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Due to rising environmental concerns, global energy production is shifting from fossil fuels to sustainable and renewable energy systems such as solar and wind power. Despite their advantages, they have two significant weaknesses: volatile power production and irregular supply. Hence, they are augmented with energy storage systems (ESSs).

The concept of short-range order (SRO)—the arrangement of atoms over small distances—in metallic alloys has been underexplored in materials science and engineering. But the past decade has seen renewed interest in quantifying it, since decoding SRO is a crucial step toward developing tailored high-performing alloys, such as stronger or heat-resistant materials.

Researchers at the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have recently developed a new generation of solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) for lithium-metal batteries (LMBs), that can greatly improve safety and performance. This discovery can help advance the development of energy storage technologies for battery applications like electric vehicles, portable electronics, and power grids.

As the number of major utility-scale ground solar panel installations grows, concerns about their impacts on natural hydrologic processes also have grown. However, a new study by Penn State researchers suggests that excess runoff or increased erosion can be easily mitigated—if these "solar farms" are properly built.

University of South Australia researchers have worked with industry to build a world-first, energy-efficient refrigeration system that could revolutionize how we cool supermarkets, hospitals, abattoirs and other systems.

Solar cell, telescope and other optical component manufacturers may be able to design better devices more quickly with AI. OptoGPT, developed by University of Michigan engineers, harnesses the computer architecture underpinning ChatGPT to work backward from desired optical properties to the material structure that can provide them. The paper is published in the journal Opto-Electronic Advances.

The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has publicly released a new set of additive manufacturing data that industry and researchers can use to evaluate and improve the quality of 3D-printed components. The breadth of the datasets can significantly boost efforts to verify the quality of additively manufactured parts using only information gathered during printing, without requiring expensive and time-consuming post-production analysis.

Most people interact with maps regularly, for example, when they're trying to get from point A to point B, track the weather or plan a trip. But beyond those daily activities, maps are also increasingly being combined with artificial intelligence to create powerful tools for urban modeling, navigation systems, natural hazard forecasting and response, climate change monitoring, virtual habitat modeling and other kinds of surveillance.

Scientists have achieved a series of milestones in growing a high-quality thin film conductor, suggesting in a new study that the material is a promising candidate platform for future wearable electronics and other miniature applications.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have developed an innovative wearable fabric that is flexible but can stiffen on demand.

Metal batteries have the potential to deliver more energy, at a lower weight, than the popular lithium-ion battery. The problem, however, is that the technology currently has too short a lifespan due to the highly reactive nature of the lithium metal within these batteries.

A team of engineers at Beihang University, working with a colleague from Center of Advanced Aero-Engine, both in China, has developed a micro-aerial vehicle that flies using direct sunlight. They reported their results in the journal Nature.

The textile industry is a major polluter, producing 92 million tons of textile waste globally each year, according to Boston University.

In recent years, engineers and material scientists have introduced increasingly flexible electronics that could be used to create new wearable devices, such as smart watches, biosensors and health-monitoring technologies. To be safely worn by humans for prolonged periods of time, these electronics should also be permeable (i.e., letting air and humidity pass through) and bio-compatible (i.e., not harmful to the human body).

Deliveries are getting faster than ever in the U.S., but the faster movement of goods is undercutting the country's climate progress.

VIPER’s instruments will be taken apart and reused.

A new study provides evidence supporting the integration of hands-on projects and interdisciplinary teamwork in engineering curricula, promoting deeper understanding and application of theoretical concepts, potentially influencing educational practices in STEM fields.

In a pilot study, posted to the arXiv preprint server, researchers have found evidence that large language models (LLMs) have the ability to analyze controversial topics such as the Australian Robodebt scandal in similar ways to humans—and sometimes exhibit similar biases.

Perovskite solar cells have captured much attention due to their high efficiency and low production costs. However, their susceptibility to environmental factors and potential toxic lead release during degradation pose significant hurdles.

Dynamical systems describe the evolution of natural phenomena over time and space through mathematical frameworks, often using differential equations. Accurate predictions in these systems are crucial for various applications, yet traditional methods face challenges due to rigidity and complex dynamic behaviors.