, therefore it potentially has an extremely long lifespan. Also, it does not require any rare elements and it is incombustible. For large energy storage systems, this could be an optimal solution.
Published Cracking the concrete code
(via sciencedaily.com) New research introduces metamaterial concrete for the development of smart civil infrastructure systems. Researchers present a new concept for lightweight and mechanically-tunable concrete systems that have integrated energy harvesting and sensing functionality.
Published Synthesis gas and battery power from sunlight energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Plants use photosynthesis to harvest energy from sunlight. Now researchers have applied this principle as the basis for developing new sustainable processes which in the future may produce syngas (synthetic gas) for the large-scale chemical industry and be able to charge batteries.
Published 'Y-ball' compound yields quantum secrets
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists investigating a compound called 'Y-ball' -- which belongs to a mysterious class of 'strange metals' viewed as centrally important to next-generation quantum materials -- have found new ways to probe and understand its behavior.
Published High-energy-density, long life-cycle rechargeable lithium metal batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Research shows promise for developing high-energy-density rechargeable lithium-metal batteries and addressing the electrochemical oxidation instability of ether-based electrolytes.
Published Biodiversity amid climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Fewer parasites in U.S. waters might be seen by many as a good thing, but a biologist says the trend signals potential danger for fish and other wildlife.
Published 'Green' hydrogen: How photoelectrochemical water splitting may become competitive
(via sciencedaily.com) Sunlight can be used to produce green hydrogen directly from water in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. So far, most systems based on this 'direct approach' have not been energetically competitive. However, the balance changes as soon as some of the hydrogen in such PEC cells is used in-situ for a catalytic hydrogenation reaction, resulting in the co-production of chemicals used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The energy payback time of photoelectrochemical 'green' hydrogen production can be reduced dramatically, the study shows.
Published Coffee plantations limit birds' diets
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study explores a record of birds' diets preserved in their feathers and radio tracking of their movements to find that birds eat far fewer invertebrates in coffee plantations than in forests, suggesting that the disturbance of their ecosystem significantly impacts the birds' dietary options.
Published Researchers create breakthrough spintronics manufacturing process that could revolutionize the electronics industry
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a breakthrough process for making spintronic devices that has the potential to create semiconductors chips with unmatched energy efficiency and storage for use in computers, smartphones, and many other electronics.
Published How fishermen benefit from reversing evolution of cod
(via sciencedaily.com) Intense fishing and over-exploitation have led to evolutionary changes in fish stocks like cod, reducing both their productivity and value on the market. These changes can be reversed by more sustainable and far-sighted fisheries management. A new study shows that reversal of evolutionary change would only slightly reduce the profit of fishing, but would help regain and conserve natural genetic diversity.
Published Bigger flowers, greater rewards: Plants adapt to climate disruptions to lure pollinators
(via sciencedaily.com) There's been a well-documented shift toward earlier springtime flowering in many plants as the world warms. The trend alarms biologists because it has the potential to disrupt carefully choreographed interactions between plants and the creatures -- butterflies, bees, birds, bats and others -- that pollinate them.
Published Minimizing electric vehicles' impact on the grid
(via sciencedaily.com) Some projections show that widespread adoption of electric vehicles might require costly new power plants to meet peak loads in the evening. A new study shows that placing EV charging stations strategic ways and setting up systems to initiate charging at delayed times could lessen or eliminate the need for new power plants.
Published Propeller advance paves way for quiet, efficient electric aviation
(via sciencedaily.com) Electrification is seen as having an important role to play in the fossil-free aviation of tomorrow. But electric aviation is battling a trade-off dilemma: the more energy-efficient an electric aircraft is, the noisier it gets. Now, researchers have developed a propeller design optimization method that paves the way for quiet, efficient electric aviation.
Published Game-changing high-performance semiconductor material could help slash heat emissions
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have engineered a material with the potential to dramatically cut the amount of heat power plants release into the atmosphere.
Published Researchers develop soft robot that shifts from land to sea with ease
(via sciencedaily.com) Most animals can quickly transition from walking to jumping to crawling to swimming if needed without reconfiguring or making major adjustments. Most robots cannot. But researchers have now created soft robots that can seamlessly shift from walking to swimming, for example, or crawling to rolling using a bistable actuator made of 3D-printed soft rubber containing shape-memory alloy springs that react to electrical currents by contracting, which causes the actuator to bend. The team used this bistable motion to change the actuator or robot's shape. Once the robot changes shape, it is stable until another electrical charge morphs it back to its previous configuration.
Published Swan populations grow 30 times faster in nature reserves
(via sciencedaily.com) Populations of whooper swans grow 30 times faster inside nature reserves, new research shows.
Published Are piezoelectrics good for generating electricity? Perhaps, but we must decide how to evaluate them
(via sciencedaily.com) A 'best practice' protocol for researchers developing piezoelectric materials has been developed by scientists. The protocol was developed by an international team led by physicists in response to findings that experimental reports lack consistency. The researchers made the shocking discovery that nine out of 10 scientific papers miss experimental information that is crucial to ensure the reproducibility of the reported work.
Published Study shows how biodiversity of coral reefs around the world changes with depth
(via sciencedaily.com) Dramatic differences between shallow and mesophotic reefs stress the importance of studying--and conserving--these vital ecosystems along their entire depth gradient.
Published 3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries revealed
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have pioneered a technique to observe the 3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries. This opens up a wide range of areas for the new technique from energy storage and chemical engineering to biomedical applications.
Published Experiment unlocks bizarre properties of strange metals
(via sciencedaily.com) Physicists are learning more about the bizarre behavior of 'strange metals,' which operate outside the normal rules of electricity.