A researcher at Georgia Tech holds a perovskite-based solar cell. Credit: Rob Felt, Georgia Tech

Perovskite-based solar cells are all around great. They offer energy efficiencies similar to those of traditional silicon-based cells, are lightweight, simple and cheap to produce, and offer physical flexibility that could unlock a wide new range of installation methods and places, according to Georgia Teach Research Horizons.

The only problem: figuring out how to produce perovskite-based energy devices that last longer than a couple of months.

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California San Diego, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology may be closer to solving that problem. (more…)

Gold nanowires grown in the Rice University lab. Credit: Zubarev Research Group/Rice University

Vitamin C offers countless benefits. It helps protect against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, can strengthen hair, and helps prevent wrinkles. Not to mention, it can also turn stubby gold nanorods into gold nanowires of impressive length.

According to ScienceDaily, scientists at Rice University recently discovered that all it takes is a dose of vitamin C to promote gold nanowires growth, making the wires valuable for sensing, diagnostic, imaging, and therapeutic applications.

According to Eugene Zubarev, a Rice lab chemist who worked on the study, and Bishnu Khanal, a Rice chemistry alumnus and lead author of the study, nanorods measured 25 nanometers thick at the start of the process, maintaining their widths as they grew in height. An important point, as the wires’ aspect ratio—length over width—dictates how well they absorb and emit light and how they conduct electrons. (more…)

Kang Xu, lead author.

“What is the most ideal [solid-electrolyte interphase] SEI or interphase that would enable the next generation of the battery chemistries?”

It was a question that had been lingering in the minds of Kang Xu, fellow of US Army Research Laboratory and team leader; Chunsheng Wang, University of Maryland chemical and biomolecular engineering department professor, as well as one of the most cited researchers of 2018; and Ying Shirley Meng, University of California, San Diego nanoengineering professor, fellow of The Electrochemical Society, and associate director of the International Battery Association.

Together, the trio set out to pursue this question, resulting in the publication of their paper “Perspective—Fluorinating Interphases.” (more…)

Since The Electrochemical Society’s inception in 1902, the Society has stood for the advancement of electrochemical and solid state science and technology. As part of this mission, ECS is working to Free the Science by making all content from ECS journals free and fully accessible to the public: an initiative that is gaining traction and attention in the scholarly publishing community.

UCL’s Town Hall meeting on Plan S

On January 8, the University College London (UCL) held a town hall meeting to discuss the principles of Plan S, a plan that supports open access initiatives like Free the Science, which aims to make all research funded by public grants provided by cOAlition S funders openly available by 2020.

The plan has since received some backlash and concerns from the academic and scholarly publishing communities, including UCL, the host of the Plan S discussion. (more…)

Lead engineers, Xiaobo Yin and Ronggui Yang.
Image credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU-Boulder

According to Forbes, engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder have created a new material that works like an air conditioning system for structures—cooling rooftops with zero energy consumption.

The material, about the same thickness as aluminum foil, is rolled across the surface of a rooftop, reflecting incoming solar energy back into space while simultaneously purging its own heat. Adding to its appeal, the material is adaptable and cost-effective for use in large-scale residential and commercial applications, as it can be manufactured on rolls. (more…)

New fabric developed by UMD scientists.
Credit: Faye Levine, University of Maryland

When the temperature drops, we layer up. It’s the natural thing to do—until now. According to ScienceDaily, researchers at the University of Maryland have engineered a new fabric that can automatically change its properties to trap or release heat depending on external conditions.

The textile, made from synthetic yarn with a carbon nanotube coating, is activated by temperature and humidity: making it the first of its kind. When conditions are warm and moist, such as those near a sweating body, the fabric allows heat to pass through. When conditions become cooler and drier, the fabric reduces the heat that escapes. Acting like blinds, the individual strands of yarn open and close to transmit or block heat.

(more…)

Interested in presenting at The Electrochemical Conference on Energy and the Environment (ECEE 2019): Bioelectrochemistry and Energy Storage meeting in Glasgow, but missed the abstract deadline? Submit an abstract for a poster presentation on bioelectrochemistry and energy storage!

The purpose of the ECEE meetings is to focus on electrochemical energy conversion/storage materials, concepts, and systems, with the intent to bring together scientists, engineers, and researchers to share results and discuss issues on these topics.

The abstract deadline is May 31.

Submit now!

The following guest post is by Telpriore G. Tucker, PhD, founder of the ECS Valley of the Sun (Central Arizona) Student Chapter. In it, Tucker discusses his life and work, his experiences with the Society, and his continual efforts to promote the study of electrochemistry throughout the Valley of the Sun. 

My name is Telpriore “Greg” Tucker. I’m a postdoctoral research associate in the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, AZ. I simply go by Greg on the ASU campus and am more so known as Dr. T in the local community of Greater Metro Phoenix. I’m also the treasurer and a board member of the Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce. Currently, I reside in Scottsdale, AZ, but I’m originally from Colorado Springs, CO.

(more…)

Don’t Discount the Honorable Mention!

The second 2018 San Francisco Section Daniel Cubicciotti Student Award (Honorable Mention) Goes to Sara Renfrew!

Each year, the ECS San Francisco Section recognizes a deserving undergraduate student from a college or university in Northern California through the San Francisco Section Daniel Cubicciotti Student Award. The award was established in 1994 to assist a deserving student to pursue a career in the physical sciences or engineering and to honor distinguished researcher Daniel Cubicciotti. First prize recipients receive an etched metal plaque and $2,000 prize. In addition, the San Francisco section recognizes up to two additional students with an honorable mention: a framed certificate and a $500 prize. (more…)

Gitanjali Rao / Photo Credit: NPR

When you think back to a young, 13-year-old you, what do you see? Were you climbing trees? Playing some gnarly rounds of tag with friends? Attempting to get as much air as possible on playground swing sets? Not Gitanjali Rao. According to NPR, the 13-year-old science entrepreneur made the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list before she even stepped into high school, and in 2017, the then 11-year-old was named ‘America’s Top Young Scientist’ for the design of a small, mobile device that tests for lead in drinking water.

And today, she’s onto the next project. Rao has set her eyes on bringing her water testing device Tethys—named after the Greek Titan goddess of clean water—to the market. The 3D-printed box uses carbon nanotube sensors to detect lead in water. (more…)