Aluminum
-
Aluminum has an energy density more than 50 times higher than lithium ion, if you treat it as an energy storage medium in a clean redox cycle system. Swiss scientists are developing the technology as a renewable energy stash for the European winter.
-
It’s an unfortunate truth that many important chemical reactions require rare and expensive metals as catalysts. But now, scientists have developed a device that actively tweaks plain old aluminum to make it behave like other metals on the fly.
-
Commissioned to create a new aluminum museum in Thailand, local architecture firm HAS design and research produced an eye-catching facade that's made up of tens of thousands of individual aluminum pieces to form a porcupine-like outer shell.
-
As useful as steel is, its main weakness may be its vulnerability to corrosion. Researchers in Korea have now developed a new alloy coating that boosts steel’s resistance to rust, by adding a simple extra step in the surface treatment.
-
US-based Wright Electric has announced a 100-seat electric short-hop aircraft slated to go into service by 2026. It'll either be powered by hydrogen, or it'll use recyclable metal in what the company calls an "aluminum fuel cell."
-
Scientists in Russia experimenting with advanced aluminum alloys have developed a new heat-resistant form of the material that can endure far higher temperatures, potentially serving as a cheaper and lighter alternative to heavy and expensive copper.
-
Australian company Graphene Manufacturing Group has announced exciting performance test results for a new type of aluminum-ion battery that can charge over 10X faster than today's lithium-ion units, while lasting much longer and needing no cooling.
-
A team from Cornell University has put forward a compelling example of what cheap, environmentally friendly energy storage can look like, fashioning a 3D electrode out of low-cost aluminum for a battery with a very long cycle life.
-
While 3D-printed aluminum parts are becoming increasingly common in the aerospace industry, any weaknesses in those parts can cause them to fail catastrophically. A new additive could help, by making the aluminum 1.5 times harder.
-
Aluminum bicycle frames are usually made of lengths of tubing, joined together at the ends by welds. The CNC eFanes electric mountain bike is different, though, in that its frame is milled from solid aluminum … and it costs €15,999.90 (US$18,630).
-
Aluminum can develop weak points through repeated, alternating stress, and scientists in Australia may have come up with a solution to this shortcoming by modifying the microstructure of aluminum alloys so that they can heal these themselves.
-
Researchers claim they've come up with the world's first manufactured non-cuttable material, just 15 percent the density of steel and impervious to drills or angle grinders. They say it could make for indestructible bike locks and lightweight armor.
Load More