Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)

From a tiny electric jolt when touching a doorknob to styrofoam peanuts that cling to a mischievous cat's fur -- the well-known and seemingly simple phenomenon of static electricity has puzzled people since antiquity. How could this ubiquitous effect, frequently demonstrated to bedazzled children by rubbing a balloon on their hair, still not be completely understood by scientists? For centuries, static electricity has been the subject of intrigue and scientific investigation. Now, researchers have uncovered a vital clue to this enduring mystery: the contact history of materials controls how they exchange charge. The groundbreaking findings explain the prevailing unpredictability of contact electrification, unveiling order from what has long been considered chaos.

A new laser-based device can scan almost any sample of gas and detect its molecular ingredients down to concentrations in the parts per trillion.

Scientists have discovered how to turn common minerals into materials that spontaneously remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In the lab, the materials pull CO2 from the air thousands of times faster than occurs with natural rock weathering.

A new study of more than 1400 adults who gamble and play online video games has found loot box buying is associated with real-world gambling, video gaming addiction, and other mental health issues. The international research brings new insights into the loot box phenomenon -- the virtual items offered in video games to give players random rewards including weapons, cosmetics or 'skins.'

Conventional drones use visual sensors for navigation. However, environmental conditions like dampness, low light, and dust can hinder their effectiveness, limiting their use in disaster-stricken areas. Researchers have now developed a novel bio-hybrid drone by combining robotic elements with odor-sensing antennae from silkworm moths. Their innovation, which integrates the agility and precision of robots with biological sensory mechanisms, can enhance the applicability of drones in navigation, gas sensing, and disaster response.

A mortar made from recycled plastic and silica aerogel which improves insulation and reduces plastic waste has been developed.

Researchers have unveiled a transformative framework for understanding complex systems. This pioneering study establishes the new field of higher-order topological dynamics, revealing how the hidden geometry of networks shapes everything from brain activity to the climate and artificial intelligence (AI).

Physicists have developed a novel approach to maintain special quantum characteristics, even in 3D materials, with potential applications in optical systems and advanced computing.

A quantum 'miracle material' could support magnetic switching, a team of researchers has shown.

Acting in the right place at the right time is the key to effective medical treatment with minimal side effects. However, this feat remains difficult to achieve. Biologists and chemists have now succeeded in developing a tool that controls the location at which a molecule is activated by a simple pulse of light lasting only a few seconds. Tested on a protein essential for cell division, this system could be applied to other molecules. The potential applications are vast, both in basic research and in improving existing medical treatments, such as those for skin cancer.

In a breakthrough for hydrogen technology, researchers have introduced an innovative electronic fine-tuning approach that enhances the interaction between zinc and ruthenium.

Researchers have tested whether intoxicated people can be reliable witnesses when it comes to identifying a suspect's face after a crime is committed.

The efficiency of wireless charging systems is limited by power loss occurring due to frequency changes in the resonant circuits that enable power transfer. These necessary modulations reduce electromagnetic interference caused by resonant frequencies on other devices. However, conventional strategies for adapting to changing frequencies are inefficient, cost-prohibitive, and impractical. Now, scientists have designed a resonant tuning rectifier that provides a low-cost, efficient solution to stabilize power delivery in wireless power systems.

New research has emerged on the development of a novel membrane distillation system and an adsorbent (a substance that can trap chemicals on its surface) for the removal of hazardous perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Scientists utilized carbon-based materials to successfully remove PFAS from water. This innovative approach could contribute to sustainable purification technologies in the future.

Ballbots are versatile robotic systems with the ability to move around in all directions. This makes it tricky to control their movement. In a recent study, a team has proposed a novel proportional integral derivative controller that, in combination with radial basis function neural network, robustly controls ballbot motion. This technology is expected to find applications in service robots, assistive robots, and delivery robots.

Researchers tested a strategy for developing single-atom catalysts that may help us develop more efficient methods for water purification.

It may be the smallest, shortest chorus dance ever recorded. An international team of researchers observed how electrons, excited by ultrafast light pulses, danced in unison around a particle less than a nanometer in diameter. Researchers measured this dance with unprecedented precision, achieving the first measurement of its kind at the sub-nanometer scale. The synchronized dance of electrons, known as plasmonic resonance, can confine light for brief periods of time. That light-trapping ability has been applied in a wide range of areas, from turning light into chemical energy to improving light-sensitive gadgets and even converting sunlight into electricity. While they've been studied extensively in systems from several centimeters across to those just 10 nanometers wide, this is the first time researchers were able to break the field's 'nanometer barrier.'

Using a novel surface-sensitive spectroscopy method, scientists explored atomic vibrations in crystalline material surfaces near interfaces. The findings illuminate quantum behaviors that play important roles computing and sensing technologies.

Researchers have demonstrated a new technique that uses light to tune the optical properties of quantum dots -- making the process faster, more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable -- without compromising material quality.

Researchers developed a new system for turning used coffee grounds into a paste, which they use to 3D print objects, such as packing materials and a vase. They inoculate the paste with Reishi mushroom spores, which turn the coffee grounds into a resilient, fully compostable alternative to plastics.