(Press-News.org) The team led by Prof. Thomas F. Fässler from the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry with a Focus on Novel Materials partially replaced lithium in a lithium antimonide compound with the metal scandium. This creates specific gaps, so-called vacancies, in the crystal lattice of the conductor material. These gaps help the lithium ions to move more easily and faster, resulting in a new world record for ion conductivity.
Since the measured conductivity far exceeded that of existing materials, the team collaborated with the Chair of Technical Electrochemistry under Prof. Hubert Gasteiger at TUM to confirm the result. Co-author Tobias Kutsch who conducted the validation tests, commented: “Because the material also conducts electricity, it presented a special challenge, and we had to adapt our measurement methods accordingly.”
Fässler sees great potential for the new material: "Our result currently represents a significant advance in basic research. By incorporating small amounts of scandium, we have uncovered a new principle that could prove to be a blueprint for other elemental combinations. While many tests are still needed before the material can be used in battery cells, we are optimistic. Materials that conduct both ions and electrons are particularly well suited as additives in electrodes. Because of the promising practical applications, we’ve already filed a patent for our development." In addition to its faster conductivity, the material also offers thermal stability and can be produced using well-established chemical methods.
The researchers have even discovered an entirely new class of substances through their work, as first author Jingwen Jiang, scientist at TUMint.Energy Research, emphasizes: "Our combination consists of lithium-antimony, but the same concept can easily be applied to lithium-phosphorus systems. While the previous record holder relied on lithium-sulphur and required five additional elements for optimization, we only need only Scandium as an additional component. We believe that our discovery could have broader implications for enhancing conductivity in a wide range of other materials."
END
World record for lithium-ion conductors
TUM researchers develop new material for solid-state batteries
2025-05-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Researchers map 7,000-year-old genetic mutation that protects against HIV
2025-05-09
What do a millennia-old human from the Black Sea region and modern HIV medicine have in common?
Quite a lot, it turns out, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen.
18-25 percent of the Danish population carries a genetic mutation that can make them resistant or even immune to HIV. This knowledge is used to develop modern treatments for the virus.
Until now, it was unknown where, when, or why the mutation occurred. But by using advanced DNA technology, researchers have now solved this genetic mystery.
“It turns out that the variant arose in one ...
KIST leads next-generation energy storage technology with development of supercapacitor that overcomes limitations
2025-05-09
A research team led by Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku and Dr. Seo Gyun Kim of the Carbon Composite Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Professor Yuanzhe Piao of Seoul National University (SNU) has developed a high-performance supercapacitor that is expected to become the next generation of energy storage devices. The technology developed by the researchers overcomes the limitations of existing supercapacitors by utilizing an innovative fiber structure composed of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the conductive ...
Urine, not water for efficient production of green hydrogen
2025-05-09
Researchers have developed two unique energy-efficient and cost-effective systems that use urea found in urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen.
The unique systems reveal new pathways to economically generate ‘green’ hydrogen, a sustainable and renewable energy source, and the potential to remediate nitrogenous waste in aquatic environments.
Typically, hydrogen is generated through the use of electrolysis to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. It is a promising technology to help address ...
Chip-scale polydimethylsiloxane acousto-optic phase modulator boosts higher-resolution plasmonic comb spectroscopy
2025-05-09
High-resolution optical spectroscopy is an essential tool in quantum optics, chemical reaction analysis, and precision metrology, as it enables detailed investigation of quantum states, energy levels, spin states, and vibrational modes in atoms and molecules. However, conventional diffraction grating-based spectrometers are limited by their large and complex optical configurations and face fundamental challenges in achieving sub-MHz spectral resolution. As an alternative, direct frequency comb spectroscopy (DFCS) based on frequency combs has gained attention due to its potential for compact, high-resolution spectral ...
Blood test for many cancers could potentially thwart progression to late stage in up to half of cases
2025-05-08
A single blood test, designed to pick up chemical signals indicative of the presence of many different types of cancer, could potentially thwart progression to advanced disease while the malignancy is still at an early stage and amenable to treatment in up to half of cases, suggests a modelling study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.
Incorporating the test, formally known as a multi-cancer early detection test, or MCED for short, either yearly or biennially, could therefore improve outcomes for patients by intercepting disease progression, ...
Women non-smokers still around 50% more likely than men to develop COPD
2025-05-08
Women’ are around 50% more likely than men to develop COPD, the umbrella term for chronic lung conditions, such as emphysema and bronchitis, even if they have never smoked or smoked much less than their male counterparts, suggests observational research, published in the open access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research.
The findings challenge the widely held belief that women’s increased vulnerability to cigarette smoke likely explains this disparity, conclude the researchers.
Smoking is the principal cause of COPD. But despite significant falls in cigarette smoking over the past 50 years, it remains a leading cause of death in the USA, with the ...
AI tool uses face photos to estimate biological age and predict cancer outcomes
2025-05-08
Eyes may be the window to the soul, but a person’s biological age could be reflected in their facial characteristics. Investigators from Mass General Brigham developed a deep learning algorithm called FaceAge that uses a photo of a person’s face to predict biological age and survival outcomes for patients with cancer. They found that patients with cancer, on average, had a higher FaceAge than those without and appeared about five years older than their chronological age. Older FaceAge predictions were ...
North Korea’s illegal wildlife trade threatens endangered species
2025-05-08
The North Korean government engages in unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade, which includes species protected under its own laws and poses a threat to biodiversity recovery in the region, finds a groundbreaking new study by UCL researchers.
The report, published in Biological Conservation, found that although North Korea has a regulatory system of protected areas and protected species, these are regularly breached by people hunting and trapping wild animals for personal consumption or black market trade, either domestically or for sale to buyers in China.
Additionally, the North Korean state itself is implicated in, and actively profiting from, harvesting and trade of endangered ...
Health care workers, firefighters have increased PFAS levels, study finds
2025-05-08
A study including researchers from the University of Arizona Health Sciences and published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found that firefighters had higher concentrations of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and health care workers had moderate elevations of PFAS in their blood with significantly higher odds of two specific PFAS when compared with other essential workers.
“Our study reinforces previous research showing ...
Turning light into usable energy
2025-05-08
Every time a screen flickers to life, or sunlight powers a home, energy is being transferred from light into something useful. Yet for all of its ubiquity, scientists do not fully understand the process by which light transfers energy through materials.
A grant from the U.S. Department of Defense will allow UC Riverside scientists to address that mystery. The research aims to deepen scientific understanding of one of physics’ most complex interactions.
The four-year, $1 million grant funds a collaborative effort between UCR theoretical chemist Bryan Wong and experimental ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
A smarter way to make sulfones: Using molecular oxygen and a functional catalyst
Self-assembly of a large metal-peptide capsid nanostructure through geometric control
Fatty liver in pregnancy may increase risk of preterm birth
World record for lithium-ion conductors
Researchers map 7,000-year-old genetic mutation that protects against HIV
KIST leads next-generation energy storage technology with development of supercapacitor that overcomes limitations
Urine, not water for efficient production of green hydrogen
Chip-scale polydimethylsiloxane acousto-optic phase modulator boosts higher-resolution plasmonic comb spectroscopy
Blood test for many cancers could potentially thwart progression to late stage in up to half of cases
Women non-smokers still around 50% more likely than men to develop COPD
AI tool uses face photos to estimate biological age and predict cancer outcomes
North Korea’s illegal wildlife trade threatens endangered species
Health care workers, firefighters have increased PFAS levels, study finds
Turning light into usable energy
Important step towards improving diagnosis and treatment of brain metastases
Maternal cardiometabolic health during pregnancy associated with higher blood pressure in children, NIH study finds
Mercury levels in the atmosphere have decreased throughout the 21st century
This soft robot “thinks” with its legs
Biologists identify targets for new pancreatic cancer treatments
Simple tweaks to a gene underlie the stench of rotten-smelling flowers
Simple, effective interventions reduce emissions from Bangladesh’s informal brick kilns
Ultrasound-guided 3D bioprinting enables deep-tissue implant fabrication in vivo
Soft limbs of flexible tubes and air enable dynamic, autonomous robotic locomotion
Researchers develop practical solution to reduce emissions and improve air quality from brick manufacturing in Bangladesh
Durham University scientists solve 500-million-year fossil mystery
Red alert for our closest relatives
3D printing in vivo using sound
Global Virus Network meeting unites Caribbean and Latin America to tackle emerging viral threats
MD Anderson Research Highlights for May 8, 2025
Study of Türkiye gold mine landslide highlights need for future monitoring
[Press-News.org] World record for lithium-ion conductorsTUM researchers develop new material for solid-state batteries