Air pollution is responsible for 550,000 premature deaths a year in Europe and 7 million worldwide, according to the WHO. Measuring it can be a challenge, however, as the equipment tends to be large and expensive. But soon, this may change, thanks to a small, optical nanosensor developed at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, which […]
World’s Fastest Hydrogen Sensor Could Pave the Way for Clean Hydrogen Energy
Hydrogen is a clean and renewable energy carrier that can power vehicles, with water as the only emission. Unfortunately, hydrogen gas is highly flammable when mixed with air, so very efficient and effective sensors are needed. Now, researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, present the first hydrogen sensors ever to meet the future performance […]
Carbon Fiber Can Store Energy in the Body of a Vehicle
A study led by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has shown that carbon fibres can work as battery electrodes, storing energy directly. This opens up new opportunities for structural batteries, where the carbon fibre becomes part of the energy system. The use of this type of multifunctional material can contribute to a significant weight-reduction in […]
Emissions-Free Energy System Saves Heat from the Summer Sun for Winter
A research group from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has made great, rapid strides towards the development of a specially designed molecule which can store solar energy for later use. These advances have been presented in four scientific articles this year, with the most recent being published in the highly ranked journal Energy & Environmental Science. […]
Fibre-Optic Transmission Of 4000 Km Made Possible By Ultra-Low-Noise Optical Amplifiers
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, have demonstrated a 4000 kilometre fibre-optical transmission link using ultra low-noise, phase-sensitive optical amplifiers. This is a reach improvement of almost six times what is possible when using conventional optical amplifiers. The results are published in Nature Communications. Video streaming, cloud storage and […]
Ground-Breaking Discoveries Could Create Superior Alloys With Many Applications
Many current and future technologies require alloys that can withstand high temperatures without corroding. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have hailed a major breakthrough in understanding how alloys behave at high temperatures, pointing the way to significant improvements in many technologies. The results are published in the highly ranked journal Nature Materials. Developing […]
Multiple Lasers Could Be Replaced By A Single Microcomb
Every time we send an e-mail, a tweet, or stream a video, we rely on laser light to transfer digital information over a complex network of optical fibers. Dozens of high-performance lasers are needed to fill up the bandwidth and to squeeze in an increasing amount of digital data. Researchers have now shown that all […]
Advanced Biofuels Can Be Produced Extremely Efficiently
A chance to switch to renewable sources for heating, electricity and fuel, while also providing new opportunities for several industries to produce large numbers of renewable products. This is the verdict of researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, who now, after ten years of energy research into gasification of biomass, see an array of […]
Electric Textile Lights A Lamp When Stretched
Working up a sweat from carrying a heavy load? That is when the textile works at its best. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a fabric that converts kinetic energy into electric power, in cooperation with the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås and the research institute Swerea IVF. The greater the load […]
Untapped Gold Mine is Lost From End-of-Life Vehicles
Vast quantities of scarce metals are being lost from Europe’s urban mine of vehicles, including 20 tons of gold each year—and the proportion of critical metals in vehicles is continuing to increase. A database is now being published that charts the metals and facilitates recycling. On 8 March Maria Ljunggren Söderman, researcher at Chalmers University […]