"Thomas Edison believed a nickel-iron battery could extend that range to as much as 100 miles, while also having a long life and recharging times of seven hours. An international team of scientists has revived Edison's concept of a nickel-iron battery and created their own version, according to a paper published in the journal Small."
"The team took their inspiration from nature, specifically how shellfish form their hard outer shells and animals form bones: Proteins create a scaffolding onto which calcium compounds cluster. For the battery scaffolding, the authors used beef byproduct proteins, combined with graphene oxide, and then grew clusters of nickel for positive electrons and iron for negative ones."
"The proteins charred into carbon, stripping away the oxygen atoms in the graphene oxide and embedding the nickel and iron clusters in the scaffolding. Essentially, it became an aerogel. The folded structure limited the clusters to less than 5 nanometers, translating into significantly more surface area."
February's scientific highlights include several innovative developments across multiple fields. Researchers revived Thomas Edison's early 20th-century nickel-iron battery concept, which could have extended electric vehicle range to 100 miles with seven-hour recharge times. Using nature-inspired methods, scientists created a new version by combining beef byproduct proteins with graphene oxide, then growing nickel and iron clusters through superheating and high-temperature baking. This process created an aerogel structure with clusters smaller than 5 nanometers, significantly increasing surface area. Additional notable stories include a snap-on device converting regular underwear into smart sensors measuring flatulence frequency, and cultured neurons successfully playing the video game Doom, demonstrating biological computing capabilities.
Read at Ars Technica
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