RUB researchers generate electricity rather than biomass with photosynthetic proteins Researchers at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have developed a bio-based solar cell. They embedded the two proteins photosystem 1 and 2, which in plants are responsible of photosynthesis, into complex molecules developed in-house, thus creating an efficient electron current. Headed by Prof Dr Wolfgang Schuhmann […]
Power Electronic Tips
Solar-powered battery woven into fabric overcomes hurdle for ‘wearable electronics’
Though some people already seem inseparable from their smartphones, even more convenient, wearable, solar-powered electronics could be on the way soon, woven into clothing fibers or incorporated into watchbands. This novel battery development, which could usher in a new era of “wearable electronics,” is the topic of a paper in the ACS journal Nano Letters. […]
A superconductor-surrogate earns its stripes
Berkeley Lab study reveals origins of an exotic phase of matter Understanding superconductivity – whereby certain materials can conduct electricity without any loss of energy – has proved to be one of the most persistent problems in modern physics. Scientists have struggled for decades to develop a cohesive theory of superconductivity, largely spurred by the […]
Photos of the Day: Pressure cooking to improve electric car batteries
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (https://www.ucr.edu) — Batteries that power electric cars have problems. They take a long time to charge. The charge doesn’t hold long enough to drive long distances. They don’t allow drivers to quickly accelerate. They are big and bulky. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering have redesigned the component […]
2 for 1 in solar power
Solar cells offer the opportunity to harvest abundant, renewable energy. Although the highest energy light occurs in the ultraviolet and visible spectrum, most solar energy is in the infrared. There is a trade-off in harvesting this light, so that solar cells are efficient in the infrared but waste much of the energy available from the […]
Scientists invent self-healing battery electrode
Researchers have made the first battery electrode that heals itself, opening a new and potentially commercially viable path for making the next generation of lithium ion batteries for electric cars, cell phones and other devices. The secret is a stretchy polymer that coats the electrode, binds it together and spontaneously heals tiny cracks that develop […]
New approach advances wireless power transfer for vehicles
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed new technology and techniques for transmitting power wirelessly from a stationary source to a mobile receiver – moving engineers closer to their goal of creating highway “stations” that can recharge electric vehicles wirelessly as the vehicles drive by. “We’ve made changes to both the receiver and the […]
DC/DC converters provide 6W of output power in a miniature SMT package
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Structure of bacterial nanowire protein hints at secrets of conduction
Electrically conducting bacteria important for energy, environment and technology RICHLAND, Wash. – Tiny electrical wires protrude from some bacteria and contribute to rock and dirt formation. Researchers studying the protein that makes up one such wire have determined the protein’s structure. The finding is important to such diverse fields as producing energy, recycling Earth’s carbon […]
A nano-sized sponge made of electrons
X-rays reveal an unexpected property of widely used nanoparticles A new chapter has been opened in our understanding of the chemical activity of nanoparticles says a team of international scientists. Using the X-ray beams of the European Synchrotron ESRF they showed that the electrons absorbed and released by cerium dioxide nanoparticles during chemical reactions behave […]