Archive for category New Inventions

Nanotech Solar Cells being Developed by RedWave Energy

Posted by Benji Jerew in New Inventions, Solar Power on May 13, 2013

Energy is all around us, but harvesting it remains an issue if we are going to really clean up our act. Nanotech solar cells promise to harvest energy more efficiently and turn it into something we can use. We’ve talked before about how nanotech might improve current solar panel efficiency. One such technology developed by [...]

“Flash Thermography Measurement” Technique Sees Battery Electrode Defects Before Assembly

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Energy Storage, New Inventions on May 11, 2013

A team at Purdue University have discovered a method of detecting defects in lithium ion battery anodes as they are manufactured, before installing them in actual batteries. Their discovery relies on thermal imaging and could increase the reliability of lithium ion cells used in electric cars. Anodes and cathodes are the two electrodes of a [...]

Calcium-Aluminum High Voltage Power Cables Could be Lighter and More Durable

Posted by Benji Jerew in New Inventions, Power Saving on April 3, 2013

We may never give high voltage power cables a second thought, but there’s a lot that goes into their construction that could be improved. High voltage cables are typically made from a steel core and an aluminum shell. Aluminum is the 4th-best conductor of electricity after gold, silver, and copper, but doesn’t make a good [...]

New Nanomaterial Purifies Water, Produces Energy And Improves Lithium-Ion Batteries

Posted by Mila Luleva in New Inventions, Solar Power, Water Purifiers on March 21, 2013

Generating hydrogen, producing and desalinating water and creating energy are just some of the properties of a brand new nanomaterial, developed by scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. The Multi-use Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) was invented by the Associate Professor, Darren Sun and his team in a five-year long study. The material is cheap [...]

Chinese Designers Propose VolcanElectric Mask to Tap Volcano Energy

Posted by Mike Sandru in Energy news, New Inventions on March 17, 2013

Generally, volcanic eruptions are dangerous occurrences that people do well to steer clear off. However, a group of Chinese designers have proposed a structure that would harness the volcano’s energy to be used for electricity production, while also protecting the environs from the dangerous products of eruption including lava and tephra. The eVolo Skyscraper Competition [...]

10 Ways Graphene Can Make a Better World

Posted by Mila Luleva in New Inventions on February 19, 2013

The world’s strongest material- graphene, never fails to impress, with its numerous applications in various fields and industries. We decided to show you some of its greatest uses, hoping that at least one of them, if not all, will come in handy at some point in your life. 1. Goodbye rusting. Graphene is a well-known [...]

New Cotton Fabric Absorbs 340% of Its Weight in Water

Posted by Leigh Kim in New Inventions on February 1, 2013

A revolutionary new treatment for cotton fabric may strengthen water collection efforts from mist or fog in in desert regions. This inexpensive treatment allows cotton to absorb up to 340% of its weight in water and releases the water just as easily. In very arid regions, mist or fog harvesters are often used to collect [...]

Flexible Batteries Make Bendable Smartphones a Reality

Posted by Leigh Kim in Energy Storage, New Inventions on January 17, 2013

A team of Korean researchers may have discovered how to create a flexible battery to be used in smartphones. This may be a game changer in the future of smartphones since, until now, the focus has primarily creating flexible displays. The researchers’ paper in The Advanced Materials journal details what they’ve titled Imprintable, Bendable, and Shape-Conformable Polymer [...]

Tornado Wrangling – The Next Green Energy Source?

Posted by Benji Jerew in New Inventions, Wind Power on December 17, 2012

Every year in the Midwest US, hundreds of tornadoes are spawned by thunderstorm supercells. Many of these are short-lived and may not effect anyone, but others are hundreds of feet across and leave destructive paths miles long. This powerful force of nature, though, has spawned something else. What if the energy of the tornado could [...]

Innovative Micro Fuel Cell Could Power Future Electronics

Posted by Benji Jerew in Green Electronics, Hydrogen Power, New Inventions on December 6, 2012

The first hydrogen fuel cells [HFC], much like the first mobile phones, were large, bulky, and expensive. Technologies in various fields, such as metallurgy, electronics, and chemistry, have made the mobile phone, not only smaller, but more available than ever before. With the advent of the smartphone, battery and smartphone manufacturers have been working to [...]

GELI, The Smart Grid Operating System, Advances to Next Step

Posted by Benji Jerew in Energy Storage, Green Buildings, New Inventions on October 20, 2012

Currently, power grids are very centralized and electricity is produced on demand. This also makes the power grid very susceptible to interruptions due to storms or accidents, or simply excessive demand. Recently, smart grid technologies have been helping to bring some of these problems under control. We reported to you recently that EPB Chattanooga saved [...]

New Yellow Phosphor LED Bulb is More Efficient and Economical

Posted by Benji Jerew in Green Electronics, New Inventions, Power Saving on October 20, 2012

Typical white light-emitting diodes [LED] are extremely bright and expensive to manufacture. Their applications are also limited because of the directional nature of the light they produce. Japanese researchers have developed a new white LED, using a different phosphor compound, that eliminates these issues. The new yellow phosphor, “CL_MS phosphor,” was co-developed by Koito Manufacturing [...]

Infrared-Harvesting Solar Cells Made Entirely from Carbon Invented at MIT

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in New Inventions, Solar Power on June 22, 2012

MIT researcher Michael Strano, previously involved in projects like thermopower waves, carbon nanotube energy storage and others related to carbon nanotubes, discovered a new type of all-carbon solar cell made from buckyballs (aka C60). Strano’s new cells are sensitive to the near-infrared spectrum of light, which makes up to 40% of the solar energy hitting [...]

Firefly-Inspired Researchers Invent New Lighting Nanotechnology

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in New Inventions on June 15, 2012

A new method of lighting based on how fireflies produce light has been discovered by scientists at Syracuse University. Their quantum nanorod chemical lighting system could one day replace LEDs and run without electricity – just like fireflies, only better. The breakthrough system is said to be 20 to 30 times more efficient than previous [...]

Excess Human Body Heat Used to Keep Buildings Warm

Posted by Mircea Sandru in New Inventions, Power Saving on March 31, 2012

Already being used in many places around the world, the idea of using human body heat to keep buildings warm during cold seasons gains popularity very fast. After many studies engineers concluded that excess body heat could slash carbon emissions in urban areas by one third, if collected and used properly. You may have noticed [...]