Jie Xiao, Talking Points Memo

(December 2011)

Dr. Jie Xiao, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is quoted in "How graphene is helping to build a better electric car battery," which appears in Talking Points Memo, an online news organization that provides breaking news for the politically engaged. Xiao talks about her team's latest research into lithium-air batteries. By using a new form of graphene, the PNNL and Princeton University team achieved the highest energy storage capacity to date: 15,000 milliamp hours per gram.

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An About-Face on Electrical Conductivity at the Interface

(November 2011)

To improve the electronic devices that keep our modern, hyper-connected world organized, scientists are on the hunt for new semiconductor materials, which control the flow of electricity that powers smart phones and other electronic devices.

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Bubbles Help Break Energy Storage Record for Lithium-Air Batteries

(November 2011)

Resembling broken eggshells, graphene structures built around bubbles produced a lithium-air battery with the highest energy capacity to date, according to scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Princeton University. This black, porous material could replace the traditional smooth graphene sheets in lithium-air batteries, which become clogged with tiny particles during use. As an added bonus, the team’s new material does not rely on platinum or other precious metals, reducing its potential cost and environmental impact.

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New Technology Licensed via Startup America

(November 2011)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has signed an option agreements with Vorbeck Materials that will lead to products designed to increase the storage capacity of batteries used to power portable devices. The agreement is part of the White House's Startup America initiative, which was launched in January and is designed to help young companies grow, move innovative technologies into the marketplace and create good-paying jobs in the United States. Vorbeck Materials optioned a PNNL-developed method for building tiny titanium oxide and carbon structures that greatly improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries. The rechargeable batteries are widely used in portable devices such as laptops, and are used in most electric vehicles. Vorbeck, a manufacturer and developer of applications using its proprietary graphene material, optioned the technology for use in a graphene-based electrode for lithium-air and lithium-sulfur batteries. The new material stores twice as much electricity at high charge/discharge rates as current lithium-ion batteries, and creates increased battery capacity and a longer cycle life.

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