Cars That Think

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

The University of Texas at Austin Many of the materials used to pull humidity from air come with one particular con: If the substance absorbs water easily, it also requires a significant amount of energy to release that water later. The material is a hydrogel, a polymer network that naturally retains a lot of water.

Water 137

Water Energy Austin Polymer 137

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 17, 2020

They replaced the all-copper conductor, middle, with a layer of lightweight polymer coated in ultrathin copper (top right), and embedded fire retardant in the polymer layer to quench flames (bottom right). The research team described their work in Nature Energy today. Yusheng Ye/Stanford University).

Lithium Ion 397

Lithium Ion Polymer Batteries Battery 397

Cars That Think

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Wearable devices, like nearly every other piece of tech, need energy. Fortunately, though, at wearables’ modest power budgets, energy is effectively everywhere. And today, technology is maturing to the point that meaningful amounts of these energy giveaways can be harvested to liberate wearables from ever needing a battery.

Energy 138

Energy Solar Carbon Fiber Universal 138

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

The composite polymer-ceramic solid-state electrolyte enables a four-electron redox process in the lithium-air battery. A lithium-air battery based on lithium oxide (Li 2 O) formation can theoretically deliver an energy density that is comparable to that of gasoline. A paper on their work is published in the journal Science.

Lithium Air 284

Lithium Air Recharge Li-ion Illinois 284

Green Car Congress

MAY 28, 2019

Raising the penetration of renewable —an intermittent—sources of energy into the grid will require large scale electrical energy storage and retrieval. We think biology plays a significant role in creating a sustainable energy infrastructure. —Farshid Salimijazi, first author.

Energy Storage 274

Energy Storage Engine Energy Polymer 274

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 14, 2020

UC Riverside (UCR) engineers have developed a way to recycle PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic waste, such as soda or water bottles, into a nanomaterial useful for energy storage. An open-access paper on the work is published in the journal Energy Storage. Mihri Ozkan & Cengiz Ozkan/UCR).

Energy Storage 476

Energy Storage Li-ion Waste Lithium Ion 476

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 17, 2013

Top: The stress of repeated swelling and shrinking shatters a conventional silicon electrode and its polymer binding. Bottom: An electrode coated with stretchy, self-healing polymer remains intact. (C. To make the self-healing coating, the scientists deliberately weakened some of the chemical bonds within polymers. Wang et al.,

Li-ion 230

Li-ion Polymer Batteries Battery 230

Green Car Congress

JUNE 15, 2016

Using particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), the researchers created a biocatalytic polymer material that converts methane to methanol. The enzymes retain up to 100% activity in the polymer construct. Remarkably, the enzymes retain up to 100 percent activity in the polymer. a) Schematic of PEG-pMMO hydrogel fabrication.

Polymer 150

Polymer Convert Conversion Gas 150

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 17, 2013

A composite blend of carbon fibers and polymer resin is being developed that can store and charge more energy faster than conventional batteries can. The material combines carbon fibers and a polymer resin, creating a very advanced nanomaterial, and structural supercapacitors. Click to enlarge. Click to enlarge.

Energy Storage 368

Energy Storage Volvo Carbon Fiber Energy 368

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 7, 2016

and the University of Surrey, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, have developed new, crosslinked gel-matrix polymer electrolytes exhibiting measured capacitance values more than 100 times those of conventional electrolytes. These methods work because the energy density is proportional to the capacitance and operating voltages.…

Energy 150

Energy Polymer Batteries Battery 150

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Upon completion of the project, Kinder Morgan’s Harvey, Louisiana facility will serve as the primary hub where Neste will store a variety of raw materials including, for example, the used cooking oil it collects from more than 40,000 restaurants across the United States. At Neste’s option, the facility can be further expanded.

Renewable 320

Renewable Fuel San Francisco Polymer 320

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 25, 2012

Researchers at North Carolina State University have identified the origin of the nonlinear dielectric response and high energy density of polyvinylidene-fluoride-based (PVDF) polymers enabling capacitors to store and release large amounts of energy quickly. —Vivek Ranjan. Resources. Buongiorno Nardelli and J.

Energy Storage 207

Energy Storage Energy Polymer North Carolina 207

Green Car Congress

MARCH 23, 2021

The new structural battery, which is described in an open-access paper in the journal Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research , features an energy density of 24?Wh?kg The carbon fiber acts as a host for the lithium and thus stores the energy. Further, lower energy density also results in increased safety.

Carbon Fiber 416

Carbon Fiber Batteries Battery Lithium Ion 416

Green Car Congress

MARCH 22, 2011

Researchers at Case Western University have developed catalysts made of carbon nanotubes dipped in a polymer solution that equal the energy output and otherwise outperform platinum catalysts in fuel cells. Testing showed the doped tubes tripled the energy output of platinum. Credit: ACS, Wang et al. Click to enlarge.

Polymer 270

Polymer Carbon Fuel Hydrogen 270

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

At left, a traditional approach combines Si (blue spheres) with a polymer binder (light brown) plus carbon (dark brown spheres). At right, the new conductive polymer (purple) continues to bind tightly to the Si particles despite repeated swelling and shrinking. 1 in Si after 650 cycles without any conductive additive. —Gao Liu.

Polymer 199

Polymer Li-ion Lithium Ion Batteries 199

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

million research center, led by Michigan Engineering and funded by the US Department of Energy, will focus on understanding an emerging branch of science involving mechanical and chemical phenomena that affect advanced battery designs. Those include long-duration energy storage and hydrogen fuel cells.

Lithium Ion 199

Lithium Ion Energy Storage Michigan Universal 199

CleanTechnica EVs

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

They’re literally what allows the vehicle to store energy and go anywhere. But, there’s a little polymer part of each battery cell with a vitally-important role to […]. When it comes to EVs, battery cells are a huge deal.

GM 98

GM Batteries Battery Polymer 98

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

(a) Chemical structure of the PEDT:PSSH polymer blend. (b) When sandwiched between and charged by two metal plates, the membrane can store charge at 0.2 They reported on their work in a paper published earlier this summer in the Journal of Polymer Science Part B. The polymer membrane includes PSSH (poly(styrene sulfonic acid)).

Energy Storage 259

Energy Storage Singapore Universal Polymer 259

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

Williams Advanced Engineering, the engineering services and technology business of the Williams Group, has entered a partnership agreement with XALT Energy , supplier of the lithium-ion cells for the Williams’ battery in the Formula E racing series. Gravimetric and volumetric densities of XALT Energy’s current line of Li-polymer cells.

Li-ion 231

Li-ion Engine Lithium Ion Energy 231

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 19, 2018

A team of researchers led by scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have designed an active polyelectrolyte binder (PEB) that actively regulates key ion transport processes within a lithium-sulfur battery, and have also shown how it functions on a molecular level. Click to enlarge.

Lithium Sulfur 199

Lithium Sulfur Polymer Design Li-ion 199

Green Car Congress

MARCH 12, 2010

Sketch of the Sn/C/CGPE/ Li 2 S/C polymer battery. The battery is formed by a Sn/C composite anode, a PEO-based gel polymer electrolyte, and a Li 2 S/C cathode. Hassoun and Scrosati also replaced the common liquid organic solutions with a gel-type polymer membrane. PEO=poly(ethylene oxide). Credit: Hassoun and Scrosati.

Lithium Ion 220

Lithium Ion Polymer Lithium Sulfur Li-ion 220

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 24, 2016

Described in a paper published in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science , the smart membrane separator could enable the design of a new category of rechargeable/refillable energy storage devices with high energy density and specific power that would overcome the contemporary limitations of electric vehicles.

Energy Storage 150

Energy Storage Energy Power Powered 150

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

As part of its new IONICS (Integration and Optimization of Novel Ion Conducting Solids) program awards ( earlier post ), the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) awarded $3.5 Using thick electrodes, the cell also stores more energy, bettering the performance of the battery as well as its cost.

Li-ion 150

Li-ion Lithium Ion Energy Polymer 150

Green Car Congress

JUNE 29, 2022

Hoeller Electrolyzer, based in Wismar, Germany, is an early-stage technology company that is developing highly efficient polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) stacks, under the brand name Prometheus, for the cost-effective production of hydrogen. Rolls-Royce’s first mtu electrolyzer will go into demonstrator operation in 2023.

Hydrogen 369

Hydrogen Polymer Production 2016 369

Green Car Reports

DECEMBER 8, 2016

Significant research is going into improved ways of storing electricity, including alternatives to the currently dominant lithium-ion battery-cell chemistry in electric cars. Engineers are nothing if not creative. That includes using supercapacitors to substitute for storage batteries in some circumstances.

Polymer 60

Polymer Lithium Ion Energy Store 60

Green Car Congress

JUNE 13, 2019

The SLMA consists of lithium microparticles evenly distributed in a dual-conductive polymer matrix. However, researchers have found that the contact between the ceramic electrolyte and a solid lithium anode is insufficient for storing and supplying the amount of power needed for most electronics. 2019.05.022.

Polymer 255

Polymer Recharge Energy Storage Sodium 255

Green Car Congress

JUNE 27, 2014

Scientists at USC have developed a novel water-based Organic Redox Flow Battery (ORBAT) for lower cost, long lasting large-scale energy storage. Since grid-scale electrical energy storage requires hundreds of gigawatt-hours to be stored, the batteries for this application must be inexpensive, robust, safe and sustainable.

Energy Storage 290

Energy Storage Energy Batteries Battery 290

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 17, 2016

The Solar Impulse 2 —the solar airplane that recently completed a round-the-world flight— used batteries from Kokam, based on that company’s advanced Ultra High Energy Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Oxide (Ultra High Energy NMC) technology. The Solar Impulse uses four 38.5

Solar 150

Solar Energy Batteries Battery 150

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 13, 2021

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding an additional $47 million in funding for seven projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program. 24M Technologies, Inc.

Li-ion 199

Li-ion Batteries Battery Polymer 199

Green Car Congress

APRIL 17, 2015

ITM Power won a competitive tender to supply an integrated hydrogen system for use at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) tidal test site on Eday, Orkney, Scotland. The system’s principal component is a 0.5MW polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer with integrated compression and up to 500 kg of storage.

Energy Storage 150

Energy Storage Power Powered Energy 150

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 5, 2010

Researchers from Imperial College London and their European partners, including Volvo Car Corporation, are developing a prototype multifunctional structural composite material composed of carbon fibers and a polymer resin which can store and discharge electrical energy and which is also strong and lightweight enough to be used for car parts.

Energy Storage 225

Energy Storage Energy Polymer Carbon Fiber 225

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 26, 2011

Cella Energy, developer of a novel hydrogen storage technology ( earlier post ), was named the UK winner for the Shell Springboard Awards 2011. Cella Energy’s invention uses nanotechnology to store hydrogen safely in tiny micro-beads (smaller than a grain of sand) which then release hydrogen when heated.

2011 218

2011 Hydrogen Energy Polymer 218

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

A new study, led by academics at St John’s College, University of Cambridge, has used semi-artificial photosynthesis to explore new ways to produce and store solar energy. Natural photosynthesis stores sunlight in chemical energy carriers, but it has not evolved for the efficient synthesis of fuels, such as H 2.

Water 210

Water Solar Store Hydrogen 210

Green Car Congress

JUNE 7, 2019

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden have developed a new battery cell production process that coats the electrodes of the energy storage cells with a dry film instead of liquid chemicals. This simplified process saves energy and eliminates toxic solvents. © Fraunhofer IWS.

Low Cost 339

Low Cost Production Energy Storage Polymer 339

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 2, 2021

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $42.3-million million funding opportunity ( DOE-FOA-0002553 ) to support manufacturing innovations for high performance clean energy technologies to drive economy-wide reductions in carbon emissions, including: Topic area 1: Manufacturing Process Innovation.

Manufacturer 186

Manufacturer Li-ion Lithium Ion Batteries 186

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 5, 2022

Using an inexpensive polymer called melamine, researchers from UC Berkeley, Texas A&M and Stanford have created a cheap, easy and energy-efficient way to capture carbon dioxide from smokestacks. The energy savings come from not having to heat the substance to high temperatures. Haiyan Mao et al.

Low Cost 243

Low Cost Carbon Texas Cheap 243

Baua Electric

MAY 18, 2024

Hydrogen case study at Anglo American mine; via NPROXX Argonne National Laboratory is building a new research and development facility to independently test large-scale hydrogen fuel cell systems for heavy-duty and off-road applications with funding from the US Department of Energy.

Hydrogen 52

Hydrogen Vehicles Mariner Polymer 52