Article Building better batteries + NASA's superalloy GRX-810 may enhance spacecraft

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Building better batteries
https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/...13.article

INTRO: The next generation of battery technologies might pack significantly more power into the electric cars and mobile devices of the future. James Mitchell Crow reports

It is not difficult to think of a better design for a battery than today’s lithium-ion rechargeables, says Xiaodan Huang. ‘There are many, many concepts for new battery designs that can provide better energy density, better power density, give faster charging properties, than current lithium-ion batteries,’ says the battery materials researcher from the University of Queensland in Australia. ‘But when we try to bring these batteries from theory to industry, from fundamental knowledge to prototype – that’s difficult,’ Huang adds.

Some promising battery concepts have been stuck at the research phase for half a century, but they may not languish in labs for much longer. Sparked by the nascent multi-sector electrification boom, an intense effort is now underway to bring high-performance battery technologies into real world use. One hotspot area of research is on batteries suited to grid scale electrical energy storage (see The long-term storage problem). Another driver is the demand for electric cars... (MORE - details)

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NASA’s incredible superalloy GRX-810 may lead to new breakthroughs in spacecraft construction
https://thedebrief.org/nasas-incredible-...struction/

INTRO: An impressive 3D printable superalloy capable of producing components for aircraft and spacecraft with unprecedented durability could represent a major breakthrough for the aerospace industry, according to a new NASA study.

Researchers at Ohio State University say NASA’s remarkable alloy, GRX-810, is capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and other demanding environmental conditions, according to new research into the material’s capabilities.

The superalloy was first produced in 2022 as a part of NASA’s Transformational Tools and Technologies project, which aims to build experimental and computational tools that may prove vital to the advancement of the space agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD).

According to their new findings, the NASA team says the superalloy GRX-810 could “dramatically improve” the durability of several crucial elements in both aviation, as well as the exploration of space, according to a new paper that appeared in the journal Nature... (MORE - details)

[Kornee]

Building better batteries
https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/...13.article

INTRO: The next generation of battery technologies might pack significantly more power into the electric cars and mobile devices of the future. James Mitchell Crow reports

It is not difficult to think of a better design for a battery than today’s lithium-ion rechargeables, says Xiaodan Huang. ‘There are many, many concepts for new battery designs that can provide better energy density, better power density, give faster charging properties, than current lithium-ion batteries,’ says the battery materials researcher from the University of Queensland in Australia. ‘But when we try to bring these batteries from theory to industry, from fundamental knowledge to prototype – that’s difficult,’ Huang adds.

Some promising battery concepts have been stuck at the research phase for half a century, but they may not languish in labs for much longer. Sparked by the nascent multi-sector electrification boom, an intense effort is now underway to bring high-performance battery technologies into real world use. One hotspot area of research is on batteries suited to grid scale electrical energy storage (see The long-term storage problem). Another driver is the demand for electric cars... (MORE - details)

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Quote:
"Furthermore, the establishment of battery ‘Gigafactories’ around the world, based on today’s lithium-ion technology, may make it harder for new technologies to break through, Li adds. ‘You have this huge infrastructure investment, so if your technology is not going to integrate nicely with all these expensive pieces of equipment, it is going to be very challenging to make a dent.’"

Very good point indeed. Rush to market dominance - driven by top down political pressures to 'go green posthaste'.
All on the basis climate change is THE global existential crisis issue of our time.
While a far more serious one, actively pursued by the same power broker crowd who banner wave for urgent climate action, is not allowed to be aired publicly. De-platformed Tucker Carlson will nod to that.