Energy

Linked lanthanides shine light on crystal engineering, New technique reveals hidden genome, Red, white and blue alerts for dangerous bacteria & Windows gain competitive edge over global warming. Read all in the September's Editor's Choice plus this month's Asia Research News 2022 magazine pick - Floating sensors to gather ocean data.

- The low-cost, high-energy, long-life lithium-sulfur battery is based on a novel silica/sulfur interlayer. - The battery is expected to be used in next-generation mobile phones, drones, and electric vehicles owing to its high energy density and improved lifespan.

Researchers have made perovskite solar cells more efficient and stable, A new cause of Parkinson's related cell death, Hibernating superpower is in the blood, Common mechanism for cancer and atherosclerosis, COVID-19 antibody skin-based test. Read all in the August's Editor's Choice plus an Interview with Prof Sutee Yoksan on The story behind the new dengue vaccine & this month's Asia Research News 2022 magazine pick - The evolutionary history of puddle frogs.

A research group led by Professor Akitoshi Hayashi at the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Engineering has successfully developed a high-capacity capacitor, an energy storage device—using a solid electrolyte with high deformability—that can operate at high temperatures. With this discovery, high-capacity capacitors can now be made which do not require cooling, this increases their efficiency and allows for new suitable applications.

Rare earth metals, when linked, can act as a conduit for energy flow, and show promise for the development of novel materials.

- Joint research team comprising the DGIST Thin Film Solar Cell Research Center and the Department of New Material Engineering of Kyungnam University discovers the cause of pore formation in thin film solar cells of general-purpose materials and developed technology to resolve the problem - Suggested strategies for developing eco-friendly general-purpose thin film solar cells by suppressing pore formation

- Clarified the relationship between the form of piezoelectric fiber components and their piezoelectric performance - Accelerated commercialization of energy harvesting textile materials that can recycle energy wasted or consumed in everyday life

Three of the nuclear power plants that supplied Tokyo, Japan with its electricity have been shut down since 2003. To understand the long-term implications of this change to Tokyo’s power grid, researchers studied how CO2 emissions in the city differed since the power plant closures.

Researchers create 'time machine' to study ancestor galaxies, Robotics engineers pay attention to matters of the heart, Custom suits for delivery worms, Tough, light structures with superior impact resistance and Virtual training can reduce stress and anxiety. Read all in the July's Editor's Choice plus op-ed: To boost South Korea’s basic science, look to values, not just budgets, this month's Image & Asia Research News 2022 magazine pick - Better memristors for brain-like computing.

Solar panels often get a bad rap for spoiling the appearance of homes and businesses. Yet, a research group has fabricated a highly transparent solar cell with a 2D atomic sheet. These near-invisible solar cells achieved an average visible transparency of 79%, meaning they can, in theory, be placed everywhere—building windows, the front panel of cars, and even human skin.

An international team of scientists, led by Dr. Sunanda Roy, has successfully developed a novel method to recycle waste cigarette filters for use in making the triboelectric nano generator, an energy generating device.

A research team co-led by chemists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Imperial College London (Imperial College) has developed new, highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. The breakthrough invention is expected to greatly accelerate the commercialisation of perovskite photovoltaic technology, providing a promising alternative to silicon solar cells.

A thermoelectric metal oxide film with a thermoelectric figure of merit of ~0.55 at 600°C has been discovered, opening new avenues towards the widespread use of thermoelectric converters.

- DGIST Professor Lee Jung-hyup's team develops an 'analog-digital signal conversion system' based on semiconductor IC technology that can measure ultra-fine signals generated in the body - Capable of taking precise measurements of fine signals amidst strong external noise, application to next-generation brain-machine interface technology, and ultra-small high-performance medical devices expected

- Professor Park Jin-hee's team at DGIST develops new metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that respond to various stimuli and visualizes unstable radical states - Expected to be used for designing and applying materials in various fields such as eco-friendly sensors, catalysts, and batteries

- DGIST Department of Energy Science & Engineering Research Team Led by Choi Jong-min Develops Nano-structured Electrodes Capable of Enhancing Light Absorption Capacity and Photocurrent of Perovskite Quantum Dot Solar Cells - Proposes a universal and easy method that can be applied to various photoelectric devices using organic charge transport layers, including solar cells

- A research team led by Professor Lee Sung-won and Jang Gyeong-in at DGIST succeeds in developing a high-efficiency power generator using small human movements in daily life. - Takes a step closer to the realization of a health diagnosis system that can monitor vital signs for a long time without batteries by using small but continuous energy accumulation

The molecule is unusual and has ‘great potential’ in catalysis, conduction and other applications.

Giants in History: Palaeontologist Yichun Hao (1920 – 2001) co-authored the first Chinese textbooks on palaeontology and micropalaeontology.

A porous material, which opens to receive highly flammable acetylene and closes to release it, sidesteps the flaws of the existing storage method.

Organic, metal free, high-energy batteries are a pathway to a greener future. Yet scientists have struggled to find ways to boost the voltage in organic lithium-ion batteries. Now, a study has proposed a small organic molecule known as croconic acid that can maintain a working voltage of around 4 Volts.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a banana-peeling robot, pollen-based paper, and fuel made from ocean plastic.

Soot as a surprising source of haze-building hydroxyl radicals

The theme of MTE 2022 is "Embracing the New Norm and Moving to New Frontiers," and this prestigious event is expected to attract over 10,000 online visitors from all over the world via its virtual exhibition platform.

Researchers in Malaysia are using the chemistry of natural products for sustainable health and energy solutions.

A magnetic hybrid system generates electricity day and night with radiative cooling and solar heating.

Research by Japanese scientists at Hiroshima University reveals a way to make ammonia from its constituent molecules of nitrogen and hydrogen at ambient pressure.

Metals usually soften when they expand under heating, but a research team led by a City University of Hong Kong (CityU) scholar and other researchers have discovered a first-of-its-kind super-elastic alloy that can retain its stiffness even after being heated to 1,000K (about 727℃) or above, with nearly zero energy dissipation. The team believes that the alloy can be applied in manufacturing high-precision devices for space missions. The research team was led by Professor Yang Yong from CityU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (MNE), together with his collaborators. The findings were published in the prestigious science journal Nature under the titled “A Highly Distorted Ultraelastic Chemically Complex Elinvar Alloy”.

A research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently designed a structured thermal armour (STA) that achieves efficient liquid cooling even over 1,000°C, fundamentally solving a 266-year-old challenge presented by the Leidenfrost effect. This breakthrough can be applied in aero and space engines, as well as improve the safety and reliability of next-generation nuclear reactors.

In a study published in Nature Energy this month, researchers led by Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) describe how nanodiamond-reinforced composite membranes can purify hydrogen from its humid mixtures, making the hydrogen generation processes vastly more efficient and cost-effective.