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MIT proof-of-concept demo of ionic wind propulsion for aircraft

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MIT researchers have demonstrated that an aircraft with a 5-meter wingspan can sustain steady-level flight using ionic-wind propulsion. The researchers describe their proof of concept for electroaerodynamic (EAD) airplane propulsion in a paper in the journal Nature. The MIT team’s final design resembles a large, lightweight glider.

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Directly-cooled lighter-weight EV motor made with polymer housing

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Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT are working together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT to develop a new cooling concept that will enable polymers to be used as EV electric motor housing materials, thereby reducing the weight of the motor and thus, the EV itself.

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Researchers advance concept of “4-D” printing technology using shape memory polymer fibers

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Dunn of the Singapore University of Technology and Design incorporated shape memory polymer fibers into the composite materials used in conventional 3D printing (additive manufacturing), which results in the production of an object fixed in one shape that can later be changed to take on a new shape. —Martin Dunn. —Martin Dunn.

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3 MIT-led teams win DOE NEUP funding for next-gen nuclear technologies

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Three MIT-led research teams have won awards from the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Programs ( NEUP ) initiative to support research and development on the next generation of nuclear technologies. Fluoride-salt High-Temperature Reactor.

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MIT Energy Initiative announces 2014 seed grant awards

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The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) announced its latest round of seed grants to support early-stage innovative energy projects. These novel materials will unite the well-controlled physical properties of polymers with the promising functional properties of metal-facilitated self-assembly. A total of more than $1.6

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Novel Li-metal electrode design could lead to more powerful solid-state batteries

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Researchers at MIT and their colleagues are proposing a new design for electrodes that, based on the long-sought goal of using pure lithium metal as the anode, could lead to longer-lived batteries with higher energy densities. Thus, the whole solid battery can remain mechanically and chemically stable as it goes through its cycles of use.

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A New Energy-Efficient Hydrogel Pulls Water From Air

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The material is a hydrogel, a polymer network that naturally retains a lot of water. On the absorption side, the advantage comes from immobilizing salt ions in the polymer structure. Yu’s team has developed a new synthetic material to potentially address this key complication.

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