Energy

Layered lithium cobalt oxide, a key component of lithium-ion batteries, has been synthesized at temperatures as low as 300°C and durations as short as 30 minutes.

A huge step forward in the evolution of perovskite solar cells recorded by researchers at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will have significant implications for renewable energy development. The CityU innovation paves the way for commercialising perovskite solar cells, bringing us closer to an energy-efficient future powered by sustainable sources.

The shortlist for the Applied Microbiology International Awards 2023 has now been announced. The AMI Awards programme is designed to celebrate the brightest minds in our field and promote the research, group, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology.

A pivotal breakthrough in battery technology that has profound implications for our energy future has been achieved by a joint-research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU).

- Research team led by Professor Hongkyung Lee at DGIST developed a manufacturing process for high-quality thin film lithium cathode based on electroplating that can replace commercial lithium foil - Expected to improve battery life and replace existing lithium foil due to simple size enlargement

- DGIST-ETRI joint research team developed high-energy-density, high-stability all-solid-state battery electrode by applying the prelithiation technology to graphite-silicon electrodes - Selected as the back cover study by “Advanced Energy Materials,” the best international academic journal in energy

- Team led by Professor In Soo-Il at DGIST develops a titanium dioxide photocatalyst with enhanced optical and electrical properties utilizing silver and ruthenium - 135-fold increase in methane production compared to conventional TiO2 photocatalysts (95% selectivity proven)

Systematic copper doping boosts all-solar utilization in tungstic acid nanocrystals.

Capturing carbon dioxide, Shells go nuclear, Worms surf electric fields, Brain repair & Creating matter from light. Plus from our blog: Monitoring research for further impact. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Applied Microbiology International (AMI) is boosting training and development opportunities for early career scientists in journal publishing with the appointment of 14 new junior editors on its flagship journal Letters in Applied Microbiology (LAM). They were selected from more than 100 applicants by the Editor-in-Chief, Dr Marcela Hernández.

Viruses in man-made environments cause public health concerns, but they are generally less studied than bacteria. A recent study led by environmental scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) provided the first evidence of frequent interactions between viruses and bacteria in man-made environments. It found that viruses can potentially help host bacteria adapt and survive in nutrient-depleted man-made environments through a unique gene insertion.

A joint research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and collaborators recently developed a stable artificial photocatalytic system that is more efficient than natural photosynthesis. The new system mimics a natural chloroplast to convert carbon dioxide in water into methane, a valuable fuel, very efficiently using light. This is a promising discovery, which could contribute to the goal of carbon neutrality.

Soft metal-organic polymer networks can adsorb selected molecules from gas mixtures by opening pores when the molecules bind.

Newcastle University (UK) and the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University hosted a UK-Singapore symposium funded by the UK Government in April 2023. It aimed to foster partnerships and research for widespread electric vehicle adoption. The event featured discussions on technology, economics, and policy over three days, encouraging joint collaboration in advanced electric transport research and commercialization.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the potential of harvesting energy from rainfall, a new method of geolocation that can see underground, and how AI can use a single photo to make you dance.

- DGIST-Chungnam National University Team Creates Real-Time Digital Twin Multiphysics Model for Predicting Electrochemical and Mechanical Properties of Micro-Particles for the First Time - Cover Paper Recognition: Chosen by Prominent Journal Advanced Energy Materials

An international team of researchers from India and Singapore, led by Associate Professor Kheng Lim Goh from Newcastle University in Singpaore, has examined the impact of plastic waste management on creating a new type of clean-energy device, Tribo-electric nanogenerator. It compares recycling practices in Singapore and India, highlighting the importance of waste policies and infrastructure for successful recycling of plastics for making the clean-energy device. Challenges include contamination and decreased material quality with recycling.

An international research group has engineered a new energy-generating device by combining piezoelectric composites with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), a commonly used material that is both light and strong. The new device transforms vibrations from the surrounding environment into electricity, providing an efficient and reliable means for self-powered sensors.

Fragments of spherical ‘Buckyball’ molecules have stable electron-accepting ability with great practical potential.

Two undergraduate students publish papers as lead authors in the prestigious international academic journal ChemSusChem, proposing methods to improve eco-friendly hydrogen production through photoelectrochemistry

- A joint research team of Yang Kee-Jeong, Kim Dae-Hwan, and Kang Jin-Gyu at DGIST and Kim Jun-Ho at Incheon National University used admittance spectroscopy to suggest a defect energy level in the absorbing layer that deteriorated thin-film solar cell properties - The research team proposed a defect identification method to ensure high efficiency in thin-film solar cells

Cambodia is leading Southeast Asia's transition to cleaner energy. After submitting its long-term strategy for carbon neutrality to the United Nations, it is now currently working with Singapore to become a major exporter of clean energy in the region.

- Development of low-temperature, highly graphitized carbon synthesizing method that can overcome the limitations of existing fuel-cell carbon supports - Expected to be used in next-generation fuel-cell vehicles with improved generation efficiency and excellent stability - Study results will be published in ‘Applied Catalysis B: Environmental’, a top journal in the field of Environmental Science

- The world’s first technology for synthesizing high-quality and low-cost copper-graphene nanowire using intense scintillation - Implementation of high-performance transparent-flexible electronic device based on copper-graphene nanowire and publication in the international journal Nano Energy, which is renowned in the field of energy

Scientists in Singapore converted fruit waste into a solar absorber called Mxene to develop an efficient and sustainable water desalination process.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a fish that is both transparent and multicolored, making mice grow antlers, and surgery on a very small heart.

Modifying the active layer architecture at the heart of organic solar cells brings a big leap forward in efficiency.

Bacteria living on soil and chicken manure could provide low-tech and sustainable green electricity.

An international collaboration is developing coating materials that could make windows better insulators.

Hi-tech electrocatalysts made from seashells and waste animal blood could help build sustainable batteries, fuel cells and other electrochemical systems.