Over 2,309 people from 30 countries attended the 229th ECS Meeting in San Diego, California, May 29 – June 2, 2016. This was ECS’s first return visit to San Diego since 1998. Participants could choose from over 2,200 presentations. Plenary Session ECS President Daniel Scherson welcomed attendees to the meeting during Monday evening’s Plenary Session. In addition to wrapping up the first full day of technical sessions and honoring award winners, Scherson introduced everyone to what would be a major...
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Researchers from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science recently developed a method that could result in safer, longer-lasting, bendable lithium-ion batteries. To do this, the team applied ice-templating to control the structure of the solid electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries. Recent reports of cell phones and hoverboards bursting into flames have made people aware of the safety concerns related to the lithium-ion battery’s liquid electrolyte. The researchers behind this new work decided to confront the safety issues by exploring…
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Tech Highlights was prepared by Colm Glynn and David McNulty of University College Cork, Ireland, David Enos of Sandia National Laboratories, Zenghe Liu of Verily Life Science, and Donald Pile of Rolled-Ribbon Battery Company. Each article highlighted here is available free online. Performance of Three-Dimensional LiMn2O4/Carbon Composite Cathodes Prepared Via Sol-Gel Impregnation With the ever advancing improvements in electronics and display technologies, it is crucial that Li-ion batteries are able to rise to the challenge of powering next generation consumer…
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229th ECS Meeting | San Diego, CA | May 30, 2016 Seeing, Measuring and Understanding Vesicular Exocytosis of Neurotransmitters Christian Amatore gave molecular electrochemistry new direction by utilizing new concepts and tools to allow the discipline to overflow its traditional fields in order to face major problems in organic and inorganic chemistry, organometallic, and even biology. Amatore has had a pioneering role in the development of ultramicroelectrodes worldwide. His research involved the development of advanced electrochemical methods for investigating extremely…
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By: Petr Vanýsek The discovery of an electric arc can be tied to the use of an electrochemical energy source. Sir Humphry Davy described in 1800 an electric discharge using electrochemical cells1 that produced what we would call a spark, rather than an arc. However, in 1808, using an electrochemical battery containing 2000 plates of copper and zinc, he demonstrated an electric arc 8cm long. Davy is also credited with naming the phenomenon an arc (Fig. 1). An electric arc…
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When a battery is used, electrically charged ions travel between electrodes, causing those electrodes to shrink and swell. For some time, researchers have wondered why the electrode materials – which are fairly brittle – don’t crack in the expansion and contraction styles. Now, a team of researchers from MIT, led by ECS member Yet-Ming Chiang, may have found the answer to this mystery. This from MIT: While the electrode materials are normally crystalline, with all their atoms neatly arranged in…
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By: Jens Blotevogel, Colorado State University Without knowing it, most Americans rely every day on a class of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs. These man-made materials have unique qualities that make them extremely useful. They repel both water and grease, so they are found in food packaging, waterproof fabric, carpets and wall paint. PFASs are also handy when things get heated. Consumers value this property in nonstick frying pans. Government agencies and industry have used them for…
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A new mathematical model may help researchers design new materials for use in high-power batteries. According to the research team, the model could benefit chemists and materials scientists who typically rely on a trial and error method when developing new materials for batteries and capacitors. “The potential here is that you could build batteries that last much longer and make them much smaller,” says Daniel Tartakovsky, co-author of the study. “If you could engineer a material with a far superior…
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Access to adequate water and sanitation is a major obstacle that impacts nations across the globe. Currently 1 in 10 people – or 663 million – lack access to safe water. Due to the global water crisis, more than 1.5 billion people are affected by water-related diseases every year. However, many of those disease causing organisms could be removed from water with hydrogen peroxide, but production and distribution of hydrogen peroxide is a challenge in many parts of the world…
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A team of scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory is using the precision of an electron beam to instantly adhere cathode coatings for lithium-ion batteries. This new development, as reported in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, could lead to a leap in efficiency that saves energy, reduces production cost, and eliminates the use of toxic solvents. This from ORNL: The technique uses an electron beam to cure coating material as it rolls down the production line, creating instantaneous cross-links…
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