Npj Advanced Manufacturing (npj Adv. Manuf.)
ISSN 3004–8621 (online)
Category: sustainability – Page 2
Styrofoam-based hydrogen storage: New process offers safe, reusable solution
A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a novel technology that enables hydrogen to be stored within polystyrene-derived materials, particularly those originating from Styrofoam. The research is published in the journal ACS Catalysis.
This advancement not only offers a solution to the low recycling rate of polystyrene —less than 1%—but also makes hydrogen storage and transportation more practical and accessible, addressing the challenges associated with handling gaseous hydrogen.
Led by Professor Kwangjin An from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, in collaboration with Dr. Hyuntae Sohn from KIST and Professor Jeehoon Han from POSTECH, the team successfully designed a comprehensive, closed-loop system to convert waste polystyrene into a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC). This innovative process enables efficient hydrogen storage, retrieval, and reuse.
Tesla Masterplan Part 4: Coming Soon
Questions to inspire discussion.
🇦🇺 Q: How was Tesla’s FSD supervised launch received in Australia? A: Tesla’s FSD supervised launch in Australia received fair coverage from mainstream media, including a 4.5-minute segment on national news, without Tesla paying for advertising.
🚘 Q: What are the key features of Tesla’s FSD supervised system? A: Tesla’s FSD supervised system uses cameras and advanced software to autonomously accelerate, brake, and steer, but requires the driver to be responsible and ready to take control at any time.
FSD Safety Concerns.
⚠️ Q: What safety issues have been reported with Tesla’s FSD supervised system? A: Tesla’s FSD supervised system has been involved in multiple accidents overseas, but in most cases, the driver was distracted and tried to blame the car, highlighting the need for drivers to take full responsibility.
🇺🇸 Q: What legal challenges has Tesla faced with FSD in the US and Canada? A: Tesla’s FSD supervised system has been slapped with lawsuits in the US and Canada due to multiple crashes, with Tesla stating that in most cases, the driver was distracted and not using the system properly.
Smart laser welding to eliminate filler wire in EV battery housings
Laser welding tech enables crack-free EV battery housings without filler wire.
Researchers in Germany have recently unveiled a novel laser welding technology that eliminates the need for filler wire and delivers stronger, crack-free joints for electric vehicles, aerospace tanks, and heavy steel structures.
Developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden, the process uses dynamic beam shaping to control the melt pool, reduce pores, and stabilize welds.
Is AI a Bubble? Experts Debate the Future of AI w/ Dave, Salim, and AWG
Peter H. Diamandis
X-ray and Radio go ‘Hand in Hand’ in New Image
In 2009, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory released a captivating image: a pulsar and its surrounding nebula that is shaped like a hand. Since then, astronomers have used Chandra and other telescopes to continue to observe this object. Now, new radio data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) has been combined with Chandra’s X-ray data to provide a fresh view of this exploded star and its environment, to help understand its peculiar properties and shape.
At the center of this new image lies the pulsar B1509-58, a rapidly spinning neutron star that is only about 12 miles in diameter. This tiny object is responsible for producing an intricate nebula (called MSH 15–52) that spans over 150 light-years, or about 900 trillion miles. The nebula, which is produced by energetic particles, resembles a human hand with a palm and extended fingers pointing to the upper right in X-rays.
The collapse of a massive star created the pulsar when much of the star crashed inward once it burned through its sustainable nuclear fuel. An ensuing explosion sent the star’s outer layers outward into space as a supernova.
Growth strategy enhances efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells
Photovoltaics (PVs), technological systems that can convert sunlight into electricity are among the most promising and widely adopted clean energy solutions worldwide. While existing silicon-based solar cells have already achieved remarkable performances, energy engineers have been working to develop other photovoltaic technologies that could be even more durable, efficient and affordable.
An emerging type of solar cells that could be manufactured at a lower cost, while still retaining good efficiencies, are those based on a class of materials with a characteristic arrangement of atoms, known as perovskites. These cells, known as perovskite solar cells (PSCs), have been found to attain high power conversion efficiencies and are based on materials that could be easier to synthesize when compared to silicon wafers.
Despite their potential, PSCs still face considerable limitations that have so far prevented their widespread deployment and commercialization. Most notably, improving the efficiency of these cells has been found to adversely impact their stability over time, and vice versa.
Fatal attraction: Reflective light from wind turbine blades may be luring bats to their deaths
Every year, hundreds of thousands of bats are killed by flying into the giant blades of wind turbines. It is one of the leading causes of bat mortality in North America and Europe, according to Bat Conservation International. However, the reasons for these fatal collisions are largely unknown. One possibility examined by a new study published in Biology Letters is that they may be attracted by light reflected off the blades, much like when moths make a beeline for a flame.
This idea is based on how bats navigate. The flying mammals use the open sky to help them find their way while flying. Kristin Jonasson, an independent physiological ecologist, believes that at dawn and dusk, the giant turbines may reflect just enough light to appear as a clear opening in the sky. This could trick the bats into flying directly toward the spinning blades.
To test this hypothesis, Jonasson and colleagues at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the U.S. Forestry Service flew 242 hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) and 154 silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) through a dark Y-shaped maze with two different exit options.
Maternal exposure to crude oil and flame retardants can affect later generations
A tiny fish with transparent embryos is helping University of California, Davis, researchers shed light on how exposure to crude oil and flame retardants can affect behavior, skeletal growth, cardiac health and other internal functions in offspring and subsequent generations.
The research on multiple generations of Atlantic killifish (mummichogs) was published across three papers in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
The work, some dating back to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the Gulf coast, offers insight into how toxic exposures—even short ones—can unfold over time in many species.