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Quantum Dots Made From Fool's Gold Boost Battery Performance (vanderbilt.edu)

Posted by samzenpus on from the power-up dept.

Science_afficionado writes: A lot of attempts have been made to use nanocrystals to improve battery performance, but the results have been disappointing. The problem is that when the size of the crystals drop below a certain size they begin to react chemically with the electrolytes which prevents them from recharging. Now, however, a team of engineers from Vanderbilt University report in an article published in the journal ACS Nano that they can overcome this problem by making the nanocrystals out of iron pyrite, commonly known as fool's gold.

7 of 18 comments (clear)

  1. What shape? by Big+Hairy+Ian · · Score: 1

    So what shape are the dot's Cubed or Dodecahedral?

    --

    Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.

  2. Ha! by geekmux · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Son, that's not real gold. That's iron pyrite. It's fools gold! That stuff is worthless!"

    Never before in the history has Ha! been a more fitting response.

    1. Re:Ha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Next step is to fool Vanderbilt University engineers by replacing iron pyrite with real gold in their lab when they're not looking.

  3. Nanoparticles by rmdingler · · Score: 2, Informative
    From chameleons to super batteries...very interesting.

    It is produced in raw form as a byproduct of coal production and is so cheap that it is used in lithium batteries that are bought in the store and thrown away after a single use.

    Unlike many of the rare earth materials necessary for battery and solar panel manufacture, iron pyrite is (at present) quite plentiful and easily available.

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

  4. Doubt it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Iron pyrite? I doubt it. The article can't fool me!

  5. If only... by burtosis · · Score: 1

    If there was a single actual practical advance for every 100 of these articles i'd be driving an electric car with a thousand mile range on a fifty dollar battery the size of a lunchbox.

    Its kind of depressing how slowly battery technology evolves.

  6. They called me a fool by blogagog · · Score: 1

    They called me a fool when I payed $1,000/oz for iron pyrite (aka fool's gold), but who is laughing hysterically NOW!!!!?

    Hmm. I guess it's still just me...