Scientists announce breakthrough that could deliver ultra-futuristic batteries: 'The ... achievement was significant'
Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries that use liquid electrolytes, all-solid-state batteries utilize solid materials to transfer ions between the battery's components. This eliminates the risk of fire or explosion that has plagued traditional batteries. However, the complex manufacturing process and high costs have also kept this safer technology out of consumers' hands.
Dr. Ha Yoon-Cheol's team tackled these challenges head-on by refining a process it first introduced in 2021. Its enhanced method significantly cuts production time from 14 hours to just four hours while simultaneously improving battery performance, according to the article. The solid electrolytes produced through this method achieved an impressive ion conductivity of 5.7 milliSiemens per centimeter, surpassing even liquid electrolytes used in today's batteries.
Do you think a majority of Americans will have EVs in 20 years?
Absolutely
Only in some states
No way
I'm not sure
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
"The previous achievement was significant in that it introduced the coprecipitation technology for the first time in the world to the manufacturing process of solid electrolytes," Dr. Ha said, "while this upgraded method is a result of optimizing the principles of the coprecipitation method through detailed analysis, leading to better outcomes."
The study, published earlier this year, represents a major leap forward in making a clean energy future more accessible. Companies like Sunrun and Tesla could benefit greatly from these improved energy storage solutions, while homeowners may gain access to future battery backups that are safer and store more power in less space — potentially lowering costs and providing extended emergency power during outages.
The technology has already been transferred to Daejoo Electronic Materials Co., a South Korean company specializing in electronic materials, for commercial development.
If you're interested in pairing future battery technology with existing clean energy solutions, check out The Cool Down's guide to installing solar panels to make your home more efficient while helping our environment.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
From refrigerators to snacks to detergent, US households are looking for low-cost alternatives everywhere
Americans looking to replace an appliance, restock their pantry, or refresh their household cleaning products all seem to be angling for the same thing right now — lower prices. Comments from companies ranging from Whirlpool (WHR) to Procter & Gamble (PG), as well as major snack brands like PepsiCo (PEP) and Coca-Cola (KO), have told investors this month that cautious consumers are also deal-seeking consumers. "We continue to see consumers choosing to mix into lower-end products," CEO Marc Bitzer of Whirlpool, the company behind KitchenAid mixers and Maytag kitchen appliances, told investors on the company's earnings call Tuesday morning. Bitzer said that "macroeconomic uncertainty marked by elevated interest rates and evolving trade policies negatively impacted consumer sentiment," leading to "suppressed demand" in its latest quarter. The company missed on both the top and bottom lines and cut its guidance in its latest quarterly results. Major domestic appliance sales in North America were down about 5% year over year and industry shipments were down roughly 1%. Whirlpool stock fell over 13% following the results. And this shift in consumer behavior is not only weighing on big-ticket purchases, but is also influencing buying behaviors for household cleaning essentials like laundry detergent. P&G CEO Jon Moeller told Yahoo Finance the company is seeing a "more cautious consumer in many parts of the world." "We are seeing modest trade-down within our branded portfolio ... different Tide offerings, there are some that are more premium than others, and we are seeing some trade down there," Moeller said. "We're also seeing some trade-down to brands ... like Gain." P&G also announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs by the end of fiscal 2027. Moeller said the restructure would allow the company to reinvest in the business and innovation to draw in consumers. Kelly Pedersen, PwC's global retail leader, said consumers are "super price conscious" and "really looking for any deal that they can get right now." Data from the Conference Board published Tuesday showed consumer confidence remains depressed from a year ago, with confidence in the labor market and fears over inflation weighing on the outlook. "Consumers' write-in responses showed that tariffs remained top of mind and were mostly associated with concerns that they would lead to higher prices," said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist at the Conference Board. "In addition, references to high prices and inflation rose in July." Read more: What is consumer confidence, and why does it matter? This week's comments from Whirlpool and P&G follow similar notes from food and beverage giants Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP), which reported their quarterly results earlier this month. Coca-Cola CFO John Murphy told Yahoo Finance last week, "Part of what we continue to be very focused on is to offer even more affordable options," as low-income consumers remain under pressure. PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta told investors on the company's earnings call that it is "trying to make granular investments in value, [to] make sure that consumers stay within our brands." He added, "Better entry points, better value every day, and that has been successful." Brooke DiPalma is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@ Click here for all of the latest retail stock news and events to better inform your investing strategy
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
Dolores Huerta Has Seen Farm Raids Before. But Not Like This.
Well, right now, we're trying to stop a detention center here in California City, which is up here in the Mojave Desert. They are offering the people to work in that center $50 an hour. In California, our minimum wage is $16. That's what a lot of workers get. Let's offer farmworkers $50 an hour, the same kind of a salary that you offer the prison guards, and you'll get a lot of American workers. We have very high unemployment in the Central Valley. We have the prison industrial complex, where a lot of our young people are going to prison. So many of these young people don't have to go to prison if they were paid adequately. I'm sure a lot of them would go and do the farm work, especially if they had good wages to do it. And we still have a lot of young people here in the valley that go out during the summers and they do farm work to help their families. I'm sure a lot of people that we now see that are homeless on the streets and that are able to work would go to work if they were paid $50 an hour. So it's just a matter of improving wages? And training, too. Because farm work is hard work. I mean, you've got to be in good physical shape to be able to do farm work. Why are undocumented workers such a large part of the agricultural workforce? Is it just that these are low-paying, hard jobs that Americans don't want to do, or is there more going on? Well, like I said earlier, the growers have denigrated the work so much that people don't realize that this work is dignified. Farm workers are proud of the work that they do. They don't feel that somehow they're a lower class of people because they do farm work. They have pride in their work. If you were to go out there with farm workers, you would be surprised to see that they have dignity, and they care about the work. They care about the plants. When we started the farm workers union way back in the late '50s and early '60s, you would be surprised how many American citizens were out there. Veterans were out there. The Grapes of Wrath was filmed here. All of those workers in that camp were white. It was the 'Okies' and 'Arkies,' the people that came from Oklahoma and Arkansas and those places to work in the fields. They were all white workers. There were some Latino workers, and then over the years, you had the Chinese, you had the Japanese, and different waves of immigrants that came in to do farm work.
Epoch Times
2 hours ago
- Epoch Times
A Broadcast Meteorologist's Top Tips for Preparing for the Next Natural Disaster
Americans across the country have already faced a slew of natural disasters this year, from the devastating wildfires that burned across parts of Southern California in January to the deadly flooding that swept through Central Texas in July. The spate of natural catastrophes in the first half of 2025 alone caused approximately $131 billion in overall economic losses, according to a July 29 report from the insurance company Munich Re.
