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Will Chueh to Receive the 2023 Shirley Award

Will Chueh of Stanford University is the 2023 winner of the Shirley award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement at the ALS. His selection recognizes Chueh’s deep contributions in operando soft x-ray spectromicroscopy for imaging electrochemical redox phenomena—images and movies for battery and electrocatalytic reactions. Read more »

Eco-Friendly Processing of Organic Photovoltaics

Researchers controlled the mixing of electron-donating and -accepting constituents of an organic photovoltaic (OPV) material made using a process that replaces toxic solvents with water. With efficiencies comparable to less eco-friendly OPVs, this material shows promise for many advanced device and building applications. Read more »PPT-icon-35

Coaxing Molecules to Stand Tall for Better Solar Cells

Multimodal probes revealed a way to prevent the formation of undesirable phases in a perovskite-type compound that shows promise for the efficient harvesting of light for solar cells. The work led to new fabrication protocols that resulted in devices with improved power-conversion efficiencies and operational stability. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

Toward High Efficiency Water Processed Organic Photovoltaics: Controlling the Nanoparticle Morphology with Surface Energies

Researchers achieve power conversion efficiencies approaching 10% by careful control of the nanoparticle and thin film morphologies thanks to surface energy considerations. This approach opens the route to low environmental footprint photovoltaics. Representing the promise of this sustainable direction in organic photovoltaics, the image shows the deposition of the active layer from water-based nanoparticles inks. Read more »

Surface Engineering Boosts Water-Splitting Efficiency

Researchers modified the surface of an electrocatalyst to maximize its efficiency at splitting water. The optimized material is approximately 40 times more efficient than similar commercial electrocatalysts and could help make the production of clean hydrogen fuel more sustainable and economical. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

Synergistic Effect Could Boost Production of Green Hydrogen

Researchers developed a composite material of earth-abundant elements that catalyzes the production of green hydrogen much more effectively than similar homogeneous compounds. The composite could potentially be used for efficient hydrogen generation without the need for rare and precious metals like platinum. Read more »

Increasing the Energy Density of Hybrid Supercapacitor Electrodes

Hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs) integrate the merits of batteries with those of supercapacitors. However, the fraction of active material in HSC electrodes has remained too low for commercial requirements. Now, researchers have found a clever way to increase the active-mass ratio to achieve dramatic improvements in key measures. Read more »

Electric Vehicle Batteries Could Get Big Boost With New Polymer Coating

Scientists have developed a conductive polymer coating—called HOS-PFM—that conducts both electrons and ions at the same time. This ensures battery stability and high charge/discharge rates while enhancing battery life. The coating also shows promise as a battery adhesive that could extend the lifetime of a lithium-ion battery from an average of 10 years to about 15 years. Read more »