A new heat engine with no moving parts is as efficient as a steam turbine
The design could someday enable a fully decarbonized power grid, researchers say.
Gina Raimondo: “Let’s get back to the business of building microchips in America”
During a tour of MIT.nano, the commerce secretary argued for boosting domestic semiconductor research and manufacturing, to fight inflation and improve national security.
Light could boost performance of fuel cells, lithium batteries, and other devices
With many devices depending on the motion of ions, light could be used as a switch to turn ion motion on and off.
Encapsulation as a method for preventing degradation in Li-air batteries
Discovery allows scientists to study crucial intermediate in battery development.
MIT engineers produce the world’s longest flexible fiber battery
The rechargeable battery can be woven and washed, and could provide power for fiber-based electronic devices and sensors.
Selective separation could help alleviate critical metals shortage
A new way of processing rare-earth and other key metals to separate them from other materials could reduce environmental impact and cost.
An energy-storage solution that flows like soft-serve ice cream
Researchers make the case for a semisolid electrochemical compound as a cost-efficient, grid-scale battery backup for wind and solar power.
The reasons behind lithium-ion batteries’ rapid cost decline
A new study finds that investments in R&D on materials and chemistry were key, while economies of scale contributed somewhat less.
Electrochemistry, from batteries to brains
Professor Bilge Yildiz finds patterns in the behavior of ions across applications.
Making the case for hydrogen in a zero-carbon economy
Analyzing California’s power system, MITEI researchers show that hydrogen-generated electricity is a cost-competitive candidate for backing up wind and solar.
Energy storage from a chemistry perspective
Eli Paster SM ’10, PhD '14 is the CEO of PolyJoule, a startup working to reinvent energy storage technology to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Designing better batteries for electric vehicles
As researchers consider materials for solid-state batteries, they also may want to consider how those materials could impact large-scale manufacturing.
What will happen to sediment plumes associated with deep-sea mining?
Interest is growing in mining the ocean for valuable metals. A new study helps gauge the extent of the impact.
Asegun Henry has a big idea for tackling climate change: Store up the sun
“This is the key, the linchpin that will set a lot of things in the right direction,” says the mechanical engineering professor.
3Q: Why “nuclear batteries” offer a new approach to carbon-free energy
Jacopo Buongiorno and others say factory-built microreactors trucked to usage sites could be a safe, efficient option for decarbonizing electricity systems.