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Category: engineering

A U of A engineering researcher is using sunlight and semiconductor catalysts to produce hydrogen by splitting apart water molecules into their constituent elements.

“The process to form the semiconductor, called thermal condensation polymerization, uses cheap and Earth-abundant materials, and could eventually lead to a more efficient, economical path to clean energy than existing ,” says project lead Karthik Shankar of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, an expert in the field of photocatalysis.

In a collaboration between the U of A and the Technical University of Munich, results of the research were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

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Lithium-ion batteries have been a staple in device manufacturing for years, but the liquid electrolytes they rely on to function are quite unstable, leading to fire hazards and safety concerns. Now, researchers at Penn State are pursuing a reliable alternative energy storage solution for use in laptops, phones and electric vehicles: solid-state electrolytes (SSEs).

According to Hongtao Sun, assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, solid-state batteries—which use SSEs instead of liquid electrolytes—are a leading alternative to traditional . He explained that although there are key differences, the batteries operate similarly at a fundamental level.

“Rechargeable batteries contain two internal electrodes: an anode on one side and a cathode on the other,” Sun said. “Electrolytes serve as a bridge between these two electrodes, providing fast transport for conductivity. Lithium-ion batteries use liquid electrolytes, while solid-state batteries use SSEs.”

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An innovative algorithm for detecting collisions of high-speed particles within nuclear fusion reactors has been developed, inspired by technologies used to determine whether bullets hit targets in video games. This advancement enables rapid predictions of collisions, significantly enhancing the stability and design efficiency of future fusion reactors.

Professor Eisung Yoon and his research team in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at UNIST announced that they have successfully developed a collision detection algorithm capable of quickly identifying collision points of high-speed particles within virtual devices. The research is published in the journal Computer Physics Communications.

When applied to the Virtual KSTAR (V-KSTAR), this algorithm demonstrated a detection speed up to 15 times faster than previous methods. The V-KSTAR is a digital twin that replicates the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) fusion experiment in a three-dimensional virtual environment.

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A technology for hydrogen (H2) production has been developed by a team of researchers led by Professors Seungho Cho and Kwanyong Seo from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, in collaboration with Professor Ji-Wook Jang’s team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UNIST.

Their research is published in the journal Nature Communications.

This innovative method utilizes biomass derived from sugarcane waste and silicon photoelectrodes to generate H2 exclusively using sunlight, achieving a production rate four times higher than the commercialization benchmark set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

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QUT researchers have identified a new material which could be used as a flexible semiconductor in wearable devices by using a technique that focuses on the manipulation of spaces between atoms in crystals.

In a study published in Nature Communication, the researchers used “vacancy engineering” to enhance the ability of an AgCu(Te, Se, S) semiconductor, which is an alloy made up of silver, copper, tellurium, selenium and sulfur, to convert body heat into electricity.

Vacancy engineering is the study and manipulation of empty spaces, or “vacancies,” in a crystal where atoms are missing, to influence the material’s properties, such as improving its mechanical properties or optimizing its electrical conductivity, or thermal properties.

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1 State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji-Med-X Stem Cell Research Center, Department of Urology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

2Department of Emergency Medicine, Shanghai Seventh People’s Hospital, Seventh People’s Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

3Med-X Research Institute, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

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Catalytic conversion of waste CO2 into value-added fuels and chemicals offers unprecedented opportunities for both environmental protection and economic development. Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has garnered significant attention for its ability to efficiently convert CO2 into clean chemical energy under mild conditions. However, the relatively high energy barrier for *COOH intermediate formation often becomes the determining step in CO2RR, significantly limiting reaction efficiency.

Inspired by , a team led by Prof. Jiang Hai-Long and Prof. Jiao Long from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) developed a novel strategy to stabilize *COOH intermediate and enhance electrochemical CO2 reduction by constructing and modulating the hydrogen-bonding microenvironment around catalytic sites. Their work is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In this work, the team co-grafted catalytically active Co(salen) units and proximal pyridyl-substituted alkyl (X-PyCn) onto Hf-based MOF nanosheets (MOFNs) via a post decoration route, affording Co&X-PyCn/MOFNs (X = o, m or p representing the ortho-, meta-, or para-position of pyridine N relative to alkyl chain; n = 1 or 3 representing the carbon atom number of alkyl chains) materials.

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A new way to deliver disease-fighting proteins throughout the brain may improve the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders, according to University of California, Irvine scientists. By engineering human immune cells called microglia, the researchers have created living cellular “couriers” capable of responding to brain pathology and releasing therapeutic agents exactly where needed.

The study, published in Cell Stem Cell, demonstrates for the first time that derived from induced pluripotent stem cells can be genetically programmed to detect disease-specific brain changes—like in Alzheimer’s disease—and then release enzymes that help break down those toxic proteins. As a result, the cells were able to reduce inflammation, preserve neurons and synaptic connections, and reverse multiple other hallmarks of neurodegeneration in mice.

For patients and families grappling with Alzheimer’s and related diseases, the findings offer a hopeful glimpse at a future in which microglial-based cell therapies could precisely and safely counteract the ravages of neurodegeneration.

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Innovation in maritime propulsion has reached a significant milestone with the development of a revolutionary technology inspired by one of the ocean’s most elegant creatures. Swiss engineering giant ABB has successfully tested its biomimetic propulsion system that replicates the graceful swimming motion of whales, potentially transforming how vessels navigate our seas.

Biomimetic innovation transforms maritime propulsion

The marine industry stands at the threshold of a major breakthrough with ABB’s latest innovation. The ABB Dynafin propulsion system draws inspiration from the efficient swimming techniques of cetaceans, creating a mechanism that could significantly reduce energy consumption across various vessel types. This technology comes at a crucial time as detailed ocean mapping reveals new underwater features that challenge traditional navigation methods.

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