Research Laboratory news

The idea to use sunlight for energy production is not new. The first modern solar cell was invented in 1954 at Bell Laboratories, an American industrial research and scientific development company now owned by Finnish company Nokia. Sunrays hitting the surface of a photovoltaic (PV) cell can be reflected, absorbed or pass through the solar cell. This is enabled by the semiconductor material of which the cell is composed. Semiconductors...

In view of the current endeavours to reduce fossil fuel dependence and facilitate the transition to more sustainable ways of fuel production, in recent times biogas has been afforded increased attention by scientists around the world. Biogas plants use bacteria to break down biomass in an oxygen-free environment to form biogas. This gas usually contains almost 60 percent of methane and more than 40 percent of CO2. Biogas can be used to...

Batteries are a means to transform chemical energy directly to electrical energy. A battery consists of a number of voltaic cells. Each cell is made up of two half-cells connected in series by a conductive electrolyte containing metal cations. One half-cell contains the electrolyte and the negative electrode, the electrode to which anions migrate, while the other half-cell includes the electrolyte and the positive electrode, to which...

Fuel cells are considered one of the most promising technologies for replacing fossil fuels as energy source in many branches of industry. They use the chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels to cleanly and efficiently produce electricity. Fuel cells can work with a wide range of fuels and feedstocks and produce power for large systems such as utility power stations. They consist of a negative electrode and a positive electrode...

In search of longer-lasting batteries for electric vehicles, scientists have turned their attention to pure lithium metal as replacement for the currently-used graphite-based anodes. Pure lithium could contribute to the reduction of battery weight and also extend the driving range of a vehicle. The only problem is that the lifetime of batteries with this metal is still shorter than that of commonly-used batteries. Now (2022),...

Wind energy is without doubt one of the most important resources for achieving a cleaner and more sustainable energy industry. It is small wonder, therefore, that many countries around the world are continuously increasing their wind capacities to reduce the negative impacts of a fossil fuel-dependent energy industry. The US, for example, witnessed a significant growth in wind energy in 2020, according to the Office of Energy...

Hydrogen is considered to be one of the most important resources for the energy transition as it can be used as a transport fuel but also energise industrial processes. However, there are still several obstacles, which inhibit the widespread application of hydrogen. One of them is that hydrogen is not easy to transport. A possible solution to this problem is to convert hydrogen into methanol because methanol can be transported and...

Cars running on hydrogen are one of the greatest hopes for achieving a cleaner environment. They are similar to electric vehicles because they also use an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. However, unlike electric vehicles they are able to produce their own electricity: in a fuel cell, hydrogen (H2) gas from the fuel tank combines with oxygen (O2) from the air to generate electricity while only water and heat are...

An electromagnetic pulse or EMP is caused by natural or artificial phenomena initiating a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Among the most common events where this type of energy is released are solar flares or nuclear detonations. The electromagnetic energy of EMPs can be so forceful that communication systems are disrupted, electronic equipment gets damaged or even, on very rare occasions, buildings collapse. Electromagnetic...

Solid-state batteries are considered an important power source for a wide variety of applications. They use solid electrodes and solid electrolytes instead of the liquid or polymer gel electrolytes usually found in commercial batteries. Materials proposed as solid electrolytes for this type of battery comprise ceramics (e.g., oxides, sulphides) and solid polymers. Solid-state batteries have the potential to provide a solution to many...