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Putting the squeeze on dendrites: New strategy addresses persistent problem in next-generation solid-state batteries

New research by Brown University engineers identifies a simple strategy for combating a major stumbling block in the development of next-generation solid-state lithium batteries.

Solid-state batteries are considered the next frontier in energy storage, particularly for electric vehicles. Compared to current liquid electrolyte batteries, solid-state batteries have the potential for faster charging, longer range and safer operation due to decreased flammability. But there’s been a consistent problem holding back their commercialization: lithium dendrites.

Dendrites are filaments of lithium metal that can grow inside a battery’s electrolyte (the part of the battery that separates the anode from the cathode) during charging at high current. When they grow across the electrolyte, dendrites cause circuits between the battery’s anode and cathode, which destroy the battery. So while solid electrolytes can—in theory—enable faster charging than liquid electrolytes, the dendrite problem is one of the primary limitations that has to date prevented them from reaching that potential.

‘AI advisor’ helps self-driving labs share control in creation of next-generation materials

“Self-driving” or “autonomous” labs are an emerging technology in which artificial intelligence guides the discovery process, helping design experiments or perfecting decision strategies.

While these labs have generated heated debate about whether humans or machines should lead scientific research, a new paper from Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) has proposed a novel answer: Both.

In the paper published in Nature Chemical Engineering, the team led by UChicago PME Asst. Prof. Jie Xu, who has a joint appointment at Argonne, outlined an “AI advisor” model that helps humans and machines share the driver’s seat in self-driving labs.

The Universal Law Behind Market Price Swings

Analysis of a large dataset from the Tokyo Stock Exchange validates a universal power law relating the price of a traded stock to the traded volume.

One often hears that economics is fundamentally different from physics because human behavior is unpredictable and the economic world is constantly changing, making genuine “laws” impossible to establish. In this view, markets are never in a stable state where immutable laws could take hold. I beg to differ. The motion of particles is also unpredictable, and many physical systems operate far from equilibrium. Yet, as Phil Anderson argued in a seminal paper [1], universal laws can still emerge at the macroscale from the aggregation of widely diverse microscopic behaviors. Examples include not only crowds in stadiums or cars on highways but also economic agents in markets.

Now Yuki Sato and Kiyoshi Kanazawa of Kyoto University in Japan have provided compelling evidence that one such universal law governs financial markets. Using an unprecedentedly detailed dataset from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, they found that a single mathematical law describes how the price of every traded stock responds to trading volume [2] (Fig. 1). The result is a striking validation of physics-inspired approaches to social sciences, and it might have far-reaching implications for how we understand market dynamics.

How 3D printing creates stronger vehicle parts by solving aluminum’s high-temperature weakness

Aluminum is prized for being lightweight and strong, but at high temperatures it loses strength. This has limited its use in engines, turbines, and other applications where parts must stay strong under high temperature conditions. Researchers at Nagoya University have developed a method that uses metal 3D printing to create a new aluminum alloy series optimized for high strength and heat resistance. All new alloys use low-cost, abundant elements, and are recycling-friendly, with one variant staying both strong and flexible at 300° C.

The study is published in Nature Communications.

BREAKING: Grok Just Changed Tesla Cars Forever

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High-Power Vortex Lasers Could Transform Manufacturing and Imaging

A major European research effort is beginning as Tampere University leads a €4.4 million Doctoral Network focused on high-power optical vortices, a form of twisting light with remarkable potential. The HiPOVor initiative will train 15 doctoral researchers to develop, amplify, and apply these stru

Durable catalyst shields itself for affordable green hydrogen production

An international research team led by Professor Philip C.Y. Chow at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has unveiled a new catalyst that overcomes a major challenge in producing green hydrogen at scale. This innovation makes the process of producing oxygen efficiently and reliably in the harsh acidic environment used by today’s most promising industrial electrolyzers.

Spearheaded by Ci Lin, a Ph.D. student in HKU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, the team’s work was published in ACS Energy Letters.

Green hydrogen is seen as a clean fuel that can help reduce carbon emissions across industries like steelmaking, chemical production, long-distance transportation, and seasonal energy storage. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers are preferred for their compact design and rapid response, but they operate in acidic conditions that are exceptionally demanding on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst.

Blue jean dye could make batteries greener

Sustainability is often described in shades of green, but the future of clean energy may also carry a hint of deep blue. Electric vehicles and energy storage systems could soon draw power from a familiar pigment found in denim.

Concordia researchers have found that indigo, the natural dye used to color fabrics for centuries, can help shape the future of safe and sustainable batteries. In a study published in Nature Communications, the team revealed that the common substance supports two essential reactions inside a solid-state battery at the same time. This behavior helps the battery hold more energy, cycle reliably and perform well even in cold conditions.

“We were excited to see that a natural molecule could guide the battery chemistry instead of disrupting it,” says Xia Li, the study’s lead author and associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. “Indigo helps the battery work in a very steady and predictable way. That is important if we want greener materials to play a role in future energy systems.”

Maryna Viazovska

Viazovska was born in Kyiv, the oldest of three sisters. Her father was a chemist who worked at the Antonov aircraft factory and her mother was an engineer. [ 6 ] She attended a specialized secondary school for high-achieving students in science and technology, Kyiv Natural Science Lyceum No. 145. An influential teacher there, Andrii Knyazyuk, had previously worked as a professional research mathematician before becoming a secondary school teacher. [ 7 ] Viazovska competed in domestic mathematics Olympiads when she was at high school, placing 13th in a national competition where 12 students were selected to a training camp before a six-member team for the International Mathematical Olympiad was chosen. [ 6 ] As a student at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, she competed at the International Mathematics Competition for University Students in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, and was one of the first-place winners in 2002 and 2005. [ 8 ] She co-authored her first research paper in 2005. [ 6 ]

Viazovska earned a master’s from the University of Kaiserslautern in 2007, PhD from the Institute of Mathematics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2010, [ 2 ] and a doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) from the University of Bonn in 2013. Her doctoral dissertation, Modular Functions and Special Cycles, concerns analytic number theory and was supervised by Don Zagier and Werner Müller. [ 9 ]

She was a postdoctoral researcher at the Berlin Mathematical School and the Humboldt University of Berlin [ 10 ] and a Minerva Distinguished Visitor [ 11 ] at Princeton University. Since January 2018 she has held the Chair of Number Theory as a full professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland after a short stint as tenure-track assistant professor. [ 4 ] .

‘Walking’ water discovery on 2D material could lead to better anti-icing coatings and energy materials

A surprising discovery about how water behaves on one of the world’s thinnest 2D materials could lead to major technological improvements, from better anti-icing coatings for aircraft and self-cleaning solar panels to next-generation lubricants and energy materials.

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Surrey and Graz University of Technology tested two ultra-thin sheet-like materials with a honeycomb structure— graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). While graphene is electrically conductive—making it a key contender for future electronics, sensors and batteries—h-BN, often called “white graphite,” is a high-performance ceramic material and electrical insulator.

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