News tagged with electrical power

LED's efficiency exceeds 100%

(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that an LED can emit more optical power than the electrical power it consumes. Although scientifically intriguing, the results won’t ...

Physics / General Physics

created Mar 05, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (65) | comments 60 | with audio podcast report

Rational design can improve hydrogen fuel cell efficiency

(PhysOrg.com) -- Hydrogen fuel cells, in which the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted into electricity, offer the potential for a wide variety of applications, especially in transportation and power ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 29, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (12) | comments 0 | with audio podcast feature

Rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries get a boost from graphene

(PhysOrg.com) -- By wrapping tiny sulfur particles in graphene sheets, researchers from Stanford University have synthesized a promising cathode material for rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries that could ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Jul 13, 2011 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (22) | comments 53 | with audio podcast feature

Physicists demonstrate conditions for laser-driven fusion

(PhysOrg.com) -- Currently, commercial nuclear power plants generate electricity using nuclear fission, in which an atom’s nucleus is split into lighter nuclei. But scientists are also researching the ...

Physics / General Physics

created Mar 15, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (27) | comments 26 | with audio podcast report

Tiny heat engine may be world's smallest

(PhysOrg.com) -- Steam engines, combustion engines, and diesel engines are all different types of heat engines, which operate by converting heat energy into mechanical work. Although heat engines have existed ...

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 02, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (29) | comments 10 | with audio podcast feature

Solving the solar cell power conversion dilemma

(PhysOrg.com) -- "There is a lot of interest in creating more efficient solar cells that are also simpler than many of the designs common now," Wladek Walukiewicz tells PhysOrg.com. "We think that, throug ...

Physics / Condensed Matter

created Jan 24, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (25) | comments 19 | with audio podcast feature

Scotland passes turbine test to harness tidal power

(Phys.org) -- An underwater turbine being used for harnessing tidal power to generate electricity for homes and businesses has successfully completed its testing period in the island of Eday, one of Orkney’s ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 20, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (18) | comments 41 | with audio podcast report

Researchers develop technique to keep cool high-power semiconductor devices used in wireless applications, electric cars

A group of researchers at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering have developed a technique to keep cool a semiconductor material used in everything from traffic lights to electric cars.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created May 08, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Folding light: Wrinkles and twists boost power from solar panels

Taking their cue from the humble leaf, researchers have used microscopic folds on the surface of photovoltaic material to significantly increase the power output of flexible, low-cost solar cells.

Physics / Optics & Photonics

created Apr 27, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside

There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created Feb 12, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Revealing how a battery material works

Since its discovery 15 years ago, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) has become one of the most promising materials for rechargeable batteries because of its stability, durability, safety and ability to deliver ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Qualcomm's HaloIPT tech brings wireless charging for EVs

(PhysOrg.com) -- Qualcomm has demonstrated its new wireless power transmission system for electric vehicles (EVs) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The system, including one pad for power transmitting, ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jan 16, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (7) | comments 5 | with audio podcast report

Ferroelectrics could pave way for ultra-low power computing

Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown that it is possible to reduce the minimum voltage necessary to store charge in a capacitor, an achievement that could reduce the power draw and ...

Physics / Condensed Matter

created Sep 12, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (11) | comments 17 | with audio podcast

Powered by seaweed: Polymer from algae may improve battery performance

(PhysOrg.com) -- By looking to Mother Nature for solutions, researchers have identified a promising new binder material for lithium-ion battery electrodes that not only could boost energy storage, but also ...

Chemistry / Polymers

created Sep 08, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Progressive Automotive X-Prize runner-up car gets 207.5 MPGe

(PhysOrg.com) -- After coming in second to team Edison2 in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition last summer, team Illuminati, makers of the car named "Seven" have demonstrated that their vehicle ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 09, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 19 | with audio podcast report