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Categories: Energy: Technology, Environmental: Wildfires
Published Wildfires and farming activities may be top sources of air pollution linked to increased risk, cases of dementia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source No amount of air pollution is good for the brain, but wildfires and the emissions resulting from agriculture and farming in particular may pose especially toxic threats to cognitive health, according to new research.
Published Zentropy and the art of creating new ferroelectric materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Systems in the Universe trend toward disorder, with only applied energy keeping the chaos at bay. The concept is called entropy, and examples can be found everywhere: ice melting, campfire burning, water boiling. Zentropy theory, however, adds another level to the mix.
Published Chloride ions from seawater eyed as possible lithium replacement in batteries of the future
(via sciencedaily.com) Sodium, Potassium and zinc have all been promising contenders for lithium's place in rechargeable batteries of the future, but researchers have added an unusual and more abundant competitor to the mix: chloride, the richest negatively charged ions in seawater. Xiaowei Teng, the James H. Manning professor of Chemical Engineering at WPI, has discovered a new redox chemistry empowered by chloride ions for the development of seawater green batteries.
Published Quantum material exhibits 'non-local' behavior that mimics brain function
(via sciencedaily.com) New research shows that electrical stimuli passed between neighboring electrodes can also affect non-neighboring electrodes. Known as non-locality, this discovery is a crucial milestone toward creating brain-like computers with minimal energy requirements.
Published Wildfires emit potent climate-warming organic particles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers found that wildfires are causing a much greater warming effect than has been accounted for by climate scientists. The work, which focuses on the role of 'dark brown carbon' -- an abundant but previously unknown class of particles emitted as part of wildfire smoke -- highlights an urgent need to revise climate models and update approaches for the changing environment.
Published Single drop of ethanol to revolutionize nanosensor manufacture
(via sciencedaily.com) Engineers have developed a breakthrough technique to make the processing of nanosensors cheaper, greener and more effective by using a single drop of ethanol to replace heat processing of nanoparticle networks, allowing a wider range of materials to be used to make these sensors.
Published Mussel-inspired membrane can boost sustainability and add value to industrial wastewater treatment
(via sciencedaily.com) Engineers have developed a new kind of membrane that separates chemicals within wastewater so effectively that they can be reused, presenting a new opportunity for industries to improve sustainability, while extracting valuable by-products and chemicals from wastewater.
Published Scientists dig into wildfire predictions, long-term impacts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wildfires are an ancient force shaping the environment, but they have grown in frequency, range and intensity in response to a changing climate. Scientists are working on several fronts to better understand and predict these events and what they mean for the carbon cycle and biodiversity.
Published Faster thin film devices for energy storage and electronics
(via sciencedaily.com) An international research team reported the first realization of single-crystalline T-Nb2O5 thin films having two-dimensional (2D) vertical ionic transport channels, which results in a fast and colossal insulator-metal transition via Li ion intercalation through the 2D channels.
Published Cracking in lithium-ion batteries speeds up electric vehicle charging
(via sciencedaily.com) Rather than being solely detrimental, cracks in the positive electrode of lithium-ion batteries reduce battery charge time, research shows. This runs counter to the view of many electric vehicle manufacturers, who try to minimize cracking because it decreases battery longevity.
Published Energy-storing supercapacitor from cement, water, black carbon
(via sciencedaily.com) Engineers have created a 'supercapacitor' made of ancient, abundant materials, that can store large amounts of energy. Made of just cement, water, and carbon black (which resembles powdered charcoal), the device could form the basis for inexpensive systems that store intermittently renewable energy, such as solar or wind energy.
Published Scientists create novel approach to control energy waves in 4D
(via sciencedaily.com) Everyday life involves the three dimensions or 3D -- along an X, Y and Z axis, or up and down, left and right, and forward and back. But, in recent years scientists have explored a 'fourth dimension' (4D), or synthetic dimension, as an extension of our current physical reality.
Published Research supports use of managed and prescribed fires to reduce fire severity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists found that fires in America's dry conifer forests are burning hotter and killing more trees today than in previous centuries. The main culprit? Paradoxically, a lack of fires.
Published A butterfly's first flight inspires a new way to produce force and electricity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have uncovered the promising capability of chitin as a sustainable smart biomaterial. Through water exchange with the environment, humidity-responsive chitinous films can generate mechanical and electrical energy for potential use in engineering and biomedical applications.
Published 'Quantum avalanche' explains how nonconductors turn into conductors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study takes a new approach to answer a long-standing mystery about insulator-to-metal transitions.
Published Renewable solar energy can help purify water, the environment
(via sciencedaily.com) Chemists have demonstrated that water remediation can be powered in part -- and perhaps even exclusively -- by renewable energy sources.
Published Device makes hydrogen from sunlight with record efficiency
(via sciencedaily.com) Engineers have created a device that turns sunlight into hydrogen with record-breaking efficiency by integrating next-generation halide perovskite semiconductors with electrocatalysts in a single, durable, cost-effective and scalable device.
Published Picturing where wildlands and people meet at a global scale
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have created the first tool to map and visualize the areas where human settlements and nature meet on a global scale. The tool could improve responses to environmental conflicts like wildfires, the spread of zoonotic diseases and loss of ecosystem biodiversity.
Published Aluminum materials show promising performance for safer, cheaper, more powerful batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers are using aluminum foil to create batteries with higher energy density and greater stability. The team's new battery system could enable electric vehicles to run longer on a single charge and would be cheaper to manufacture -- all while having a positive impact on the environment.
Published Understanding the many different ways animals are evolving in response to fire could help conservation efforts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In our modern era of larger, more destructive, and longer-lasting fires -- called the Pyrocene -- plants and animals are evolving quickly to survive. By synthesizing the wide body of research about rapid animal evolution in response to fire, a multidisciplinary team of ecology experts hopes to leverage what we already know to help foster evolution-informed conservation plans. In this way, they suggest, we can try to harness the ways in which fire impacts animals to protect vulnerable species -- working with evolution instead of against it.