Lifeboat Foundation

All-solid-state batteries are now one step closer to becoming the powerhouse of next-generation electronics, as researchers from Tokyo Tech, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and Yamagata University introduce a strategy to restore their low electrical resistance. They also explore the underlying reduction mechanism, paving the way for a more fundamental understanding of the workings of all-solid-state lithium batteries.

All-solid-state lithium batteries have become the new craze in materials science and engineering as conventional lithium-ion batteries can no longer meet the standards for advanced technologies, such as electric vehicles, which demand high energy densities, fast charging, and long cycle lives. All-solid-state batteries, which use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyte found in traditional batteries, not only meet these standards but are comparatively safer and more convenient as they have the possibility to charge in a short time.

However, the solid electrolyte comes with its own challenge. It turns out that the interface between the positive electrode and solid electrolyte shows a large electrical resistance whose origin is not well understood. Furthermore, the resistance increases when the electrode surface is exposed to air, degrading the battery capacity and performance. While several attempts have been made to lower the resistance, none have managed to bring it down to 10 Ω cm² (ohm centimeter-squared), the reported interface resistance value when not exposed to air.

As it pursues the goal of fully autonomous driving, Tesla has bet entirely on cameras and artificial intelligence, shunning other commonly used tools such as laser detection.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has touted a system built around eight “surround” cameras that feed data into the auto’s “deep neural network,” according to Tesla’s website.

But as with so many other things involving Tesla, there is controversy.

Lithium metal batteries could store much more charge in a given space than today’s lithium-ion batteries, and the race is on to develop them for next-gen electric vehicles, electronics and other uses.

But one of the hurdles that stand in the way is a silent battle between two of the battery’s parts. The liquid between the battery electrodes, known as the electrolyte, corrodes the surface of the lithium metal anode, coating it in a thin layer of gunk called the solid-electrolyte interphase, or SEI.

Although formation of SEI is believed to be inevitable, researchers hope to stabilize and control the growth of this layer in a way that maximizes the battery’s performance. But until now they have never had a clear picture of what the SEI looks like when it’s saturated with electrolyte, as it would be in a working battery.

A potential alternative to hydrogen-based energy storage systems that suffer from low energy density.

Three pilot tests for digital transactions without the internet were successfully completed by India’s central bank (RBI). Based on the experience of 240,000 transactions, the RBI has created a framework which will be available on the platforms of banks, credit cards, and payment apps.

#DigitalPayments #Internet #WION

Continue reading “Soon, Indians will make digital payments without internet” »

Aluminium Air batteries have been a thing for a while — but now a UK inventor says he’s solved one of the biggest problems with them — the toxicity of the electrolyte they’ve traditionally used.

Does this make Aluminium Air batteries viable?

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JFrog’s senior director of security research said the vulnerability has a root cause similar to Log4Shell.

For a few brief moments, the high-powered lasers generated 1.3 megajoules of fusion energy.

A breakthrough experiment last month at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California has turned up a whopping 1.3 megajoules of energy, or about three percent of the energy contained in one kilogram of crude oil. The work, as outlined in the journal Physical Review E, puts physicists “at the threshold of fusion ignition,” according to the lab’s press release.

Nuclear fusion, in the simplest terms, is a reaction in which atoms are smashed together to generate an abundance of energy. In some ways, it’s less dangerous than nuclear fission —a process that involves splitting heavy, unstable atoms into two lighter ones—and has the potential to create a lot more energy.

Continue reading “Powerful Lasers Have Put Us at the ‘Threshold’ of Nuclear Fusion Ignition” »

Space based weaponry.

In a bit to deepen defence cooperation, the United States and Japan have agreed to collaborate on several new ventures. This includes developing hypersonic and space-based weaponry and a new deal on sharing the cost of US troops in Japan.

Continue reading “US, Japan collaborate on new ventures, including developing hypersonic & space-based weaponry | WION” »