Electronics & Semiconductors

You may not have heard of piezoelectric materials, but odds are, you have benefitted from them.

In the effort to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, one strategy involves harvesting the waste heat that is already being produced by our energy systems. Thermoelectric generators can convert waste heat to clean electricity, and a new design breakthrough may make these devices more efficient than previously possible, according to scientists at Penn State and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

For many years, Thomas Geiger has been conducting research in the field of cellulose fibrils—fine fibers that can be produced from wood pulp or agricultural waste, for example. Cellulose fibrils hold great potential for sustainable production and the decarbonization of industry: they grow CO2-neutral in nature, burn without residues and are even compostable. They can be used for many purposes, for example as fiber reinforcement in technical rubber products such as pump membranes.

Researchers at the Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics (IAP), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have designed a novel ultramicro supercapacitor, a tiny device capable of storing an enormous amount of electric charge. It is also much smaller and more compact than existing supercapacitors and can potentially be used in many devices ranging from streetlights to consumer electronics, electric cars and medical devices.

When you think of how to make electronic components, water probably doesn’t top your list of raw materials. Nevertheless, in a study recently published in Journal of Water Chemistry and Technology, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have used volcanic spring water to help make the plastic that’s an essential part of many modern technologies.

One of the first sights greeting visitors to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL’s) Energy Sciences Center are windows into busy lab spaces. Filled with equipment and researchers going about their work, the film growth lab looks out onto the lobby. It houses a team that creates extremely thin and precise films of different materials.

Researchers at West Virginia University have engineered a material with the potential to dramatically cut the amount of heat power plants release into the atmosphere.

Finding a simple and efficient green energy conversion technology is an essential component of the plan to achieve carbon neutrality and sustainable green energy while also satisfying the increased demand for electrical power.

Perovskites, a family of materials with unique electric properties, show promise for use in a variety fields, including next-generation solar cells. A Penn State-led team of scientists created a new process to fabricate large perovskite devices that is more cost- and time-effective than previously possible and that they said may accelerate future materials discovery.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network based on wireless sensor nodes that provide resources and information. For the long-lasting use of IoT devices, their batteries must be replaced, or a number of power line connections with complex wiring are required. Replacing batteries or connecting long power lines for numerous sensors installed in geographically inaccessible areas is time-consuming, dangerous, and costly.