Energy Storage: Properties of Barium Titanate (Harvey Mudd)


A technical paper titled "Understanding surfaces and interfaces in nanocomposites of silicone and barium titanate through experiments and modeling" was published by researchers at Harvey Mudd College, Sandia National Lab and Air Force Research Laboratory. Abstract "Barium titanate (BTO) is a ferroelectric perovskite used in electronics and energy storage systems because of its high dielectr... » read more

Empowering Greener Future: Role Of Energy Storage Systems


Recently, I came across a report that highlighted the energy price inflation rate by commodity in the European Union, which for January 2023 was measured at a staggering 20.6%. This figure was in stark contrast to the inflation rate recorded in January 2019, which was a mere 2.4%. It made me reflect on the challenges we've faced in the past year with the rising energy demand and subsequent su... » read more

Fabricating Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes On Plastic Film


A new technical paper titled "Direct formation of carbon nanotube wiring with controlled electrical resistance on plastic films" was published by researchers at Tokyo University of Science. The paper states, "we have developed a simple method to fabricate multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) wiring on a plastic film at room temperature under atmosphere pressure. By irradiating a MWNT thin fil... » read more

A freeze-thaw molten salt battery for seasonal storage


New research paper from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Abstract "Grid-level storage of seasonal excess can be an important asset to renewable electricity. By applying the freeze-thaw thermal cycling strategy, here, we report Al-Ni molten salt batteries with effective capacity recovery over 90% after a period of 1–8 weeks as a proof-of-concept. We explore three activation methods... » read more

Problems In The Power Grid


The gap is widening between power availability and peak demand. Ritesh Tyagi, head of innovation and growth strategy at Infineon Technologies, talks about what needs to be done to fix the power grid, particularly as more cars are electrified and more electronic devices are mobile. While there currently is a surplus in power being generated on a macro level in the United States, for example, it�... » read more

Benefits Of Multilevel Topologies In Power-Efficient Energy Storage Systems (ESS)


In this paper, we discuss the adaption of efficient energy storage systems (ESS) in residential solar and utility-scale applications. System requirements and possible topologies are looked into. For utility-scale, we introduce a multilevel converter topology concept. Click here to read more.   » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Oct. 6


Waste plastic supercapacitor Researchers from the University of California Riverside found a way to recycle waste plastic into energy storage devices. The work focused on polyethylene terephthalate plastic waste, or PET, which is found in soda bottles and many other consumer products. The researchers first dissolved pieces of PET plastic bottles in a solvent. Using electrospinning, they fab... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Feb. 11


Body heat harvesting Chemists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst developed a fabric that can harvest body heat to power small wearable electronics such as activity trackers. The device works on the thermoelectric effect created by body temperature and ambient cooler air. "What we have developed is a way to inexpensively vapor-print biocompatible, flexible and lightweight polymer fil... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Oct. 30


Long-term solar energy storage Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology and Universidad de La Rioja created a system capable of storing solar energy for extended periods of time. The system, called Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage (MOST), hinges on a molecular photoswitch made from carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. When the molecule is hit by sunlight, it turns into an energy-rich... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: May 3


Nanowire batteries University of California, Irvine researchers invented a nanowire-based battery material that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times. Nanowires have long been sought as a battery material. However, these filaments are extremely fragile and don't hold up well to repeated discharging and recharging, or cycling. In a typical lithium-ion battery, they expand and gro... » read more

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