Blog

Lithium-Metal Battery Gains Increased High Energy Density with Increased Safety

Catwell

The new battery uses a cobalt-poor, nickel-rich layered cathode (NCM88) and a commercially available dual anion ionic liquid electrolyte, which provides a higher energy density of 560-Wh/kg and increased stability. (Image credit: Karlsruhe Institute ...
- 7 Sep 2021
Researchers achieve record-breaking 10 quadrillion watts of power - fusion

Catwell

This image shows the internal structure of INF’s preamplifier support. (Image Credit: Damien Jemison/LLNL) Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Northern California used a unique nuclear fusion creation technique at the Nat...
- 1 Sep 2021
Cool power devices to check out

ctammann

I wanted to take a minute and share a few really cool new power devices I've come across lately that I think are definitely worth your consideration on your next designs. These are all module based products, which is not to say I don't advoca...
- 30 Aug 2021
Researchers develop the world's smallest supercapacitor that can be used inside the human body

Catwell

A research team in Germany developed the world's smallest micro supercapacitor, which can be safely used in the human body. (Image Credit: Research Group Prof. Dr. Oliver G. Schmidt) Scientists in Germany recently created the world's sma...
- 27 Aug 2021
TVA installed world-first 3D printed fuel brackets in its nuclear power plant

Catwell

The 3D printed channel fasteners were installed during a planned fuel outage at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Athens, Alabama. (Image Credit: Framatome) This prompts a serious thought – would you trust a 3D printed part in a mission-c...
- 26 Aug 2021
Researchers achieve ‘holy grail’ battery breakthrough, making electronics more efficient

Catwell

The breakthrough could pave the way toward faster electronics. (Image Credit: Intralist.com/Unsplash) Northeastern University scientists claim to have made a breakthrough quantum physics discovery that could help lead to the next generation of c...
- 25 Aug 2021
IEC 62368-1: An Overview of the new Safety Standard

dychen

Electronics are becoming more like computers every day and almost every new television or receiver connects to the Internet to report bugs, or to download the latest new app or firmware update. To support this functionality, the internals of these de...
- 18 Aug 2021
Scientists create new material to convert heat waste into electricity

Catwell

The team’s purified tin selenide in polycrystalline form could lead to affordable devices that convert heat waste into electricity. (Image Credit: Northwestern University) Scientists from Northwestern University and Seoul National University rec...
- 10 Aug 2021
Who does your thermals?

ctammann

I've been spending a lot of time working on thermal design lately. I've posted several blogs about thermal design, including the redesign of the thermal solution for Ultra96-V2. We also have a heatsink being validated for another SOM platform as we s...
- 30 Jul 2021
Breakthrough could enable batteries to charge in just five minutes

Catwell

Cambridge University researchers developed a new technique that could fully charge most smartphones and laptops in as little as five minutes. (Image Credit: Pixabay) Researchers at the University of Cambridge developed a low-cost lab-based techn...
- 8 Jul 2021
An electric vehicle’s Li-ion battery could charge in just ten minutes

Catwell

Using Yazami’s new technique could charge an EV battery in just ten minutes. (Image Credit: Waldemar Brandt/Unsplash) Dr. Rachid Yazami believes his invention, a graphite anode that allows lithium-ion batteries to achieve high performance, could...
- 24 Jun 2021
The Central Solenoid is heading to France to provide energy for a fusion reactor

Catwell

Six Central Solenoid modules in the fabrication process. The first module is located on the far right. (Image Credit: General Atomics) General Atomics announced that the Central Solenoid's first module is heading to France after ten years of...
- 23 Jun 2021
The Air Force is building a spacecraft to beam solar energy to Earth

Catwell

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory announced that its SSPIDR project received the Helios component for the Arachne spacecraft. (Image Credit: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory) Some old news, but I still like the concept. Worth talking ab...
- 18 Jun 2021
AeroDeft unveils prototype Phoenix, an aircraft expected to run on liquid hydrogen

Catwell

AeroDelft recently unveiled the prototype of Phoenix PT, which is set to take flight this July. (Image Credit: AeroDelft) An AeroDelft team of 50 students from Delft University in the Netherlands built a prototype of an aircraft powered by liqui...
- 18 Jun 2021
Maintentance measurements and lithium ion batteries

cookmesomekai

Whenever you visit a shopping center or cinema or basically any public building you might notice illuminated emergency exit signs telling you the way out in case of an incident. As such an incident might cause the mains power supply to stop working, ...
- 15 Jun 2021
Scientists develop high-energy supercapacitor to power electric vehicles

Catwell

Image showing the synthesis scheme for the pristine and densified materials. (Image Credit: The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH) Why aren't supercaps in more devices? Like IoT things least? Researchers from Imperia...
- 15 Jun 2021
1,000-foot floating wind turbine could power 80,000 European homes

Catwell

One Wind Catching grid turbine could provide 80,000 European homes with power. (Image Credit: Wind Catching Systems) Wind Catching Systems (WCS), a Norwegian company, recently unveiled a floating wind turbine array capable of generating five tim...
- 10 Jun 2021
World’s first electric oil tanker to be equipped with a massive 3.5 MWh battery pack

Catwell

Two electric tankers are expected to be equipped with a massive 3.5 MWh battery pack. (Image Credit: Asahi Tanker) Even though there is much ongoing effort to help the environment by making cars emissions-free, oil tankers and cargo ships are re...
- 4 Jun 2021
Researchers develop new stable and fast-charging lithium battery

Catwell

The new battery could increase the lifetime of electric vehicles by 10 to 15. The lithium battery is made up of multiple levels to protect the inner electrodes. (Photo from Second Bay Studios/Harvard SEAS) The electric vehicle market is on the r...
- 26 May 2021
USB Type-C®︎ Cable and Connector Specification Revision 2.1 has been released

cstanton

You never notice when something is implemented correctly because it 'just works' , but when it's done wrong, wow you really do notice. USB is one of those technologies that hardware designers manage to repeatedly get wrong, even the ...
- 26 May 2021
Researchers develop cement-based batteries, turning buildings into energy harvesters

Catwell

CUT’s concept involves adding short carbon fibers into a cement-based mixture, making it more conductive. Then, they integrated a metal-coated carbon-fiber mesh. (Image Credit: Yen Strandqvist/Chalmers University of Technology) One day, the conc...
- 24 May 2021
Researchers develop new technology that harvests Wi-Fi signals to power electronics

Catwell

Dr. Raghav Sharma holds a chip integrated with 50 spin-torque oscillators. The new technology converts Wi-Fi signals into energy, which can power small devices. (Image Credit: National University of Singapore) Researchers from the National Unive...
- 21 May 2021
New York’s Empire State Building underwent a decade-long retrofit project

Catwell

New York City’s Empire State building underwent some upgrades over the past decade, making it more energy-efficient. (Image Credit: Jonathon Roger/Unsplash) The Empire State building’s chiller plant consists of a series of pipes, gauges, a...
- 19 May 2021
Minerals could affect the Earth’s climate goals, and Tesla acquires patent application for $3

Catwell

Renewables and EV minerals need a sharp supply increase to meet climate change goals. The IEA warns that critical minerals need a sharp increase in supply to meet the planet’s climate goals. (Image Credit: Alex Eckermann/Unsplash) The International E...
- 10 May 2021
Scientists convert food waste into jet fuel, potentially reducing emissions by 165%

Catwell

Researchers have come up with a method to convert food waste into jet fuel. (Image Credit: Tango Tsuttie/Unsplash) Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the University of Dayton, Yale University, and Oak Ridge Nationa...
- 5 May 2021