zinc oxide Archives – The Green Optimistic

Student-Built Reactor Produces Hydrogen From Sunlight, Zinc Oxide and Water

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:37:18 +0000

A new way to have sunlight produce hydrogen has been perfected in a University of Delaware lab. The inventor, Erik Koepf, has designed a reactor that works at ultra-high temperatures and that uses zinc oxide and water to produce hydrogen at a potentially industrial scale without reforming fossil fuels, as it’s done in the industry […]

The post Student-Built Reactor Produces Hydrogen From Sunlight, Zinc Oxide and Water appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Chinese Scientists Find Alternative to Lead-Containing Mainstream Piezoelectric Material

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:57:43 +0000

You probably learned in high school what the piezoelectric effect is: a phenomenon where an electromotive force is generated by applying mechanical stress to a material. So far, piezoelectric devices used a material called lead zirconate titanate (PZT). However, PZT is expensive and contains lead, which is bad for the environment. Progress does happen, though, […]

The post Chinese Scientists Find Alternative to Lead-Containing Mainstream Piezoelectric Material appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Atom-Thick Coating Helps Researchers Achieve Artificial Photosynthesis

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:24:32 +0000

By growing layers of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide on a semiconductor surface, researchers from the ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Â°cole polytechnique fÃƒÆ’©dÃƒÆ’©rale de Lausanne (EPFL) have managed to create solar cells that can ultimately extract hydrogen from water under the direct action of sunlight, just like leaves do their natural photosynthesis.

The post Atom-Thick Coating Helps Researchers Achieve Artificial Photosynthesis appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Zinc Oxide Solar Cells Receiving 8 Percent Boost With Food Dyes

Ovidiu Sandru — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:53:57 +0000

Zinc oxide-based solar cells have just received an innovation from an Indian scientist, Ram Mehra of Sharda University in Greater Noida, India. He claims boosting the capacity of zinc oxide fuel cells and making them capture more of the incident light by using a blended mixture of common dyes, regularly used in food and medical industries.

The post Zinc Oxide Solar Cells Receiving 8 Percent Boost With Food Dyes appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Zinc Oxide Crystal Acting as Piezoelectric Material To Get Hydrogen From Water

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:18:51 +0000

A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have just discovered that crystals of zinc oxide, if submerged, absorb its vibrations and act like a piezoelectric material, developing areas of strong negative and positive charges.

The post Zinc Oxide Crystal Acting as Piezoelectric Material To Get Hydrogen From Water appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Power Air`s Batteries Use Zinc as Fuel: Cheaper Alternative to Li-Ion

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:33:57 +0000

A California company, named "Power Air" wants to introduce a fuel cell to the market next year. It has the size of a BlackBerry, and uses zinc as a fuel to charge your gadgets.

The post Power Air`s Batteries Use Zinc as Fuel: Cheaper Alternative to Li-Ion appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Flexible Charge Pump: Harvesting Mechanical Energy Through Zinc Oxide Wires

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:13:19 +0000

Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology developed a new type of small-scale electric power generator, based on stretching and releasing zinc oxide wires encapsulated in a flexible plastic with two ends bonded.

The post Flexible Charge Pump: Harvesting Mechanical Energy Through Zinc Oxide Wires appeared first on The Green Optimistic.