Archive for the ‘Energy’ Category
October 31, 2011 — Researchers have used zinc oxide microwires to significantly improve the efficiency at which gallium nitride light-emitting diodes (LED) convert electricity to ultraviolet light. The devices are believed to be the first LEDs whose performance has been enhanced by the piezo-phototronic effect.
September 27, 2011 — Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working with the Atlanta-based Plastics Environmental Council (PEC) to expand the use of chemical additives that cause oil-based plastic packaging such as water bottles, milk bottles and Styrofoam cups to biodegrade in landfills.
September 8, 2011 — By looking to Mother Nature for solutions, researchers have identified a promising new binder material for lithium-ion battery electrodes that could not only boost energy storage, but also eliminate the use of toxic compounds now used in manufacturing the components.
July 18, 2011 — Using a technique known as thermochemical nanolithography (TCNL), researchers have developed a new way to fabricate nanometer-scale ferroelectric structures directly on flexible plastic substrates that would be unable to withstand the processing temperatures normally required to create such nanostructures.
July 7, 2011 — Researchers have discovered a way to capture energy transmitted by such sources as radio and television transmitters and cell phone networks. By scavenging this ambient energy from the air around us, the technique could provide a new way to power networks of wireless sensors or other devices.
June 21, 2011 — Using barium oxide nanoparticles, researchers have developed a self-cleaning technique that could allow solid oxide fuel cells to be powered directly by coal gas at operating temperatures as low as 750 degrees Celsius. The technique could provide a cleaner and more efficient alternative to conventional power plants for generating electricity from the nation’s vast coal reserves.
November 8, 2010 — Researchers have reached a significant milestone in their development of nanometer-scale generators that harvest mechanical energy from the environment using an array of tiny nanowires: the ability to power conventional electronic devices such as liquid-crystal displays.
September 1, 2010 — Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new class of electronic logic device in which current is switched by an electric field generated by the application of mechanical strain to zinc oxide nanowires.
August 13, 2010 — Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are using funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy – also known as ARPA-E – to pursue two different, but related, approaches for removing carbon dioxide from the flue gases of coal-burning power plants.
July 13, 2010 — Researchers have demonstrated a relatively simple regeneration technique that could utilize waste steam to remove carbon dioxide from solid amine materials used to capture the greenhouse gas from the flue gases of coal-burning facilities. This steam-stripping technique could produce concentrated carbon dioxide ready for sequestration – while readying the amine materials for further use.
