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Argonne National Labs Ramping Up Lithium-Air Research and Development; Li-ion as EV Bridge Technology

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Argonne National Laboratory, which has contributed heavily to the research and development of Li-ion battery technology, is now pursuing research into Lithium-air batteries. Li-air batteries use a catalytic air cathode that converts oxygen to lithium peroxide; an electrolyte; and a lithium anode.

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New nanolithia cathodes may address technical drawbacks of Li-air batteries; scalable, cheap and safer Li-air battery system

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An international team from MIT, Argonne National Laboratory and Peking University has demonstrated a lab-scale proof-of-concept of a new type of cathode for Li-air batteries that could overcome the current drawbacks to the technology, including a high potential gap (>1.2 V) V in O 2 (gas) → O x− (condensed phase), and η charging > 1.1

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NSF to award up to $13M for fundamental work on sustainable production of electricity and transportation fuels

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Processes for sustainable energy production must be environmentally benign, reduce greenhouse gas production, and utilize renewable resources. Solar photovoltaic (PV) devices harvest and convert sunlight directly to electricity. The duration of unsolicited awards is typically three years. Photovoltaic Solar Energy.

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3 winners of DOE’s “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” Challenge: hydrogen-assisted lean-burn engines, graphene for Li-air and -sulfur batteries, and titanium process

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The plasma reformer, installed into the engine compartment, convert fuel into hydrogen. Vorbeck Materials , a startup company based in Jessup, Maryland, is using a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)-developed method for developing graphene for better lithium air and lithium sulfur batteries.

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ARPA-E Selects 37 Projects for $106M in Funding in Second Round; Electrofuels, Better Batteries and Carbon Capture

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Today’s technologies for making biofuels all rely on photosynthesis—either indirectly by converting plants to fuels or directly by harnessing photosynthetic organisms such as algae. This process is less than 1% efficient at converting sunlight to stored chemical energy. Electrofuels: Biofuels from Electricity. Engineering E.

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Researchers Develop Lithium-Water Electrochemical Cell for the Controlled Generation of H2 and Electricity

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One compartment contains a metallic lithium electrode (anode) in an organic solvent (1m LiClO 4 in ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate), while the other contains an aqueous electrolyte solution (LiNO 3 /H 2 O) with a carbon-based hydrogen generation electrode (cathode). Simultaneously, hydrogen gas is generated on the cathode.

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GWU researchers introduce new class of molten air batteries; significantly greater energy capacity than Li-air

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These are the iron, carbon and VB 2 molten air batteries with respective intrinsic volumetric energy capacities of 10,000 (for Fe to Fe(III)); 19,000 (C to CO 3 2- ) and 27,000 Wh liter -1 (VB 2 to B 2 O 3 + V 2 O 5 ), compared to 6,200 Wh liter -1 for the lithium-air battery. Earlier post.] —Licht et al.

Energy 309