UN warns against thirsty tech to solve water crisis
The world needs to better manage its freshwater resources but thirsty new technologies touted as solutions could lead to "serious problems" if left unchecked, a UN report warned Friday.
The world needs to better manage its freshwater resources but thirsty new technologies touted as solutions could lead to "serious problems" if left unchecked, a UN report warned Friday.
Environment
Mar 22, 2024
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Highly flexible and conductive wires play a crucial role in integration and application of wearable devices. However, the frequent stress and deformation in practical use are prone to cause structural damage to these wires, ...
Materials Science
Mar 21, 2024
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From cell phones to watches to electric cars, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries power a plethora of devices. The increased use of this technology means more lithium could find its way into the environment as consumers discard ...
Ecology
Mar 20, 2024
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Safety issues related to flammable electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) remain a major challenge for their extended application. The use of non-flammable phosphate−based electrolytes has proven its validity in inhibiting ...
Analytical Chemistry
Mar 12, 2024
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From lithium-ion batteries to next-generation superconductors, the functionality of many modern, advanced technologies depends on the physical property known as intercalation. Unfortunately, it's difficult to identify in ...
Analytical Chemistry
Mar 8, 2024
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40
Stanford researchers have unveiled a new type of frequency comb, a high-precision measurement device, that is innovatively small, ultra-energy efficient, and exceptionally accurate. With continued development, this breakthrough ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 6, 2024
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36
Porous solids are abundant in the world. Examples include activated carbon, zeolite, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Solid electrolytes in next-generation batteries have ion migration channels and hence are porous solids ...
Analytical Chemistry
Mar 6, 2024
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Scientists have created a reprogrammable light-based processor, a world-first, that they say could usher in a new era of quantum computing and communication.
Optics & Photonics
Feb 28, 2024
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113
Current lithium-ion battery technology does not have the energy density necessary to meet the demands for renewable energy. In theory, lithium-sulfur batteries could be a viable alternative with a higher specific capacity ...
Nanomaterials
Feb 27, 2024
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57
Whether ultramarine, cerulean, Egyptian or cobalt, blue pigments have colored artworks for centuries. Now, seemingly out of the blue, scientists have discovered a new blue pigment that uses less cobalt but still maintains ...
Materials Science
Feb 22, 2024
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Lithium (pronounced /ˈlɪθiəm/) is the chemical element with atomic number 3, and is represented by the symbol Li. It is a soft alkali metal with a silver-white color. Under standard conditions it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Like all alkali metals lithium is highly reactive, corroding quickly in moist air to form a black tarnish. For this reason lithium metal is typically stored under the cover of oil. When cut open lithium exhibits a metallic luster, but contact with oxygen quickly turns it back to a dull silvery gray color. Lithium in its elemental state is highly flammable.
According to theory, lithium was one of the few elements synthesized in the Big Bang. Since its current estimated abundance in the universe is vastly less than that predicted by theory; the processes by which new lithium is created and destroyed, and the true value of its abundance, continue to be active matters of study in astronomy. The nuclei of lithium are relatively fragile: the two stable lithium isotopes found in nature have lower binding energies per nucleon than any other stable compound nuclides, save for the exotic and rare deuterium, and 3He. Though very light in atomic weight, lithium is less common in the solar system than 25 of the first 32 chemical elements.
Due to its high reactivity it only appears naturally in the form of compounds. Lithium occurs in a number of pegmatitic minerals, but is also commonly obtained from brines and clays. On a commercial scale, lithium metal is isolated electrolytically from a mixture of lithium chloride and potassium chloride.
Trace amounts of lithium are present in the oceans and in some organisms, though the element serves no apparent vital biological function in humans. However, the lithium ion Li+ administered as any of several lithium salts has proved to be useful as a mood stabilizing drug due to neurological effects of the ion in the human body. Lithium and its compounds have several industrial applications, including heat-resistant glass and ceramics, high strength-to-weight alloys used in aircraft, and lithium batteries. Lithium also has important links to nuclear physics. The transmutation of lithium atoms to tritium was the first man-made form of a nuclear fusion reaction, and lithium deuteride serves as a fusion fuel in staged thermonuclear weapons.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA