Fuel Cells News

August 25, 2016

Converting Carbon Dioxide Gas Into Fuel

New Class of Cheap Flexible Fuel Cells

Down to the Wire: GM Bacteria Carry Electricity

CO2 Converted to Produce Electricity

Latest Headlines

updated 10:45pm EDT

An Effective and Low-Cost Solution for Storing Solar Energy

Aug. 25, 2016 — Solar energy can be stored by converting it into hydrogen. But current methods are too expensive and don't last long. Using commercially available solar cells and none of the ... read more

Glass: Engineer Discovers a High-Speed Nano-Avalanche

Aug. 24, 2016 — Researchers have new findings on the process involving transformations in glass that occur under intense electrical and thermal conditions. New understanding of these ... read more

Stretchy Supercapacitors Power Wearable Electronics

Aug. 23, 2016 — A future of soft robots or smart T-shirts may depend on the development of stretchy power sources. But traditional batteries are thick and rigid -- not ideal properties for ... read more

Researchers Reduce Expensive Noble Metals for Fuel Cell Reactions

Aug. 22, 2016 — Researchers have developed a novel nanomaterial that could improve the performance and lower the costs of fuel cells by using fewer precious metals like platinum ... read more

Solid Batteries Improve Safety

Aug. 16, 2016 — A new lithium-ion battery made entirely of solid material has been developed by scientists. They report that it contains neither liquids nor gels. The battery cannot ignite, ... read more

Simulating Complex Catalysts Key to Making Cheap, Powerful Fuel Cells

Aug. 9, 2016 — Using a unique combination of advanced computational methods, chemical engineers have demystified some of the complex catalytic chemistry in fuel cells -- an advance that ... read more

Synthetic Biology: Engineering a Chemical Switch Into a Light-Driven Proton Pump

Aug. 9, 2016 — Synthetic biology is an emerging and rapidly evolving engineering discipline. Now scientists have engineered a chemically ... read more

Strategies Needed for Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Aug. 9, 2016 — Solutions including electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, vehicle connectivity, and automation are ... read more

Lithium-Ion Batteries: Capacity Might Be Increased by Six Times

Aug. 8, 2016 — The capacity of lithium-ion batteries might be increased by six times by using anodes made of silicon instead of graphite. Researchers have observed for the first time in ... read more

Using Nanotechnology to Give Fuel Cells More Oomph

Aug. 8, 2016 — Applying nanotechnology to fuel cells gives them more oomph, report researchers. The project is part of a $13 million program to advance fuel cell performance and durability and hydrogen storage ... read more

Spoonful of Sugar Helps Power Fuel Cell

Japan Aiming for a 'hydrogen Society'

Pee-Power Toilet to Light Up Disaster Zones

Toyota's Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Green Car Soon Available in the US

Quick-Destructing Battery to Power 'Transient' Devices

Aug. 4, 2016 — Scientists have developed a working battery that self-destructs in water. It's part of a field of study called 'transient electronics.' The battery project presented many challenges, ... read more

Next Generation Anode to Improve Lithium-Ion Batteries

Aug. 3, 2016 — Researchers have created a new silicon-tin nanocomposite anode that could lead to lithium-ion batteries that can be charged and discharged more times before they reach the end of their useful lives. ... read more

Making Nail Polish While Powering Fuel Cells

Aug. 3, 2016 — Hydrogen is widely regarded as a promising and clean alternative energy source. The traditional source of hydrogen for fuel cell use is water, which is split into hydrogen and oxygen. But oxygen is a ... read more

Chemists Create Vitamin-Driven Battery

Aug. 3, 2016 — A team chemists has created a battery that stores energy in a biologically derived unit, paving the way for cheaper consumer electronics that are easier on the environment.The battery is similar to ... read more

Moisture Helps Catalyst in Fuel Cells: Proton Pinball on the Catalyst

Aug. 2, 2016 — Thanks to a reaction that resembles a sort of proton pinball game, a thin layer of moisture on the surface of a catalysts can improve the efficiency of fuel cells, devices used to transform chemical ... read more

Breakthrough Solar Cell Captures Carbon Dioxide and Sunlight, Produces Burnable Fuel

July 28, 2016 — Researchers have engineered a potentially game-changing solar cell that cheaply and efficiently converts atmospheric carbon dioxide directly into usable hydrocarbon fuel, using only sunlight for ... read more

Molten Storage and Thermophotovoltaics Offer New Solar Power Pathway

July 27, 2016 — A new wrinkle on an old technology -- solid-state thermophotovoltaics (TPV) -- could provide a high-efficiency alternative for directly converting high-temperature heat from concentrated solar ... read more

Silicon-Air Battery Achieves Running Time of Over 1,000 Hours for the First Time

July 26, 2016 — Silicon-air batteries are viewed as a promising and cost-effective alternative to current energy storage technology. However, they have thus far only achieved relatively short running times. ... read more

New Nontoxic Process Promises Larger Ultrathin Sheets of 2-D Nanomaterials

July 25, 2016 — Scientists has developed a novel way to produce two-dimensional nanosheets by separating bulk materials with nontoxic liquid nitrogen. The environmentally friendly process generates a 20-fold ... read more

New Lithium-Oxygen Battery Greatly Improves Energy Efficiency, Longevity

July 25, 2016 — A new kind of lithium-oxygen battery, using glass nanoparticles of lithium oxides, could provide more energy, and much better stability and energy efficiency, report ... read more

A New Key to Understanding Molecular Evolution in Space

July 22, 2016 — Scientists have revealed temperature-dependent energy conversion of molecular hydrogen on ice surfaces, suggesting the need for a reconsideration of molecular evolution ... read more

Garnet-Type Fast Ionic Conductor for All-Solid-State Lithium Battery

July 20, 2016 — A garnet-type, fast ionic conducting oxide has been created by scientists. The developed garnet-type oxide showed not only high ionic conductivity around 1 mS/cm at room temperature, but also high ... read more

Key Improvement for Fuel Cells: Work Improves Understanding of Process That Stops Reactions

July 18, 2016 — Researchers have determined a key step in improving solid oxide fuel cells, a promising clean energy technology that has struggled to gain wide acceptance in the marketplace. The researchers ... read more

Could More Fuel-Efficient Engines Lead to More Global Warming?

July 13, 2016 — Auto industry experts predict that more than 50 percent of cars on the road by 2020 will use a relatively new type of fuel-efficient engine. This transition, however, has raised questions about its ... read more

Engineering E. Coli for Biofuel, Bioproduct Production

July 7, 2016 — Researchers developed an alternative fatty acid synthase (FAS) system in which enzymes from other organisms work with the native FAS in <i>E. coli</i> to improve the microbe’s capacity ... read more

How Solar Energy Can Be Transformed Into Fuel

July 7, 2016 — A new study look into the quest for sustainable fuel, and how solar energy can be transformed into exactly this. The new procedure uses the sun's thermal energy to convert carbon dioxide and ... read more

Performance of Cathode Material Improved by Controlling Oxygen Activity

July 6, 2016 — An international team of researchers has demonstrated a new way to increase the robustness and energy storage capability of a particular class of 'lithium-rich' cathode materials -- by ... read more

Public Urinal Generates Electricity from Urine

July 6, 2016 — Urine can be transformed into electricity with the help of bacterial metabolism, thanks to a new device. A test cubicle was installed at Glastonbury festival, but the final aim is to improve ... read more

Rechargeable Batteries That Last Longer and Re-Charge More Rapidly

July 4, 2016 — Materials researchers have developed a very simple and cost-effective procedure for significantly enhancing the performance of conventional Li-ion rechargeable batteries. The procedure is scalable in ... read more

3-D Paper-Based Microbial Fuel Cell Operating Under Continuous Flow Condition

July 1, 2016 — A team of researchers has demonstrated a proof-of-concept three-dimensional paper-based microbial fuel cell (MFC) that could take advantage of capillary action to guide the liquids through the MFC ... read more

Thursday, August 4, 2016