Engineering advances and applied technology.
A surface-engineered hard-carbon anode retained 96.5% of its capacity after 5,000 charge-discharge cycles in a sodium-ion battery test. The design also improved the battery’s initial efficiency and supported a pouch cell that operated for 500 cycles.
Researchers created a reference dataset of primary emissions from several rocket engine types to support more consistent global launch inventories. The study finds that engine cycle design and fuel film cooling can strongly affect estimated black carbon emissions.
Poplar stems actively straightened after bending by forming tension wood on the outer, or convex, side of the curve. The results provide direct evidence that trees sense their own curvature and use that information, alongside gravity sensing, to control their posture.
Researchers report a treatment that extracted nearly all the zinc from zinc-production sludge, followed by recovery of most of its lead and arsenic. The remaining iron-rich residue had heavy-metal levels and leachability below the study’s legal limits for hazardous-waste classification.
People are more supportive of road user charging when they see it as fair, affordable and governed transparently, according to a study in Transportation Research Part A. Public ownership, not-for-profit operation and clear decisions about revenue were among the preferred features, while complex charging systems were viewed less favorably.
Weather forecasts that included wind farms showed strong reductions in wind speed near turbines and statistically significant differences at many sites. The simulated effect on near-surface temperature was small on average but could mean nighttime warming in one model or cooling in another during some periods.
Researchers developed an all-optical memory array that uses near-infrared and visible light to strengthen or weaken its electronic conductance. In a 32 × 32 array, the system classified microscopic blood-cell images with 96.5% accuracy and showed reported resistance to noise.
Researchers developed a compact neural-network system that replaces costly fine-scale calculations in simulations of plastic composite materials. In a two-dimensional, macroscopically isotropic test case, it reproduced the reference response and reduced per-analysis costs from hours to seconds, with speed-ups of up to 30,000.
A new manganese-based flow-battery design reached a specific capacity of 156.2 ampere-hours per litre of catholyte, a 409% increase over reported manganese sulfate electrolytes. The battery also operated stably at a current density 30 times higher than that reported for manganese-based semi-solid flow batteries.
A laser-treated, glassy layer at the electrolyte interface improved the stability of solid-state lithium-metal batteries. In tests, the cells cycled for more than 2,000 hours, while lithium-cobalt-oxide cells retained a capacity of 101.9 mAh per gram after 800 cycles at 4.5 volts.
Neuromorphic computing is moving toward larger, more programmable systems that process information in ways inspired by the nervous system. A review of recent work suggests these computers may be useful for low-power, real-time tasks at the edge, while major challenges remain in training, testing and manufacturing.
A review of ferrite-based motors finds that they could provide a practical alternative to rare-earth magnets in electric vehicles. Recent prototypes have reached torque and power densities within the range of commercial electric-vehicle motors, although ferrite magnets have weaker magnetic properties than rare-earth materials.
Researchers developed light-sensitive hydrogels that rapidly form twists, helices and other handed shapes when selected areas are illuminated. The shapes can be erased in darkness and reprogrammed with light, and the gel can rotate for robotic movement.
Researchers developed an aerial robot that uses touch to refine its position and perch on structures it has not encountered before. The system succeeded in more than 99% of simulated trials and completed 26 real-world perching trials despite corrupted position estimates.
A modeling study of Belgium’s 2045 energy system found that all near-optimal low-carbon pathways met the climate target but exceeded limits for ecotoxicity and particulate matter under the most permissive assessment approach. The pathways had similar costs but differed in whether they relied mainly on electrification, hydrogen, renewable power capacity or a mix of strategies.
