Nanotechnology holds amazing promise for many new green technologies, including the emissions controls which will allow the internal combustion engine to meet upcoming standards and the lithium ion batteries which threaten to make those same engines obsolete. There are many issues holding nano-tech back, though, not the least of which is the high price associated with the production of such tiny materials. So, when we read that Catalyx Nanotech, Inc. plans to begin mass production of Platelet Graphite Nanofibers (PGNF) at a price point which is said to be cost-competitive with current production standards, our interest was piqued. According to the accompanying press release, Catalyx Nano "also plans to produce nano powders of polymers, ceramics and precious/transition metal catalysts in powder and alcohol/aqueous suspensions."

There is another green angle to the announcement of the new nano-tech plants. These proposed plants will be built near landfills and are to run on methane gas waste. Sounds like a win-win scenario to us.

Ford announced during the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit that it's investing a bunch of money in researching nanotechnology for developing paints, plastics, light metals and catalysts that will allow reduced vehicle weight and improved fuel economy. The idea is to use nanoparticles dispersed in existing materials to improve properties of those materials.

Examples of this technology are potential new alloys that could make engines lighter, or a thermally sprayed nano-coating that could replace the heavier cast iron liners that provide the necessary wear resistance of cylinder bores in aluminum block engines. Then there's improved surface coating for the vehicle's sheetmetal and nanotechnology in lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells.

[Source: Ford]

In an attempt to keep our readers up to date on the very latest developments in technology as it pertains to transportation and the lessening of our carbon footprints, we often burn the midnight oil and labor to understand technical papers until our brains cramp and ears bleed. OK, maybe I'm the only one with the ear thing but what I'm trying to get across is that we are not slackers (Not that there is anything wrong with that.) And it is in that spirit of brain-crampedness (and sore ears) we present you now with some of the latest news of breakthroughs
in the batteries that may one day power your hybrid or electric car.

We all know that our modern batteries do their thing (charge and discharge) by sending lithium ions back and forth between the anode (where the current comes in) and cathode (where the current goes out). This action is what eventually degrades your electrodes (anodes and cathodes). By improving the materials that bear this beating, scientists aim to increase the amount of energy batteries hold as well as the number of times you can recharge them. Hear about a couple of these efforts after the break.

A team of researchers at Iowa State University is developing a new system which promises biomass-sourced ethanol at very efficient production levels. The system, described as an "integrated system of thermochemical and catalytic technologies" is ready to use any kind of biomass, such as cornstalks, to obtain ethanol.

The process works like this: Biomass would be broken down by fast pyrolysis, where the biomass is heated up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit in the absence of oxygen to be converted into a bio-oil. This oil would be gasified with steam and/or oxygen at 1,100 to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit to produce a synthesis gas, which is then reacted with a nanotechnology-based catalyst to produce ethanol.

The key of this process is the new nano-catalyst based on solid nanospheres just 250 billionths of a meter in diameter that have honeycomb channels running through them.

[Source: Sciencedaily]

The Idaho National Laboratory, Microcontinuum, Inc. and Patrick Pinhero from the University of Missouri are developing an exciting new technology which uses "nano-antennas" to capture solar energy. What is especially cool about this new solar technology is that it would operate both during the day and at night by using the leftover radiation after the sun goes down. Each nano-antenna is a spiral as wide as 1/25 the diameter of a human hair, meaning that many of them can be fit into a tiny space, and may be as much as 80 percent efficient.

At this time, researchers have a ways to go before the technology is commercialized, but they are hoping that their finished product would be no more expensive as a coating than a cheap layer of carpeting.

[Source: Gizmag]

Just what is "liquid-nanotechnology", and why would I want my car covered in it? First, "liquid-nanotechnology" is what Ecology Coatings calls their product. Second, because unless you are driving a Delorean or a future Citroën, your car is most likely painted, maybe a few times at that. So, if your car needs to be coated to keep it from oxidizing, why not use an eco-friendly paint? That is what Ecology Coatings is trying to accomplish. They say, "Since 1990, Ecology has been singularly focused on developing products that enable inexpensive mass production with atomic-level precision, using solid materials cured under UV light to create coatings that are not only viable but are also clean and efficient."

Their coatings are apparently 100 percent solids which require no carriers (water, chemicals) to get from the spray-gun to the substrate. Because of these properties, the coatings should be more environmentally friendly and safer to use.

[Source: Ecology Coatings]

Anybody still interested in seeing a car run on water? Yeah, me too. We don't mean a car with an engine running on steam, either; we are talking about hydrogen. So far, we've seen nothing that leads us to believe that hydrogen can be separated from water quickly or efficiently enough to extract the amount of hydrogen needed to run a fuel cell or a hydrogen-powered engine. Researchers at Purdue seem to think that they have a potential breakthrough on their hands, though. Using just aluminum, gallium and water, the researchers can envision everything from cars to submarines powered by clean hydrogen from water using this safe, efficient process. Maybe.

What do we mean by maybe? The potential problem could be in the aluminum. Scientists have known for a long time that hydrogen could be extracted using a process like this. The breakthrough that Purdue is touting is in the gallium, which protects the layer of aluminum below the oxidation. This means that the process still uses up the source aluminum. The question which needs to be answered now is how much aluminum is being used, and how can it be recovered. Nanotechnology seems to be key to the process that Purdue is using to make this happen, as well as the technique to hopefully recycle the aluminum used in the process. We look forward to seeing what else the researchers from Purdue are able to show.

[Source: Purdue via Engadget]

Generally, solar cells on the market today do not produce much electricity from ultraviolet light, instead it is either filtered out or absorbed by the cell, heating the cell. That heat is wasted energy and could even lead to damage to the cell. However, researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered a way to utilize that energy by placing a film of silicon nanoparticles onto the silicon solar cell. By diluting particles of silicon in alcohol, covering a solar cell with it and letting the alcohol evaporate to leave the nanoparticles of silicon on the cell, the team has increased the power output by 67% in the ultraviolet range and about 10% in the visible range. According to Munir Nayfeh, a physicist at the University of Illinois, "Our results point to a significant role for charge transport across the film and rectification at the nanoparticle interface." Nayfeh also believes that this process could be added onto the existing process of cell creation at very little cost. This could potentially be another solar breakthrough by increasing the voltage of cells which are very similar to those already being produced today.

[Source: Science Daily]

A research document led by Javier Bermejo, a scientist from the Basque Country University (UPV-EHU) in Spain and published in the Physical Review Letters magazine has shown "promising results" in the use of carbon nanostructures to store compressed hydrogen for automotive uses. The nano-storage units are called "nano-horns" and have a dahlia shape made up from "aggregated nanotubes that look like horns".

The scientists are looking for an non-reactive absorbant able to store 6 kg of hydrogen able to allow 3 minutes to fill up, oriented specifically for automotive use. Research has shown that those "nano-horns" are able to hook the H2 molecules as no other material has been able until now. The neutron spectroscopy showed that the molecules were stable even at low temperatures (as low as 80 ºK, -193.15º or -316 ºF).

Related:

• University of California - Davis has potential fuel cell breakthrough
• University of Hertfordshire to race a hydrogen powered Formula Student car
• Iceland taking a serious look at hydrogen

[Source: UPV-EHU]

Battery technology has come a long way. Lead acid was the best that we had for a good long while, which is why it sees use in nearly every automobile sold in the world. Now, we have the nickel based battery chemistries and the newest lithium based batteries which are expected to allow the final leap into truly relevant all electric cars. This is all great news to anybody who is concerned with the use of fossil fuels for transportation. But, as more and more power is required to give the performance that we all expect, batteries must continue to get smaller and lighter.

You can't really go smaller than the nanoscale batteries that NASA is working on. NASA is using the iron-containing protein ferritin, which can carry either a positive or negative charge, and layering them in opposing charges. The more layers are added the more power the battery will produce. Smart guys, those NASA folk!

[Source: New Scientist Tech via Engadget]

A team of investigators leaded by Victor Lin, from Iowa State university and program director for the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, have developed a nanosphere-based catalyst claimed to be revolutionary for biodiesel production. Current methods use sodium methoxide – a toxic, corrosive and flammable catalyst – which must be removed using acid neutralization, water washes and separations. This catalyst is mostly lost during the process.

The new catalyst is claimed to convert efficiently vegetable oils or animal fats into fuel by using Lin's nanospheres with acidic catalysts to react with the free fatty acids and basic catalysts for the oils. The nanospheres are solid, which makes them easy to handle. They can also be recovered from the chemical mixture and recycled. And they can be used in existing biodiesel plants without major equipment changes. This technology is the result of four years of research.

The transition from lab testing to pilot-manufacturing will be financed by Catilin Inc. They expect to create enough nanospheres to reach a daily production of 300 gallons in 18 months.

[Source: Iowa State University via Nanowerk]

Nanotechnology never ceases to amaze me. Considering how complex we humans like to make things, not to mention how big we like to make things (SUVs anyone?), going ultra-small holds so many advantages. We talk about range-extenders when we speak of electric cars all the time, but the idea of carrying around an internal combustion (IC) engine all the time for the few times we would actually need to use it seems to make little sense in the long run. The problem is that with current battery technology, an electric-only car just will not work for everybody. So, vehicles like the HySeries Ford Edge concept using hydrogen as a range extender and the Chevy Volt using a small IC engine that can be powered by biofuels as a range extender may be seen as just a stepping stone to bridge the battery gap. But, what if you could pack hundreds, or even thousands of tiny generators which could generate electricity to charge the batteries while you drive just from the vibration of the road? Sound intriguing? It certainly does to me, as these tiny generators could be integrated nearly anywhere on a modern vehicle, and would weigh next to nothing. Obviously, cost and the available power from the nanogenerators would need to be worked out as this technology is still in the infant stage. But, it does hold out a hope for the future, doesn't it?

[Sources: Physorg and Technology Review]

Regular readers of our site are well aware that battery technology is often cited by major carmakers as a hurdle that needs to be overcome to be able to mass produce electric and hybrid electric automobiles. GM, with their Volt concept, and many other manufacturers are placing their bets on high power lithium ion batteries.

mPhase Technologies is working with Lucent Technologies on a new nanobattery that uses what they are calling "nanograss" tubes. To quote them, "These tubes provide a "Superhydrophobic NanoStructured Surface" atop of which can be placed a droplet. The droplet sits above the tubes with little or no interaction with the tubes themselves. But by careful engineering the droplet can be made to fall within the space between the tubes encountering a greatly increased surface area and interacting with the tubes themselves to causing current to flow. The drop can be engineered to occur upon a variety of stimuli: voltage, RF and/or others."

They are claiming advantages that include: miniturizing, quick ram up to full power, inexpensive manufacture and long shelf-life. All of these properties would make them a good candidate for reserve power. Might batteries like these hold charges for long enough periods, cheaply, to act as an "energy storage tank" to refill electric cars?

[Source: mPhase via Gizmag]

One of the hurdles that automakers (GM) claim is holding back the development of electric cars is battery technology and cost. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just dump materials into a bucket, shake it up and get lithium-ion batteries? It would, and that is kinda what researchers at MIT are doing. "Ultimately, the goal is just to chuck a bunch of stuff into a bucket and have it self-assemble into a battery," says Jeff Dahn, professor of chemistry and physics at Dalhousie University, in Canada.

Yet-Ming Chiang, a professor of materials science at MIT, and his colleagues are the ones developing this new nanotechnology. The chances of me explaining this correctly in scientific terms are negligible, so I won't try. Instead, I'll just say that they chose micro-particles and nano-particles that cluster together, creating opposite electrodes while leaving enough of a gap to create electricity between said electrodes. Clear as mud, right?

In any case, as long as it works, that is all we need to know for now. How long until this technology impacts the battery market is arguably the more important question, not that it has any clearer of an answer. Soon is all we can hope.

[Source: Technology Review]

Nanoscale materials are so small only an electron microscope can see them. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. To put that into perspective, a human hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide.

Two scientists at the University of Idaho are creating tiny springs of 10-40 nanometers wide. Apparently, the springs are desirable due to their surface area and can be formed into mats that allow stored materials, such as hydrogen, to be easily removed. Plus, they are very cheap to manufacture.

The storage of hydrogen has been a hot topic on this site's comments and for fuel cell development. Many people are concerned with the high pressure containers used to store the hydrogen. I don't think anyone out there knows if this is a technology that will take off and make hydrogen storage more economical or safer, but research is indeed being done to assist the possible "hydrogen economy", whether or not that becomes reality.

Related:

• Infozine question from reader: Is hydrogen safe for automobiles?
• Using ethylene and titanium to store hydrogen

[Source: The Idaho Statesman]