Tech Xplore news

Tech Xplore / Climate-driven water stress could undercut most proposed U.S. lithium mines

The U.S. may not have enough water to support its lithium ambitions, a new Northwestern University study has found. An essential ingredient for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and other clean energy technologies, lithium ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / Quantum computing could transform energy grid optimization and security

Modern power systems are rapidly evolving into highly digitized smart grids, increasing their complexity at an unprecedented pace. Renewables, batteries, electric vehicles, power electronics, sensors and real-time control ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / Redesigned catalyst pathways vent bubbles fast and boost green hydrogen efficiency

As the global transition toward carbon neutrality accelerates, "water electrolysis"—a technology that splits water electrically to produce clean hydrogen—is drawing significant attention. However, a major limitation has been ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / People prefer to talk to chatbots that share similar personality traits to their own, research shows

It's well understood that people tend to be naturally drawn to those with bubbly and extroverted personalities. And those outgoing and gregarious types may naturally consider themselves people-persons and gravitate toward ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / Misbehaving chatbots could be kept in check with personality tests

Artificial intelligence chatbots need to work on their social judgment, recent events suggest. At one end of the spectrum, they're facing lawsuits for recommending dangerous actions. At the other end, the models can be so ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / A stair-climbing robot that catches itself when it falls

SUTD researchers have developed a reinforcement-learning-based safety system that teaches a stair-traversing service robot to brace itself mid-fall, addressing one of the biggest barriers to deploying autonomous robots on ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / Abandoned oil and gas wells could help cut emissions, study suggests

Repurposing old oil and gas wells for geothermal power could significantly reduce environmental harm and unlock cleaner energy from existing infrastructure, but new research shows the approach will need targeted support to ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / Virtual AI testbed lets developers verify massive LLM servers before construction

Operating large language model (LLM) services like ChatGPT requires a server infrastructure on the scale of tens of thousands of units. However, constructing actual equipment every time a new AI semiconductor or system architecture ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / Phosphonate groups lift organic transistor performance by balancing ions and charge flow

By electrochemically introducing phosphonate ester groups into conductive polymer films, researchers at Science Tokyo have addressed a fundamental trade-off between electronic charge transport and ion transport, overcoming ...

May 29, 2026
Tech Xplore / Sorting out a dielectric mismatch boosts perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells' efficiency and durability

Solar cells, devices that can convert sunlight into electricity, are now widely used in many countries and are contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions on Earth. While most of the solar cells on the market ...

May 28, 2026
Tech Xplore / Sodium-ion batteries could become a low-cost rival to Tesla's batteries

A popular sodium-ion battery designed by the company Hina and used in cars and large-scale energy storage systems in China matches performance parameters and production quality of Tesla's lithium-ion batteries, finds new ...

May 28, 2026
Tech Xplore / Everlasting copper becomes a reality with novel reactive printing ink

A new invention from a team that includes a University of Maryland researcher halts the copper degradation cycle that turns statues, roofs, and even nickels green. Researchers have developed a liquid reactive ink that can ...

May 28, 2026