Articles on or after 4/22/2024: PHYS.ORG - Technology
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Aerogel-based phase change materials improve thermal management, reduce microwave emissions in electronic devices - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · Chinese scientists from Beijing Normal University have been working on building shielding for electronic devices using multifunctional composite phase change materials (PCMs) to address these performance issues.
PCMs are man-made materials built by combining different types of elements, allowing the creation of a new material with very specific purpose driven characteristics. In this case, the researchers are looking to improve thermal management, solar-thermal conversion and microwave absorption in the electronic devices.
Using engineering inspired by biological systems, they built a neural network-inspired aerogel that increases the efficiency of thermal management and ... Read more ...
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Amazon sold a chemical that led to 15 deaths: Who is responsible? - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · In December 2020, 15-year-old Tyler Schmidt took a deadly chemical to a wooded area near his home in Camas, Clark County, Washington.
His body was found two days later. The chemical was determined to be his cause of death.
That year, four more individuals died the same way. In 2021 and 2022, 10 more died after ingesting the same chemical.
All 15 individuals purchased the chemical - a substance that can be used as a food preservative or in medical lab settings in a low purity form - from Amazon. It was sold there with 99% purity.
The families of those 15 people have sued Amazon in six separate cases since 2022 - including one filed last month - alleging the ... Read more ...
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An ultralow-concentration electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Lithium salts make batteries powerful but expensive. An ultralow-concentration electrolyte based on the lithium salt LiDFOB may be a more economical and more sustainable alternative. Cells using these electrolytes and conventional electrodes have been demonstrated to have high performance, as reported by a research team in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. In addition, the electrolyte could facilitate both production and recycling of the batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) provide power to smartphones and tablets, drive electric vehicles, and store electricity at power plants. The main components of most LIBs are lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathodes, ... Read more ...
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Denmark launches its biggest offshore wind farm tender - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · The Danish Energy Agency on Monday launched its biggest tender for the construction of offshore wind farms, aimed at producing six gigawatts by 2030 - more than double Denmark's current capacity.
Offshore wind is one of the major sources of green energy that Europe is counting on to decarbonize electricity production and reach its 2050 target of net zero carbon production, but it remains far off the pace needed to hit its targets.
Denmark's offshore wind parks currently generate 2.7 gigawatts of electricity, with another one GW due in 2027.
The tender covers six sites in four zones in Danish waters: North Sea I, Kattegat, Kriegers Flak II and Hesselo.
"We are ... Read more ...
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Energy-smart bricks keep waste out of landfill - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · RMIT University engineers collaborated with Visy—Australia's largest recycling company—to make bricks with a minimum of 15% waste glass and 20% combusted solid waste (ash), as substitutes for clay.
Test results indicate that using these bricks in the construction of a single-story building could reduce household energy bills by up to 5% compared to regular bricks, due to improved insulation.
Replacing clay with waste materials in the brick production helped reduce the firing temperature by up to 20% compared with standard brick mixtures, offering potential cost savings to manufacturers.
Team leader Associate Professor Dilan Robert said about 1.4 ... Read more ...
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Honda to build major EV plant in Canada: govt source - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · Japanese auto giant Honda will open an electric vehicle plant in eastern Canada, a Canadian government source familiar with the multibillion-dollar project told AFP on Monday.
The federal government as well as the province of Ontario, where the plant will be built, will both provide some financial incentives for the deal, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official announcement is due Thursday, though Ontario premier Doug Ford hinted at the deal on Monday.
"This week, we've landed a new deal. It will be the largest deal in Canadian history. It'll be double the size of Volkswagen," he said, referring to a battery plant announced last ... Read more ...
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How potatoes, corn and beans led to breakthrough in smart windows technology - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · A study from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin aims to solve these problems through a new type of electrochromic device and materials. The device uses common, low-cost, sustainable building blocks such as amylose, a natural polymer found in corn, potatoes and beans.
"There's an urgent need to develop novel sustainable electrochromic materials and devices with excellent properties for smart windows," said Guihua Yu, a professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering's Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Texas Materials Institute.
"The biomass materials we extracted from corn, potatoes and other common sources enable the achievement of ... Read more ...
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Ion thermoelectric conversion devices for near room temperature - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Prof. Zeng Wei of the Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, said that at the beginning, the research team mainly carried out study based on the thermal diffusion effect and published a series of research results. In spite of this, their results never realized the expected effect, and the prospect of practical application was not optimistic.
Later, they tried to make a further enhancement on the basis of the thermal current effect; that is, to incorporate the redox reaction of the electrode. The reason for this is that the thermal current effect is redox in the electrolyte, so the gain and loss of electrons mainly occur in the solution, and the ... Read more ...
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Italy fines Amazon over 'recurring' purchase option - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 24) |
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Apr 24 · Italy's competition authority said Wednesday it had fined two Amazon companies 10 million euros ($10.6 million) for unfair commercial practices, for pushing customers into agreeing to "recurring" rather than "one-time" purchases online.
In a statement, the AGCM said the option to set up regular purchases was "pre-selected by default" on a wide selection of products listed on Amazon's Italian website.
"The graphic layout of the pre-selected recurring purchase option may lead consumers to buy products periodically - even when there is no actual need - thereby limiting their ability to choose freely," the AGCM said in a statement.
"Moreover, the conduct implemented by ... Read more ...
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More support needed to help households transition to green energy, UK research concludes - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · New gas boiler installations need to be phased out before 2050 in order for the UK to meet its climate change targets. There are grants of £7,500 available in England and Wales to help with the cost of installing heat pumps.
The study draws on data from deliberative workshops representing a diversity of geographic and housing contexts across the UK.
Academics found that while participants were open to the fact that there needed to be a move away from fossil fuel use for heating, there were also concerns about the impact such changes might have on their finances as well as the upheaval of retrofitting homes.
No one retrofit measure was seen as preventing ... Read more ...
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Plasma treatment enhances electrode material for fuel cells in industry, homes and vehicles - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · These are a promising technology for cleaner and more efficient electrical power generation. Published in the Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, the study even shows that the cheaper-to-make air plasma is better-suited for processing the carbon material than pure nitrogen or oxygen plasma.
One way to make burning natural gas cleaner is to use fuel cells. These are devices that technically do not burn the fuel but rather oxidize it in a different manner. That process is friendlier to the environment, because it produces more useful power, less greenhouse gases and emits no pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and aerosol particles.
Fuel cells are used ... Read more ...
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Q&A: Could automation, electrification of long-haul trucking reduce environmental impacts? - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · For long-haul routes below 300 miles, electrification can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas damages by 13%, or $587 million annually, according to the study. For long-haul routes above 300 miles, electrification of just the urban segments facilitated by hub-based automation of highway driving can reduce damages by 35%, or $220 million annually.
"It's the first study we know of that simultaneously studies a realistic model of automation and a realistic model of electrification—things that are feasible in the near term—and assesses their environmental benefits," said lead author Parth Vaishnav, assistant professor at the U-M School for Environment and ... Read more ...
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Researchers develop high-energy-density aqueous battery based on halogen multi-electron transfer - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · Aqueous batteries use water as the solvent for electrolytes, significantly enhancing the safety of the batteries. However, due to the limited solubility of the electrolyte and low battery voltage, aqueous batteries typically have a lower energy density. This means that the amount of electricity stored per unit volume of aqueous battery is relatively low.
In a study published in Nature Energy, a research group led by Prof. Li Xianfeng from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. Fu Qiang's group also from DICP, developed a multi-electron transfer cathode based on bromine and iodine, realizing a ... Read more ...
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Researchers propose a new method for wind turbine blade recycling - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · Wind turbine blades play a crucial role in harnessing renewable energy but as these blades reach the end of their operational lifespan, the issue of disposal becomes a serious concern.
Made from composite materials, such as layers of fiberglass or carbon fiber reinforced with epoxy or polyester resin, these wind turbine blades can be used for 20 to 25 years. While these materials ensure the strength, lightness, and stiffness of turbine blades, they also significantly complicate the recycling of the equipment.
Pyrolysis: A promising strategy for wind turbine blade recycling
However, until a few years ago, wind turbine blades were almost impossible to recycle. ... Read more ...
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Tesla 1Q profit falls 55%, but stock jumps as company moves to speed production of cheaper vehicles - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 24) |
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Apr 24 · Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55%, but its stock price surged in after-hours trading Tuesday as the company said it would move up production of new, more affordable vehicles.
The Austin, Texas, company said it made $1.13 billion from January through March compared with $2.51 billion in the same period a year ago.
Investors and analysts were looking to the earnings release for some sign that Tesla will move to end a stock slide this year and reverse the sales decline. The company did that in a letter to investors Tuesday, saying that production of smaller, more affordable models will start in the second half next year, ahead of previous guidance.
The ... Read more ...
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Tesla cuts the price of its 'Full Self Driving' system by a third to $8,000 - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Tesla knocked roughly a third off the price of its "Full Self Driving" system - which can't drive itself and so drivers must remain alert and be ready to intervene - to $8,000 from $12,000, according to the company website.
Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk promised in 2019 that there would be a fleet of robotaxis on the road in 2020, but the promise has yet to materialize, and the system still has to be supervised by humans.
The cuts, which occurred on Saturday, follow Tesla's moves to slash $2,000 off the prices of three of its five models in the United States late Friday. That's the latest evidence of the challenges facing the electric vehicle maker.
Tesla ... Read more ...
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Tesla earnings a 'moment of truth' for Musk after stumbles - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · Tesla CEO Elon Musk faces heightened pressure with Tuesday's earnings report to reassure investors that recent stumbles are simply unexpected speed bumps - and not indications of a road to decline.
The electric car maker, which enjoyed scorching growth for most of 2022 and 2023, has experienced setbacks that analysts say have raised the stakes for the first-quarter report.
Tuesday's earnings and conference call are a "moment of truth" for Tesla and Musk, constituting "one of the most important moments in the company's history in our view," said a note from Wedbush.
Heading into 2024, Tesla watchers were already girding for a tougher path, with Musk's once-dominant ... Read more ...
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Wind and solar in limbo: Long waitlists to get on the grid are a 'leading barrier' - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Ninety miles west of Chicago, the corn and soybean fields stretch to the sky, and dreams of the clean energy future dangle - just out of reach.
To the east of Route 52, there's the first phase of the 9,500-acre Steward Creek solar farm, in the works since 2019.
To the west, there's South Dixon Solar, which once hoped to begin construction on 3,800 acres in 2022.
Both projects have been approved by the Lee County Board. But neither can be built, according to a county official, due to PJM Interconnection, a powerful but little-known entity that controls access to the high-voltage electric grid in northern Illinois.
"There isn't anything we can do to help the ... Read more ...
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