UW-Madison researchers disclose a new aqueous rechargeable Na-ion battery (ARNB) system that can operate in seawater and achieve seawater desalination, which drastically increases the benefits offered...
Learn More

Tandem solar cells comprising two or more solar cells connected in a solar cell stack via pn diode tunnel junctions and methods for fabricating the tandem solar cells using epitaxial lift off and tran...
Learn More

Electrodialysis cell systems for water deionization is provided. Also provided are methods for using the electrodialysis cell systems. The cells use the forward and reverse reactions of a redox mediat...
Learn More

Although horizontal axis wind turbines currently dominate the wind power industry, their vertical axis counterparts offer several advantages. For example, vertical axis systems are powered by wind com...
Learn More

Access to fresh water is a pressing geopolitical issue and technological challenge. Desalination is a potentially viable solution considering the abundance of seawater on Earth. While reverse osmosis ...
Learn More

Activated (porous) carbon is conventionally produced by pyrolysis (carbonization) of carbon-rich biomass or coal followed by activation/oxidation. Activated carbon produced by this conventional method...
Learn More

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires are of tremendous commercial interest because they could help drive the next big advancements in solar cells, flat panel displays and other transparent conductor application...
Learn More

A biomass-derived chemical called HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural) can be turned into a variety of industrial molecules. For example, it can be reduced to BHMF or 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl) furan, an importa...
Learn More

Photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) use solar energy to produce fuels, much as nature does through photosynthesis. In a typical PEC, fuels are formed by reduction reactions at the cathode. For example, ...
Learn More

N-type bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has emerged as a promising photoanode for use in solar water-splitting cells given its favorable light absorption and conduction band characteristics. To date, however,...
Learn More

In a reverse water gas shift reaction, CO2 is reduced to water and carbon monoxide (CO). The CO generated by this reaction is a key component in synthesis gas, also called syngas, which can be convert...
Learn More

Capacitive deionization devices use high surface area carbon electrodes to remove ions from water. However, these systems perform poorly at removing Ca2+ and other multivalent cations, which are atoms...
Learn More

Maximizing how much sunlight strikes a solar panel is one tactic to boost efficiency. Some approaches have tried to imitate heliotropic plants by repositioning the panels to follow the sun. Unfortunat...
Learn More

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted tremendous attention because they are cheap and efficient. The DSSCs with the highest power conversion efficiency (greater than 12 percent) are based ...
Learn More

Significant research is conducted to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of energy generated by renewable resources. Existing photovoltaic cells and conventional photoelectrochemical cells conv...
Learn More

Solar power is a renewable energy resource that has generated a lot of interest as an alternative to fossil fuels. Unfortunately, solar photovoltaic panels historically have been proven inefficient in...
Learn More

Rectifiers are devices that convert alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). The simplest and least expensive type of rectifier uses a full- or half-bridge of diodes to convert single- or th...
Learn More

Drinking water must be treated to remove organic contaminants, such as pathogenic microorganisms, and inorganic contaminants, such as heavy metals.
Learn More

Functionalized substrates have commercial applications ranging from biosensors to energy conversion devices such as solar cells.  Biosensors rapidly detect the presence of target biomolecules bas...
Learn More

Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity through the interaction of photons and electrons within a photoconducting material. To create a photovoltaic cell, a photoconducting mater...
Learn More

Wind-powered generators are an increasing source of power for many countries. However, before their use can become widespread, they must be able to work effectively with the existing utility grid. V...
Learn More