Like toddlers, robots can use a little help as they learn to function in the physical world. That’s the purpose of a Rice University program that gently guides robots toward the most helpful, human-like ways to collaborate on tasks. Rice engineer Marcia O’Malley and graduate student Dylan Losey have refined their method to train robots […]
Microscopic Defects Make Lithium-Ion Batteries Better
High-performance electrodes for lithium-ion batteries can be improved by paying closer attention to their defects — and capitalizing on them, according to Rice University scientists. Rice materials scientist Ming Tang and chemists Song Jin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Linsen Li at Wisconsin and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology led a study that combined […]
Nanotube Fiber Antennas As Capable As Copper
Fibers made of carbon nanotubes configured as wireless antennas can be as good as copper antennas but 20 times lighter, according to Rice University researchers. The antennas may offer practical advantages for aerospace applications and wearable electronics where weight and flexibility are factors. The research appears in Applied Physics Letters. The discovery offers more potential applications […]
Microfluidics Probe ‘Cholesterol’ of the Oil Industry
It sounds cliché, but things do get worse before they get better when oil and gas lines are being cleared of contaminants, according to Rice University researchers. Until now, nobody knew exactly why. Asphaltene is a complex of hydrocarbon molecules found in crude oil. It is the source of valuable asphalt and can also be […]
Asphalt Helps Lithium Batteries Charge Faster
A touch of asphalt may be the secret to high-capacity lithium metal batteries that charge 10 to 20 times faster than commercial lithium-ion batteries, according to Rice University scientists. The Rice lab of chemist James Tour developed anodes comprising porous carbon made from asphalt that showed exceptional stability after more than 500 charge-discharge cycles. A […]
Two Sides To This Energy Story
Rice University chemists have produced a catalyst based on laser-induced graphene that splits water into hydrogen on one side and oxygen on the other side. They said the inexpensive material may be a practical component in generating the hydrogen for use in future fuel cells. The easily fabricated material developed by the Rice lab of […]
Creating Lithium-Ion Batteries for Extreme Environments
Lithium-ion batteries are popular power sources for cellphones and other electronics, but problematic in extreme heat or cold. A Rice University laboratory has suggested ways to extend their range. Rice materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan and members of his lab have published a review that analyzes recent progress in lithium-ion technology and suggests how to make […]
Rice U. Scientists Map Ways Forward For Lithium-Ion Batteries For Extreme Environments
Lithium-ion batteries are popular power sources for cellphones and other electronics, but problematic in extreme heat or cold. A Rice University laboratory has suggested ways to extend their range. Rice materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan and members of his lab have published a review that analyzes recent progress in lithium-ion technology and suggests how to make […]
Rice U Professor Developing Plasmon-Powered Devices For Medicine, Security, Solar Cells
A Rice University professor’s method to “upconvert” light could make solar cells more efficient and disease-targeting nanoparticles more effective. Experiments led by Gururaj Naik, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, combined plasmonic metals and semiconducting quantum wells to boost the frequency of light, changing its color. In a nanoscale prototype Naik developed as […]
Fluorine Grants White Graphene New Powers
A little fluorine turns an insulating ceramic known as white graphene into a wide-bandgap semiconductor with magnetic properties. Rice University scientists said that could make the unique material suitable for electronics in extreme environments. A proof-of-concept paper from Rice researchers demonstrates a way to turn two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) — aka white graphene — […]