The high impact between the metal balls in a ball mill reactor and the polymer surface is sufficient to momentarily liquefy the polymer and facilitate chemical reactions. Image created with DALL•E
In the March issue of CEP , Georgia Tech researchers’ work, supported by NSF, is highlighted in tackling the pressing issue of plastics accumulating in landfills and in the environment. Carsten Sievers partnered with PIs Fani Boukouvala, Chris Jones and Sankar Nair, as well as graduate students Elisavet Angelou, George Chang, Van Son Nguyen, Anu Osibo, Andrew Tricker, Meghan Yutthasaksunthorn and postdoctoral research Kinga Golabek.
In the March issue of CEP , Georgia Tech researchers’ work, supported by NSF, is highlighted in tackling the pressing issue of plastics accumulating in landfills and in the environment.
A Tesla battery pack contains hundreds of cylindrical nickel-manganese-cobalt cells. Credit: Getty Images
Today’s electric vehicles (EVs) mainly use batteries with cathodes made of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) or lithium iron phosphate (LFP). Tesla and BYD, the world’s largest EV companies, have each adopted one of these chemistries. Chinese carmaker BYD uses LFP batteries, and Tesla chose NMC.
To determine how the two rivals’ batteries stack up against each other, a team of engineers and materials scientists in Germany took apart one cell from each company’s battery pack, which contain dozens of cells (Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 2025, DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.102453). The cells’ materials and designs held some surprises.
EV makers guard battery technology tightly. But engineering firms regularly disassemble batteries to peek at their innards. Battery engineers Jonas Gorsch and Moritz Frieges of RWTH Aachen University and their colleagues took a scientific sledgehammer to Tesla and BYD battery cells and did a detailed side-by-side analysis of materials composition, thermal and electrical performance, and mechanical design. “Most teardowns focus on some specific aspect,” Gorsch says. “We wanted a holistic comparison.”
This is the type of research that “helps researchers keep abreast of what’s happening commercially so they can target their early-stage R&D decisions appropriately,” says Micah S. Ziegler, who studies energy technology innovation at the Georgia Institute of Technology and was not involved in the work.
Today’s electric vehicles (EVs) mainly use batteries with cathodes made of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) or lithium iron phosphate (LFP). Tesla and BYD, the world’s largest EV companies, have each adopted one of these chemistries. Chinese carmaker BYD uses LFP batteries, and Tesla chose NMC.
Tim Lieuwen delivers remarks during the 2025 Dryden Lecture in Research, Wednesday, January 8, at the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum in Orlando, Florida. AIAA–©
As the aviation sector looks to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the biggest gains may not happen in the air but on the ground, stated Tim Lieuwen, the 2025 AIAA Dryden Lecturer in Research, during the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum in January.
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“The least cost way to get to a net-zero society is to take a system view about economy-wide CO2 emissions and where and how aviation fits into that, rather than trying to zero out CO2 emissions sector by sector. It makes sense if you think about it – it’s a whole lot cheaper to manage your CO2 emissions from something that’s sitting on the ground, potentially sitting right above a depleted oil reservoir versus trying to manage something that’s flying around and has to deal with all the safety issues of aviation,” said Lieuwen.
As the aviation sector looks to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the biggest gains may not happen in the air but on the ground, stated Tim Lieuwen, the 2025 AIAA Dryden Lecturer in Research, during the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum in January.
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Planes mimicking migrating geese to save energy. Aviation fuel made of cooking oil or downed timber waste. Aircraft wings that can change shape during flight to maximize efficiency. These are some of the ideas Delta Air Lines thinks could help it reach its 2050 net zero emissions goal, outlined during the Atlanta company's appearance at the CES tech show in Las Vegas this week, also billed as the start to its 100th year celebration. "For us, it's just become part of the business. Every business decision that we're making at this point is taking sustainability into consideration," Chief Sustainability Officer Amelia DeLuca said in an interview.
That's in large part because its biggest driver of emissions, jet fuel, is also one of its biggest costs. But the changes are also key as the company plots future global growth, as outlined by CEO Ed Bastian this week. "I firmly believe our next century of flight will be about connecting the world," he said Tuesday. In a later interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bastian said he believes the company's international business will ultimately become 50% of revenue, up from one-third today. Those international flights demand bigger planes, longer routes and more energy, DeLuca pointed out, making energy efficiency advancements all the more important.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article298301843.html#storylink=cpy