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Big Plans to Save the Planet Depend on Nanoscopic Materials Improving Energy Storage

In the latest edition of Science, an international team of researchers, led by Drexel University professors Yury Gogotsi, PhD, and Ekaterina Pomerantseva, PhD, present a comprehensive analysis of two decades of energy storage research involving nanomaterials. The authors lay out a roadmap for how this technology can enable the world’s urgent shift toward better energy storage devices and sustainability.

Drexel's MXene Materials Help Photodetectors See the Light

Using a special type of two-dimensional material, researchers at Drexel University have developed a new way to make light sensors that improves their sensitivity and could allow manufacturers to keep up with the growing demand for their use in devices ranging from television remotes to fiber optic receivers in data centers, and light detecting and ranging systems (LiDAR) in autonomous vehicles.

A Dash of Salt Could Fortify MXene 'Super Materials' Against Oxidation

Researchers at Drexel University have removed one of the final barriers blocking new two-dimensional “super materials,” called MXenes, from widespread use in batteries, electronics devices, water treatment and health care technology. With the discovery that a common food additive, polyphosphate salt, can ward off oxidation and stabilize the materials, MXenes could be one step closer to commercial development.

Need More Energy Storage? Just Hit 'Print'

Drexel University researchers have developed a conductive ink made from a special type of material they discovered, called MXene, that was used by the Trinity College researchers to print components for electronic devices. The ink is additive-free, which means it can print the finished devices in one step without any special finishing treatments.

Using Bacteria to Prevent Potholes Caused by Road Salt

Special bacteria that help form limestone and marble could soon have a new job on a road crew. Recent research from Drexel University’s College of Engineering shows how the bacteria, called Sporosarcina pasteurii, can be used to prevent the road degradation caused by ice-melting salt.

Expanding the Use of Silicon in Batteries, By Preventing Electrodes From Expanding

Silicon anodes are generally viewed as the next development in lithium-ion battery technology. Silicon’s ability to absorb more charge translates to longer battery life and smaller batteries, if researchers can check the physical expansion of the silicon that comes with charging. Research from Drexel University and the Trinity College in Ireland, suggests that adding MXene ink to the silicon electrode-making process would do just that.

Controlling What Goes on 'Between the Sheets' is Key to Optimizing MXenes' Abilities

New research from the College of Engineering shows how to customize the properties of materials called MXenes, which have displayed exceptional abilities to conduct electricity and block electromagnetic radiation.

Drexel and Arizona State Researchers Look at Risk of Infection From Water in the Air at Home

Researchers from Arizona State University and Drexel University have developed a more detailed framework for understanding and managing the risk of transmitting a bacterial disease via water spray from sinks, showers and toilets. As continuous testing of indoor water is not always feasible, the guidelines can help to identify water use situations that could increase the risk of exposure.

'Rippling' Under Pressure — From Playing Cards to Tectonic Plates, This is What Happens When Layered Materials are Pushed to the Brink

Looking deeper into the internal behavior of layered solids and formations— from graphene sheets, to wood laminates, to geological formations — researchers at Drexel University are gaining a better understanding of a buckling phenomenon that occurs within the layers of the materials as they are put under pressure.

Addressing the Elephant in the Circuit — Finally, a Shrinkable Alternative for Capacitors

One of the last remaining unshrinkable obstacles blocking the progress of fully integrated, wearable technology is the clunky component that absorbs and disburses stray electricity and converts alternating current from a power source into the direct current used by most devices. Due to a meager selection of materials that can perform those diverse functions, these components — called electrolytic capacitors — tend to be a limiting factor when it comes to downsizing electronics. But a breakthrough by materials science and engineering researchers at Drexel University and Sungkyunkwan University in Korea could eventually replace them with a capacitor so thin and flexible that it’s literally painted on.

Standing in for a Kidney, MXene Materials Could Give Dialysis Patients the Freedom to Move

A type of two-dimensional layered material, created at Drexel University, has emerged as a candidate to assist in replacing the body’s waste filtration system in wearable kidneys.

Drexel's Spray-On Antennas Could Be the Tech Connector of the Future

A group of researchers from the College of Engineering recently reported a method for spraying invisibly thin antennas, made from a type of two-dimensional, metallic material called MXene, that perform as well as those being used in mobile devices, wireless routers and portable transducers.