Photo-electrochemical cells (PEC) use sunlight to electrochemically split water in order to generate hydrogen in direct manner, and they are usually made of semiconducting materials. Researchers from Switzerland and US used nature as inspiration to optimize the process by developing iron oxide electrodes that are conjugated with a protein from blue-green algae (also known as… »

A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, discovered that nanotubes composed of titanium dioxide can switch their phase as a battery is cycled, gradually boosting their operational capacity. Laboratory tests showed that batteries produced with this material could be recharged up to half of their original capacity in less… »