University of Illinois at Chicago

Finalists Announced for 2019 R&D 100 Awards

Finalists for the venerable R&D 100 Awards have been announced by R&D World magazine and its new parent company, WTWH Media, LLC.

First fully rechargeable carbon dioxide battery with carbon neutrality

Lithium-carbon dioxide batteries are attractive energy storage systems because they have a specific energy density that is more than seven times greater than commonly used lithium-ion batteries. However, until now, scientists have not been able to develop a fully rechargeable prototype, despite their potential to store more energy.

Microgel supports 3D printing of organs from stem cells

Scientists have developed a platform that prints bioink into 3D tissues using a supporting slurry of alginate microgel beads. The technique overcomes limitations of conventional bioprinted scaffolds and holds promise for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, drug screening and developmental biology.

3D printed tissues and organs without the scaffolding

Engineered tissues and organs have been grown with various degrees of success in labs for many years. Many of them have used a scaffolding approach where cells are seeded onto biodegradable supportive structures that provide the underlying architecture of the organ or tissue desired.

Graphene coating could help prevent lithium battery fires

Lithium batteries are what allow electric vehicles to travel several hundred miles on one charge. Their capacity for energy storage is well known, but so is their tendency to occasionally catch on fire - an occurrence known to battery researchers as "thermal runaway."

2D materials may enable EVs to get 500 miles on a single charge

Lithium-air batteries, which currently are still in the experimental stages of development, can store 10 times more energy than lithium-ion batteries, and they are much lighter. That said, lithium-air batteries could be even more efficient and provide more charge with the incorporation of advanced catalysts made from two-dimensional materials.

Disordered crystals are promising for future battery technology

Tiny, disordered particles of magnesium chromium oxide may hold the key to new magnesium battery energy storage technology, which could possess increased capacity compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries.

Saving elephants with artificial intelligence

H2O.ai, in celebration of World Elephant Day, announced it has partnered with Wildbook, provider of the open-source software framework built for wildlife research and conservation projects, with a sponsorship to help accelerate the conservation of endangered elephants with AI.

New design produces true lithium-air battery

Researchers have designed a new lithium-air battery that works in a natural air environment and still functioned after a record-breaking 750 charge/discharge cycles.

New chemical method could revolutionize graphene

Scientists have discovered a new chemical method that enables graphene to be incorporated into a wide range of applications while maintaining its ultra-fast electronics.

Faster recharging batteries possible after new insights

Faster recharging lithium batteries could be developed after scientists figured out why adding charged metal atoms to tunnel structures within batteries improves their performance.

Supersonic spray yields new nanomaterial for bendable electronics

A new, ultrathin film that is both transparent and highly conductive to electric current has been produced by a cheap and simple method devised by an international team of nanomaterials researchers.

Germs add ripples to make 'groovy' graphene

Researchers have used rod-shaped bacteria - precisely aligned in an electric field, then vacuum-shrunk under a graphene sheet - to introduce nanoscale ripples in the material, causing it to conduct electrons differently in perpendicular directions.

Solar cell captures CO2 and sunlight, produces burnable fuel

Researchers have engineered a potentially game-changing solar cell that cheaply and efficiently converts atmospheric carbon dioxide directly into usable hydrocarbon fuel, using only sunlight for energy.

New thin film photovoltaics

The film is bendable and stretchable, offering potential applications in roll-up touchscreen displays, wearable electronics, flexible solar cells and electronic skin.

New nanomaterial offers promise in bendable, wearable electronics

An ultrathin film that is both transparent and highly conductive to electric current has been produced by a cheap and simple method devised by an international team of nano materials researchers.

Surprising chemistry inside a potential breakthrough battery

Researchers have helped prove that a new prototype is powered by a surprising chemical reaction that may solve the new battery's biggest drawback.

Beyond the lithium ion, significant step toward better battery

Researchers have taken a significant step toward the development of a battery that could outperform the lithium-ion technology.