Lithium-ion batteries are common in consumer electronics. They are one of the most popular types of rechargeable batteries for portable electronics, with a high energy density, no memory effect and only a slow loss of charge when not in use. Beyond consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries have also grown in popularity for military, electric vehicle and […]
NTU unveils Singapore’s first 3-D printed concept car
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students have built Singapore’s first urban solar electric car with an innovative 3D-printed body shell that has 150 parts. Mounted on a carbon fibre single shell chassis, the NTU Venture (NV) 8 will race in the Urban Concept category at this year’s Shell Eco-marathon Asia. NTU students have also built the […]
China takes over lead from Europe in 2013 photovoltaic installations
A booming photovoltaic market in Asia has propelled China to a global leader in photovoltaic energy installations in 2013, according to the latest edition of the JRC’s PV Status Report. The EU has retained its domination in cumulative installed capacity – its total of 80.7 GW represents a 57 % share of the world’s 140 […]
LED light bulbs that don’t require rare earth elements
The phase-out of traditional incandescent bulbs in the U.S. and elsewhere, as well as a growing interest in energy efficiency, has given LED lighting a sales boost. However, that trend could be short-lived as key materials known as rare earth elements become more expensive. Scientists have now designed new materials for making household LED bulbs […]
New software for Google Glass provides captions for hard-of-hearing users
A team of Georgia Institute of Technology researchers has created speech-to-text software for Google Glass that helps hard-of-hearing users with everyday conversations. A hard-of-hearing person wears Glass while a second person speaks directly into a smartphone. The speech is converted to text, sent to Glass and displayed on its heads-up display see a video demo. […]
Penn research helps uncover mechanism behind solid-solid phase transitions
Two solids made of the same elements but with different geometric arrangements of the atoms, or crystal phases, can produce materials with different properties. Coal and diamond offer a spectacular example of this effect. While it is well known that one crystal phase can transform into another under the right circumstances, the mechanisms that facilitate […]
Cells simply avoid chromosome confusion
Reproductive cell division has evolved a simple, mechanical solution to avoid chromosome sorting errors, researchers report in the Sept. 11 Science Express. This natural safeguard prevents incorrect chromosome counts and misalignments that lead to infertility, miscarriage, or congenital conditions. “Mistakes during reproductive cell division cause these problems, but what exactly goes wrong is often not […]
A breakthrough with innovative multifunction membranes
A young startup at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has developed a first-of-its-kind multifunction water filtration membrane. With its expected cost savings and superior performance, the new invention has the potential to render current membranes in the water industry obsolete. This made-in-NTU membrane lasts twice as long when compared to conventional membranes, is highly resistant to […]
SF funds new method for making materials that can make lighter, more efficient vehicles
Diana Lados, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and founding director of the university’s Integrative Materials Design Center (iMdc), has received a three-year, $424,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the development of a new way to manufacture metal-ceramic composites, which can be used to make vehicles lighter […]
National Renewable Energy Laboratory updates cetane data used for development of energy efficient fuels and engines
The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a long-anticipated update to the source-of-record for cetane number data. This information is vital to the development of new, energy-efficient, low-carbon fuels and compatible engines. Researchers, as well as members of the engine, vehicle, and fuel industries, rely on these numbers to target compounds for […]
