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New solid polymer electrolyte outperforms Nafion; novel polymer folding

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Researchers, led by a team from the University of Pennsylvania, have used a polymer-folding mechanism to develop a new and versatile kind of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) that currently offers proton conductivity faster than Nafion by a factor of 2, the benchmark for fuel cell membranes. They collaborated with Kenneth B.

Polymer 250
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New polymer membrane efficiently removes carbon dioxide from mixed gases; high permeability and selectivity

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A team of researchers from North Carolina State University, SINTEF in Norway and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, has developed a polymer membrane technology that removes carbon dioxide from mixed gases with both high permeability and high selectivity. A paper on their work is published in the journal Science.

Polymer 186
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Stanford engineers develop catalyst strategy to improve turnover frequencies for CO2 conversion to hydrocarbons by orders of magnitude

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Researchers at Stanford University have shown that porous polymer encapsulation of metal-supported catalysts can drive the selectivity of CO 2 conversion to hydrocarbons. The research team encapsulated a supported Ru/TiO 2 catalyst within the polymer layers of an imine-based porous organic polymer that controls its selectivity.

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Researchers develop shape-memorized current collector to brake battery thermal runaway

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Researchers from Renmin University and Tsinghua University in China have developed a novel shape-memorized current collector (SMCC), which can successfully brake battery thermal runaway at the battery internal overheating status. A paper on their work is published in the ACS journal Nano Letters. At around 197 ?F, 2c03645.

Li-ion 435
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Berkeley Lab, CMU team develops new class of soft, solid electrolytes for dendrite suppression; polymers and ceramics

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Key to the design of these new soft, solid-electrolytes was the use of soft polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs), the pores of which were filled with nanosized ceramic particles. 2020) “Universal chemomechanical design rules for solid-ion conductors to prevent dendrite formation in lithium metal batteries.” Venturi, V.,

Polymer 221
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Low-density graphene-based aerogel can reduce aircraft engine noise up to 80%

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Researchers at the University of Bath have developed a graphene oxide (GO)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aerogel (GPA) weighing just 2.1 The aerogel could be used as insulation within aircraft engines to reduce the 105-decibel roar of a jet engine taking off to a sound closer to that of a hair-dryer. Rapisarda, M.,

Engine 365
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U of I team uses frontal polymerization for rapid energy-efficient manufacturing of polymers; saving 10 orders of magnitude of energy

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Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new polymer-curing process that could reduce the cost, time and energy needed, compared with the current manufacturing process. The resulting polymer and composite parts possess similar mechanical properties to those cured conventionally. —Robertson et al.

Polymer 186