Cobalt is having a moment in the spotlight. Historically a minor byproduct of copper and nickel mining, the metal is a key ingredient for lithium-ion batteries and now a growing money maker for Glencore Plc.
Category: Electric Vehicle
Inventor of lithium-ion battery introduces safer, faster-charging alternative
John Goodenough, a 94-year-old professor, says his new battery can charge faster than current lithium-ion designs, and is noncombustible. A 2013 photo provided by the Japan Transport Safety Board shows frayed and broken earthing wire from the overheated All Nippon Airways’ Boeing 787 lithium-ion battery.
Two US astronauts complete spacewalk to upgrade ISS
By Agence France-Presse Two American astronauts ventured outside the International Space Station on Friday to upgrade the orbiting outpost’s electrical system. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson work retrieve adapter plates outside the International Space Station during a Jan. 6, 2017 spacewalk to upgrade the orbiting laboratory’s power system.
Spacewalking astronauts tackle battery work outside station
Before venturing out, Commander Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson got a hand from a robot that took care of most of the grunt work. Remotely using robotics aboard the 250-mile-high lab, flight controllers in Houston spent the past week replacing decade-old, nickel-hydrogen batteries with better charging lithium-ion ones.
Scientists develop ‘Wolverine’-inspired material that heals itself
The material, which was inspired in part by the regenerative ability of the comic book antihero Wolverine, could someday be used to improve the lifespan of electronic devices or develop self-repairing robots. In a study published December in the journal Advanced Material, an international team of scientists described the first synthetic ionic conductor – a transparent, self-healing, highly stretchable material that allows ions to flow through it.
Spacewalking astronauts upgrade station with new batteries
NASA reported that all three lithium-ion batteries were up and running, a successful start to the space agency’s long-term effort to upgrade the aging solar power system. Before venturing out, Commander Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson got a hand from a robot that took care of most of the grunt work – Dextre, a hulking machine with 11-foot arms.