1 1 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | OCTOBER 2024 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY TIN LAYER FORTIFIES LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES Researchers from the University of Alberta developed a promising new approach to prevent formation of dendrites in solid-state lithium-ion batteries. Using the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan, scientists were able to see at a structural level what was happening on the surface of the lithium in an operating battery. They found that adding a tin-rich layer between the electrode and the electrolyte helps spread the lithium around when it’s being deposited on the battery, creating a smooth surface that suppresses the formation of dendrites. The team also found that the cell modified with the tin-rich structure can operate at a much higher current and withstand many more chargingdischarging cycles than a regular cell. The novel method holds considerable potential for industrial applications, according to the researchers, who say their next step is finding a sustainable, cost-effective approach to applying the protective layer in battery production. www.lightsource.ca. BIOBASED AND RECYCLABLE WIND TURBINE BLADES A new method to produce biobased, reusable, and chemically recyclable wind turbine blades was created by researchers at the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., and could end the practice of old blades winding up in landfills at the end of their useful life. The new resin, which is made of materials produced using bio-derivable resources, performs on par with the current industry standard of blades made from a thermoset resin and outperforms certain thermoplastic resins intended to be recyclable. The researchers built a prototype nine-meter blade to demonstrate the manufacturability of an NREL-developed biomass-derivable resin nicknamed PECAN. The acronym stands for PolyEster Covalently Adaptable Network, and the manufacturing process integrates with current methods. Under existing technology, wind blades last about 20 years, and afterward they can be mechanically recycled—for example, shredded for use as concrete filler. PECAN marks a leap forward because EMEREGNEINRG YTETCRHENDOSLOGY The DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., is the lead partner on five research collaborations with private fusion companies in the 2024 cohort of the Innovation Network for FUSion Energy (INFUSE) program. Projects aim to develop technologies to accelerate fusion energy research in the private sector. ornl.gov. BRIEF Interfacial tin-rich layer suppresses dendrite formation. Courtesy of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2024, doi.org/10.1021/acsami. 4c05227. An NREL scientist holds small cubes of the PECAN resin. Courtesy of Werner Slocum/NREL. of the ability to recycle the blades using mild chemical processes. The chemical recycling process allows the components of the blades to be recaptured and reused again and again, allowing the remanufacture of the same product. The researchers say the process was able to completely break down the prototype blade in six hours. The research into the PECAN resin began with the end. The scientists wanted to make a wind blade that could be recyclable and began experimenting with what feedstock they could use to achieve that goal. The resin they developed using bio-derivable sugars provided a counterpoint to the conventional notion that a blade designed to be recyclable will not perform as well. Composites made from the PECAN resin held their shape, withstood accelerated weatherization validation, and could be made within a timeframe similar to the existing cure cycle for how wind turbine blades are currently manufactured. nrel.gov.
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