Researchers in Singapore have developed a new nanomaterial that functions like the best Swiss army knife in the world. The material, known as Multi-use Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), can produce energy, it can generate hydrogen, and it can even produce clean water. But that’s not all: The remarkable material can also be formed into flexible solar cells and it can double the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries. And with bacteria-killing properties, it can also be used in new antibacterial bandages.

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Post tags: Darren Sun, desalination, green technology, hydrogen, lithium-ion batteries, Multi-use Titanium Dioxide, nanomaterial, nanoparticles, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Solar Cell, TiO2, titanium

Today’s lithium-ion batteries are expensive and bulky – which is why Toyota is currently developing two new types of ultra-efficient batteries to power its electric vehicles. Toyota is conducting research on solid-state batteries and lithium-air batteries that promise to be more compact and be able to store more energy than lithium-ion batteries – and the automaker plans to switch to these new technologies by 2020.

Read the rest of Toyota Developing Revolutionary Solid-State and Lithium-Air Electric Vehicle Batteries, Aims to Launch by 2020

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Post tags: all-solid-state batteries, compact packaging of solid-state batteries, Lithium Polymer Battery, lithium-air batteries, lithium-air batteries store 50 times more energy than lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion-phosphate, prius plug-in, RAV4 Electric Vehicle, size of lithium-ion batteries, Toyota

Embedded electronic implants have long been confined to the realm of science fiction, but the development of a new stretchable battery could soon make them a reality. A pair of scientists have developed a new type of lithium-ion battery that can stretch up to three times its original length and can be recharged wirelessly. The new battery, which is being developed by Northwestern University’s Yonggang Huang and the University of Illinois’ John A. Rogers, could signal a major breakthrough for electronics that can be implanted in the human body, like bionic eyes and heart monitors.

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Post tags: batteries, bionic eye, bionic implants, electronic implant, flexible batteries, green technology, John A. Rogers, lithium-ion batteries, Northwestern University, stretchable battery, university of illinois, wearable technology, wirelessly charged batteries, Yonggang Huang

Researchers at the University of Southern California have developed a new lithium-ion battery that recharges in just 10 minutes and holds three times as much energy as its existing counterparts. By using porous nanotubes, researchers made the silicon expand and contract without breaking, which allows lithium-ions to diffuse more quickly and improve the battery performance. The design is currently under a provisional patent and could be on the market in just two to three years.

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Post tags: battery performance, battery research, carbon nanotubes, green technology, lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion battery patent, nanotechnology, new battery research, silicon nanotubes, University of California research, Viterbi School of Engineering

The race is on to develop a longer-lasting rechargeable battery in order to greatly extend the range of electric vehicles, and a team of researchers from Rice University may have found a clue. The researchers have discovered that the charge capacity of lithium-ion batteries could be tripled when the silicon used in them is crushed into a porous powder. The discovery could lead to cheaper, longer-lasting batteries that could help extend the range of EVs.

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Post tags: battery range, crushed silicon, electric vehicles, EVs, lithium batteries, lithium-ion batteries, Madhuri Thaku, range anxiety, rice university, Sibani Lisa Biswal, silicon powder

A new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology states that electric cars that receive energy from coal-fired power plants could potentially have a higher carbon footprint than some of their petrol or diesel-powered counterparts. However If electric cars derive their electricity from renewable, emission-free sources such as solar and wind power, then they remain among the greenest vehicles on the road.

Read the rest of Study Finds Electric Cars Powered by Coal Plants Have a Heavy Carbon Footrpint

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Post tags: diesel cars, electric car market, electric cars, fossil fuels, green cars, lithium-ion batteries, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, petrol powered cars, Pollution, toxic materials

A 32-year-old taxi driver has created Gaza‘s first electric vehicle in the face of a major fuel crisis. Munther al-Qassas decided that investing in an electric taxi would be cheaper and less time consuming than spending hours waiting in line for petrol. Despite holding a degree in political science, Qassas was able to build the car from recycled materials in a workshop on the roof of his home over several months.

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Post tags: "solar energy", Battery Charging, DIY, electric car, electric taxi, electric vehicle, gaza city, gaza strip, lithium-ion batteries, Munther al-Qassas, Recycled Materials, recycling, renewable energy

Last year, researchers at the University of California Irvine developed a material that was as strong as metal yet 100 times lighter than Styrofoam — but now a team of German scientists claim to have bested them with a new material called aerographite, which weighs in at a mere 0.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter. The scientists, from Kiel University (KU) and Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), claim that their porous carbon material is the lightest in the world .

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Post tags: aerographite, carbon nanotubes, carbon network, Hamburg University of Technology, lightest material in the world, lithium-ion batteries, university of kiel

Engineers at Stanford University appear to have come up with a way to make solar cells and batteries more efficient by “decorating” nanowires with chains of nanoparticles. The process has been likened to dressing up the nanowires with jewelry, a step which helps to enhance their catalytic and electrical performance. The process is simpler and faster than previous techniques, and the development could lead to better lithium-ion batteries and more efficient solar cells, according to a study published in the journal Nano Letters.

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Post tags: batteries, bejeweled nanowires, green technology, lithium-ion batteries, nanoparticles, nanotechnology, nanowires, solar, Solar cells, stanford, stanford university, tech

Have you ever looked at your debit or credit card and wondered what your balance was? Well, rather than going to an ATM or checking your online statement, ultra-thin batteries could potentially allow for a tiny screen on your card to display your balance. It is one of several ideas being discussed for the incredibly thin and flexible technology.

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Post tags: credit card thin batteries, faster recharging speeds, lithium-ion batteries, NEC, NEC batteries, NEC thin batteries, orb, rechargeable batteries, ultra thin batteries, Ultra-thin Organic Battery for IC cards

The rumor mill is hot this week with news that BMW and Toyota are about to announce a partnership to research the next generation of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars. If this partnership comes to fruition it would mean an extra luxury factor for Toyota and some heightened green credentials for BMW. There’s currently a whole new wave of electric vehicles heading toward the market — like the Ford Focus Electric — and we’re all for partnerships in green design that push everyone to the next level of sustainability.

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Post tags: automotive, automotive partnership, BMW, bmw engine, diesel engines, electric car, electric motor, electric vehicle, green car, green transportation, lithium ion technology, lithium-ion batteries, low emission vehicle, no emission vehicle, Toyota, toyota engine

If there’s one thing stopping many of us from buying an electric vehicle, it is the fact that it can take hours to charge. However, that could soon change thanks to researchers at Nanotek Instruments Inc. and their subsidiary Angstron Materials Inc. The firms have developed a “new paradigm” that could see the production of energy storage devices that would enable electric vehicles to be fully charged in less than a minute. Not just that, but the technology could also be used for renewable energy storage such as storing solar power.

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Post tags: angstron materials energy storage devices, angstron materials evs, angstron materials Nanotek Instruments, graphene surfaces lithium ions, lithium ion batteries evs, lithium-ion batteries, Nanotek Instruments energy storage device, nanotek instruments energy storage devices, Nanotek Instruments evs

Researchers at the University of Michigan and Ford Motor Company have just released a study stating that there is enough lithium in existence to power electric vehicles at least until the year 2100. The study assessed the global availability of lithium contained in 103 known deposits and compared it to the projected demand for the substance in applications such as lubricating grease, air conditioning, portable electronics batteries, and batteries for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. How can the researchers accurately predict demand for lithium that far into the future? We’re not so sure about that part, but as lithium ion batteries are currently the best option for green vehicle batteries we are encouraged to hear that the global supply of lithium is currently estimated at 39 million tons.

Read the rest of Ford and U of M Researchers Say Enough Lithium Exists To Power EVs Until 2100

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Post tags: alternative transportation, electric cars, electric vehicles, ford, green transportation, lithium availability study, lithium supply study, lithium-ion batteries, Pablo Medina, Paul Gruber, university of michigan

Much is being done to increase the range of electric vehicles, from improved lithium ion batteries to reducing the chassis weight. However, Japanese company Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) have developed a new material that they believe can improve the range of EVs by an impressive 300%.

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Post tags: Aluminum, aluminum celmet, celmet, electric vehicle batteries, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, sumitomo, sumitomo electric industries

Let’s face it, the main burden of electrical products is the time they take to charge – be they mp3 players, power tools, or even electric cars. However, this could soon be a problem of the past, as New York-based company Ioxus has developed a new type of lithium ion ultracapacitor that can potentially deliver large amounts of energy in a small amount of time.

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Post tags: high performance ultracapacitors, hybrid energy storage device, hybrid lithium-ion ultracapacitors, hybrid-capacitors, Ioxus Lithium-ion Ultracapacitor, lithium ion ultracapacitor, lithium-ion batteries, New Lithium-ion Ultracapacitor, new york based ioxus, renewable energy, ultracapacitor, ultracapacitors

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have developed a new type of material made from “nanoscoops”, which can increase the charging speed of small lithium-ion batteries by 40-60 times. Previously the anodes in lithium ion batteries — lithium ion molecules which travel between anodes and cathodes to create a charge — would become stressed, swell, and wear out if charged quickly, so batteries were designed to charge at a snail’s pace. Nanoscoops are specifically designed to withstand the stress of a quick charge and won’t swell under the pressure. If scaled up, this technology could mean less waiting around to charge for the owners of electric vehicles.

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Post tags: charge electric car, electric car, electric car batteries, electric vehicle, electric vehicle batteries, electric vehicle charge, how to charge an electric car, how to get your car to charge faster, how to get your vehicle to charge faster, lithium-ion batteries

The United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is funding new research that could reduce the dimensions of lithium-ion batteries used in phones, laptops and other electronic devices to the size of a grain of salt. It is hoped that the mini-batteries will be able to power micro- and nano-devices that are been developed for medical research purposes.

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Post tags: batteries sand, darpa batteries, jane chang, lithium-ion batteries, micro batteries, micro lithium ion batteries, nano batteries, nano lithium ion batteries, ucla micro battries

A team of researchers from Rice University and Lockheed Martin have found that silicon nanopores (micron-sized pores on top of silicon wafers) can increase lithium-ion battery capacity by 10 times. Since silicon has the highest theoretical capacity for storing lithium of any material, the discovery could lead to super-long lasting batteries.

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Post tags: batteries, battery power, li-ion, lithium ion, lithium-ion batteries, silicon nanopores

It’s finally happened: Now even paper can be “smart,” with the help of new paper-based lithium-ion batteries developed by Stanford materials scientists. The bendable batteries could power electronic newspapers and support other developments in “paper” electronics, and they could even provide smart packaging — so those grubby marketers can know even more about you. The batteries are a mere 300 microns thick and they are recyclable to boot.

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Post tags: batteries, green materials, lithium-ion batteries, nanotechnology, New Materials, Paper, stanford university

Electric cars don’t exactly have a reputation for being serious speed demons — but that could change as Ohio State‘s lithium ion-powered Buckeye Bullet 2 just shattered the world land speed record for a battery-powered vehicle. The streamlined electric racer averaged 291 miles per hour in back-to-back tests this week in the Utah Salt Flats.

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Post tags: a123 systems, Buckeye Bullet 2, electric vehicles, EVs, lithium-ion batteries, ohio state university, sustainable design, Venturi