Electrochemistry News Items & Facts - April 2023

Every day, we all use battery powered devices at home, drive vehicles, eat packaged foods, and drink clean water. These are a few examples of the countless aspects of our modern lifestyles which are reliant on electrochemistry - broadly defined as the study of how electricity interacts with materials.

As an electrochemistry instrumentation company, Admiral Instruments proudly serves our customers who are among the millions of scientists, engineers, & technicians around the world using potentiostats and battery cyclers to uncover new ways electrochemistry may benefit us all.

To celebrate how electrochemistry has shaped the past, touches our present-day lives, and influences the future, every month Admiral Instruments posts five notable news articles, publications, & trivia somehow related to electrochemistry. Click on each entry to read more from the source article!

Electrochemistry News Items & Facts for April 2023:

1. Researchers recently published results for transparent photovoltaic cells that look like windows and can solve a key longevity problem. The solution involves adding zinc oxide, a common ingredient in sunscreen lotion, to enable 30-year lifespans.

2. The lead-acid battery was the first rechargeable battery to enter the commercial marketplace. It was invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Plantè.

3. Aluminum is alloyed with various elements (namely copper, manganese, silicon, magnesium, and zinc) creating 7 different alloy classes, each optimized for strength, electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance.

4. Electrodeposition redox replacement has been shown to boost gold ore refining yields up to 84%, compared to 64% using traditional cyanide-based leaching methods. Another benefit of electrodeposition is avoiding use of potentially harmful reagents like cyanide.

5. The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) is developing a high-power charging standard for heavy-duty vehicles for charging up to 3.75 MW, which is 7x higher than light-duty fast charging which peaks at 500 kW.