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Category: energy – Page 4

Scientists harness vacuum fluctuations to engineer quantum materials

Vacuum is often thought of as empty, but in fact it is teeming with fleeting energy fluctuations—virtual photons popping in and out of existence that can interact with matter, giving rise to new, potentially useful properties.

Researchers use optical cavities, structures made of mirrors facing one another, to confine these fluctuations, harnessing their effects to engineer new forms of matter.

Conventional boost fluctuations, or vacuum fields, for both right-and left-handed circularly polarized light. Rice University researchers and collaborators have developed a new design that selectively enhances the quantum vacuum fluctuations of circularly polarized light in a single direction, achieving chirality—a feat that typically requires the use of a strong magnetic field.

World’s First Hybrid Betavoltaic Cell Promises Decades of Power Without Charging

Scientists have achieved a major breakthrough by creating the world’s first next-generation betavoltaic cell. This advanced power source was made by directly connecting a radioactive isotope electrode to a perovskite absorber layer, a cutting-edge material known for its efficiency.

To boost performance, the team embedded carbon-14-based quantum dots into the electrode and improved the structure of the perovskite layer. These innovations led to a highly stable power output and impressive energy conversion efficiency.

The findings were published in the journal Chemical Communications and led by Professor Su-Il In of the Department of Energy Science & Engineering at DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee).

MXene-polymer composite enables printed, eco-friendly device for energy harvesting and motion sensing

Researchers at Boise State University have developed a novel, environmentally friendly triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that is fully printed and capable of harvesting biomechanical and environmental energy while also functioning as a real-time motion sensor. The innovation leverages a composite of Poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate) (PVBVA) and MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheets, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional TENGs that often rely on fluorinated polymers and complex fabrication.

Weed company builds plane that’s made from hemp and powered by cannabis oil

A company based in Canada has created the world’s very first plane that’s made mostly from hemp and powered by cannabis oil, giving completely new meaning to the term “sky high”

Designed and built by the weed company Hempearth – who also sell other weed-related items such as food, clothing, and accessories, the plane is claimed to be much stronger, lighter, and much more environmentally friendly than normal planes. Then it physically gets you higher than marijuana, but your plane is made of marijuana, and on marijuana fuel.

But how does it do it, exactly? Almost the entire plane is made from composite hemp fibers that are said to be 10 times stronger than steel, and this includes not only the chassis, but also everything inside of the plane including the seats, walls, and cushions.

When you want to get sky high.

“Prepare for 20 years of free energy”: Dragonfly-shaped marvel replaces wind turbines with groundbreaking technology

IN A NUTSHELL 🌿 The Dragonfly Turbine is designed by Renzo Piano and ENEL Green Power, inspired by the flight of dragonflies. 🏙️ It features a compact and eco-friendly design that blends seamlessly into urban landscapes, minimizing visual impact. 💡 The turbine maximizes wind capture efficiency even in low-wind conditions, providing reliable energy output. 🇮🇹

Zinc–iodine battery delivers double performance of lithium-ion batteries

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a new dry electrode for aqueous batteries which delivers cathodes with more than double the performance of iodine and lithium-ion batteries.

“We have developed a new technique for –iodine batteries that avoids traditional wet mixing of iodine,” said the University of Adelaide’s Professor Shizhang Qiao, Chair of Nanotechnology, and Director, Center for Materials in Energy and Catalysis, at the School of Chemical Engineering, who led the team.

We mixed active materials as dry powders and rolled them into thick, self-supporting electrodes. At the same time, we added a small amount of a simple chemical, called 1,3,5-trioxane, to the electrolyte, which turns into a flexible protective film on the zinc surface during charging.