It’s winter. And with that comes heavy coats, icy winds, and occasionally, below freezing temperatures: conditions not favorable for batteries.

Car batteries

Temperature extremes, in general, are not favorable to batteries. According to Lifewire, lead-acid batteries drop in capacity by about 20 percent in normal to freezing weather, and down to about 50 percent in temperatures that reach about -22 degrees Fahrenheit.

As a result, you may find your car battery giving out on any given winter morning. This is due to reduced capacity and increased draw from starter motors and accessories. This is because starter motors require a tremendous amount of amperage to get going: knocking out the capacity of even the newest batteries. (more…)

The Electrochemical Society and Enago have entered into a collaboration that will allow researchers within ECS’s member network easy access to Enago’s author services, including English manuscript editing and publication support, at every stage of the publication cycle.

ECS exists to advance global knowledge and practice in the sphere of electrochemistry and solid state science. It’s an international community, led by scientists, for scientists. Its members, individual and institutional, can take advantage of the vast programs offered, such as awards, grants, fellowships, and much more. (more…)

When it comes to growing crops, it’s a balancing act. You need just the right amount of sun, water, and soil composition to keep plants happy and blooming.

Researchers have recently discovered that light sensors might be able to help with that. According to New Food, the sensors work by actively measuring the various wavelengths of light coming off of crop leaves. These measurements are then used to calculate how much nitrogen crops need for optimal health. (more…)

Let’s face it. Anyone can benefit from a boost in their cell phone’s battery life, with the use of social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the daily connectedness of email, texting, FaceTime, and selfies, it’s a surprise if our cell phone batteries last a day—which most often they don’t. Cut to, Apple’s newly released smart battery case that extends the life of their latest iPhones: the XS and XR. (more…)

Schematic representation of the movement of the flower-like particle as it makes its way through a cellular trap to deliver therapeutic genes. Credit: WSU

According to ScienceDaily, researchers have developed a new method to deliver drugs and therapies into cells at the nanoscale level.

What makes this new approach particularly promising is that it does not lead to toxic side effects, unlike other similar efforts attempted by researchers. The problem frequently faced was in the delivery of the therapeutic genes into cells, the nanomaterials only showing low delivery efficiency of medicine and possible toxicity. (more…)

The Electrochemical Society has appointed Krishnan Rajeshwar as the new editor of the ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology for a three-year term.

Launched in 2012, the ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology focuses on fundamental and applied areas of solid state science and technology including experimental and theoretical aspects of the chemistry and physics of materials and devices. The journal’s technical scope covers (1) carbon nanostructures and devices, (2) dielectric science and materials, (3) electronic materials and processing, (4) electronic and photonic devices and systems, and (5) luminescence and display materials, devices, and processing.

Rajeshwar is a distinguished university professor at University of Texas at Arlington. He is also the founding director of the Center for Renewable Energy and Science Technology (CREST) on campus. (more…)

The proceedings from the First International Conference on 4D Materials and Systems are now available. ECS Transactions, volume 88, issue 1, contains 49 papers based on the research presented August 26-30, 2018, in Yonezawa, Japan. This issue covers the five parallel tracks held at the conference: (1) Gel Symposium, (2) Flexible and Printed Electronics, (3) Material Processing, (4) Electrochemical Materials and Devices for Energy Conversion and Storage, and (5) Sensors and Systems.

To browse the full table of contents, or purchase individual articles, please visit the ECS Digital Library. This issue is also available as an instant PDF download through the ECS Online Store.

In addition to the ECST issue, ECS is also publishing a JES Focus Issue on 4D Materials and Systems. For more information, or to submit your manuscript, see the focus issue Call for Papers.

University of Houston researchers Yan Yao, left, Hui Dong and Yanliang Leonard Liang. Photo Credit: University of Houston

A new version of high-energy magnesium batteries has been discovered by researchers from the University of Houston and the Toyota Research Institute of America, according to Phys.org. The battery operates with limited electrolytes while using an organic electrode, allowing it to store and discharge much more energy than earlier magnesium batteries.

Yan Yao, an ECS member, UH Student Chapter faculty advisor, and an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the UH, said the researchers identified chloride—in the commonly used electrolyte—as a contributor to magnesium batteries’ sluggish performance.

Yao, a principal investigator with the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH, used the chloride-free electrolyte to test organic quinone polymer cathodes with a magnesium metal anode; the battery remaining stable through 2,500 cycles.

Magnesium batteries are particularly exciting as magnesium itself offers far more natural advantages over lithium. (more…)