Research Highlights and Insights

Researchers have found a way to super-charge the ‘engine’ of sustainable fuel generation – by giving the materials a little twist. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, are developing low-cost light-harvesting semiconductors that power devices for converting water into clean hydrogen fuel, using just the power of the sun. These semic…

How do we determine what is a tolerable risk from low-level radiation and how much are we willing to spend on reducing it? By Sannah van Balen Ionising radiation is impossible to sense; it doesn’t have a smell, a taste, a sound, a texture, or a characterizing appearance. Nevertheless, high-level ionising radiation can damage our bodies and result i…

How could tiny antennae attached to tiny algae speed up the transition away from fossil fuels? This is one of the questions being studied by Cambridge researchers as they search for new ways to decarbonise our energy supply, and improve the sustainability of harmful materials such as paints and dyes.   Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 re…

Promoting climate-friendly behaviours will be more successful in societies where everyone has the capacity: financially, physically, and timewise, to make changes.   Researchers argue that tackling inequality is vital in moving the world towards Net-Zero – because inequality constrains who can feasibly adopt low-carbon behaviours. They say that cha…

Researchers have discovered magnetic monopoles – isolated magnetic charges – in a material closely related to rust, a result that could be used to power greener and faster computing technologies. Researchers led by the University of Cambridge used a technique known as diamond quantum sensing to observe swirling textures and faint magnetic signals o…

Fusion offers a potential as a long-term energy source without the hazards of the long-lived radioactive waste.    By Raheela Rehman For the uninitiated reader, nuclear fusion and fission are two physical processes that release energy from atoms. Fission splits a larger atom into two or smaller ones, whereby a tremendous amount of energy is release…

Researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB), led by Professor Sam Stranks and Dr Kangyu Ji have uncovered the secrets behind the degradation of cutting-edge Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, paving the way for more durable and long-lasting devices in the future. Emerging LED materials known as halide perovsk…

Researchers from the Scherman and Grey research groups demonstrate a path to batteries that do not contain rare metals and are stable in the air. The researchers show how a ‘custom-built’ class of metal-free pyridinium molecules can act effectively as charge-carrying electrolytes in redox-flow batteries, even when exposed to air, which has potentia…

A floating, solar-powered device that can turn contaminated water or seawater into clean hydrogen fuel and purified water, anywhere in the world, has been developed by researchers. The device, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, could be useful in resource-limited or off-grid environments, since it works with any open water sou…

This research is focussed on having a better understanding of what energy fuel is used to operate a rural water facility in Nigeria and explore appropriate interventions for using green energy in its facility operation.   By Saheed Bello blog-rural-water-facility-nigeria-image3-nov-2023.jpg In collaboration with Sustainable Inclusive We…

If electronic textiles (e-textiles) are to have a sustainable future and at scale, then a transition is needed to unlock innovative wearable e-textiles that fit a sustainable circular economy – adopting what has been termed as the 4R design concept: repair; recycle; replace; reduce. E-textiles are worn close to and/or against the surface of the ski…

How does energy security and governance look like in refugee settlements?   By Nazifa Rafa An international research team, led by the University of Cambridge and supported by the Energy IRC Small Grant scheme, embarked on a journey to answer this question in the burgeoning refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. blog-renewable-energy-sett…

Fast data transmission could be delivered in homes and offices through light emitting diode (LED) bulbs, complementing existing communication technologies and networks. New internet technologies are being rapidly refined, and LED-based communication links are expected to be used in services and scenarios including Light-fidelity (Li-Fi), underwater…

Cambridge scientists have set out principles for how computational science – which powers discoveries from unveiling the mysteries of the universe to developing treatments to fight cancer to improving our understanding of the human genome, but can have a substantial carbon footprint – can be made more environmentally sustainable. Writing in Nature …

Researchers have demonstrated how carbon dioxide can be captured from industrial processes – or even directly from the air – and transformed into clean, sustainable fuels using just the energy from the sun. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, developed a solar-powered reactor that converts captured CO2 and plastic waste into sustaina…