New Polymer Capacitors Store 4x More Energy at High Heat

What Happened The Penn State research team, led by electrical engineering researcher Qiming Zhang, created a capacitor using a novel polymer blend that maintains high energy storage capacity even under extreme heat. Published in the prestigious journal Nature, their study demonstrates that these new capacitors can function at temperatures reaching 250°C while storing roughly four times the energy density of today’s advanced polymer capacitors. This represents a significant advancement over current technology, where polymer capacitors typically max out around 100°C operating temperature.

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Google Invests $1B in Form Energy's 100-Hour Battery Tech

What Happened Google completed a $1 billion investment in Form Energy, a Massachusetts-based startup that has developed battery technology capable of storing energy for 100 hours—far longer than conventional grid batteries. The investment represents one of the largest single funding rounds in the energy storage sector and will enable Form Energy to scale production of its iron-air battery systems. Form Energy’s technology stands apart from traditional lithium-ion batteries used in most grid storage applications.

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