Saturday, October 26th, 2024

Time	Event
1:25a	Graphene-Based Memristors Inch Towards Practical Production Longtime Slashdot reader Baron_Yam writes: Memristors are the long-sought 4th fundamental circuit element. They promise analog computing capability in hardware, the ability to hold state without power, and to work with less power. A small cluster of them can replace a transistor using less space. Working and long term storage can blend together and neural networks can be implemented in hardware -- they are a game-changing innovation. Now, researchers are getting closer to putting these into production as they can now produce graphene-based memristors at wafer scale. "One of the key challenges in memristor development is device degradation, which graphene can help prevent," reports Phys.Org. "By blocking chemical pathways that degrade traditional electrodes, graphene could significantly extend the lifetime and reliability of these devices. Its remarkable transparency, transmitting 98% of light, also opens doors to advanced computing applications, particularly in AI and optoelectronics." The findings have been published in the journal ACS Advanced Electronic Materials. Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)
5:34p	Researchers Develop New Lithium Extraction Method With 'Nearly Double the Performance' PV Magazine reports: Researchers in Australia and China have developed an innovative technology enabling direct lithium extraction from difficult-to-process sources like saltwater, which they say represents a substantial portion of the world's lithium potential. Until now, up to 75% of the world's lithium-rich saltwater sources have remained untapped because of technical limitations, but given predictions that global lithium supply could fall short of demand as early as 2025, the researchers believe they have a game-changing solution. Their technology is a type of nanofiltration system that uses ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or EDTA, as a chelating agent to selectively separate lithium from other minerals, especially magnesium, which is often present in brines and difficult to remove. "With some predicting global lithium supply could fall short of demand as early as 2025, the innovative technology sets a new standard in lithium processing," writes SciTechDaily: The work, co-led by Dr Zhikao Li, from the Monash Suzhou Research Institute and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Professor Xiwang Zhang from the University of Queensland, promises to meet the surging demand for lithium and paves the way for more sustainable and efficient extraction practices... "Our technology achieves 90 percent lithium recovery, nearly double the performance of traditional methods, while dramatically reducing the time required for extraction from years to mere weeks," Dr. Li said. The technology also turns leftover magnesium into a valuable, high-quality product that can be sold, reducing waste and its impact on the environment. Beyond its advanced efficiency, the EALNF system brings innovation to address major environmental concerns associated with lithium extraction. Unlike conventional methods that deplete vital water resources in arid regions, the technology produces freshwater as a by-product. Dr Li said the system was flexible and ready for large-scale use, meaning it can quickly expand from testing to full industrial operations. "This breakthrough is crucial for avoiding a future lithium shortage, making it possible to access lithium from hard-to-reach sources and helping power the shift to clean energy." "Our scalable process minimizes environmental impact while maximizing resource utilization," according to the researchers' article in Nature Sustainability, "thereby catalysing the shift toward a more sustainable future." Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 for sharing the news. Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)
9:34p	Singapore Approves 2,600-Mile Undersea Cable to Import Solar Energy from Australia "The world's largest renewable energy and transmission project has received key approval from government officials," reports New Atlas. Solar power from Australia will be carried 2,672 miles (4,300 kilometers) to Singapore over undersea cables in what's being called "the Australia-Asia Power Link project." Reuters reports that SunCable "aims to produce 6 gigawatts of electricity at a vast solar farm in Northern Australia and ship about a third of that to Singapore via undersea cable." More from New Atlas: [The project] will start by constructing a mammoth solar farm in Australia's Northern Territory to transmit around-the-clock clean power to [the Australian city] Darwin, and also export "reliable, cost-competitive renewable energy" to Singapore... with a clean energy generation capacity of up to 10 gigawatts, plus utility scale onsite storage. [The recently-obtained environmental approval] also green lights an 800-km (~500-mile) overhead transmission line between the solar precinct and Murrumujuk near Darwin... If all of the dominoes line up perfectly, supply of the first clean electricity is estimated to start in the early 2030s. An overview graphic on the project page shows that the eventual end game for the Powell Creek development appears to be the generation of up to 20 GW of peak solar power and have some 36-42 GWh of battery storage on site. Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader AmiMoJo for sharing the news. Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)

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