Tech
MXene current collectors could reduce size and improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries
The vast majority of consumer electronics use lithium-ion batteries, and with each generation, these devices are designed smaller, lighter and with longer battery life to meet the growing demands of consumers. Each new iteration also brings the batteries that power the devices closer to the limits of their size, weight and performance.
Researchers are constantly testing new approaches and materials for making lightweight, high-performance components. The latest contender is MXene, a type of metallically conductive two-dimensional nanomaterial discovered by Drexel University researchers that has recently demonstrated potential as a current collector, the part of the battery that directs electrical current to its electrodes.
A recent paper from Drexel researchers reports that a current collector made of MXene film could reduce the battery’s weight and thickness while improving its available capacity.
Published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, the paper reports that MXene current collectors perform as well as the copper foils being used in current lithium-ion batteries, but they are three to four times thinner and about 10 times lighter.
Using them to make the battery components would reduce the overall weight contribution from inactive materials, allowing for more energy-storing material to be used without increasing the battery’s weight, thus improving the battery’s capacity.
The researchers also demonstrated that the MXene current collectors can be readily recycled for use in other batteries, an important step toward reducing battery waste and conserving limited material resources.
Current collectors are key to battery performance because they direct the flow of electrons within the battery, directing them to and from the electrode, which translates the chemical energy into the electrical current that powers electronic devices. They are also prime contributors to a battery’s weight—comprising nearly 15% of its total weight.
“Recent progress in battery technology is centered on improving capacity while reducing their weight,” said Yury Gogotsi, Ph.D., Distinguished University and Bach professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, who was a leader of the research.
“But the field has also widely acknowledged the importance of finding recyclable alternatives to current battery components in order to ensure their sustainable manufacturing. Our findings suggest that MXene materials could be a strong candidate for use in the batteries of the future.”
MXenes have been tested in dozens of applications—including several in energy storage—since their discovery at Drexel more than a decade ago. Their aptitude for use as a current collector is tied to their exceptional electrical conductivity, excellent flexibility and high mechanical strength. MXenes also remain electrochemically stable in acidic and corrosive electrolytes, and are dispersible in water, which allows for easy processing.
“This is an exciting finding because MXenes are compatible with a variety of electrode materials, so they have the potential to improve next-generation batteries without requiring significant structural design changes,” said Professor Patrice Simon, Ph.D., a co-author of the research from Université de Toulouse in France.
The final test of the components examined the cycling stability and recyclability of the MXene current collector. After eight weeks of continuous charging and discharging, the MXene–graphite electrode maintained good adhesion; the graphite active material remained evenly distributed, and did not detach from the MXene film.
The MXene current collector also preserved its layered structure, showing no degradation. Using a simple and environmentally friendly recycling process developed by the team, the electrode was disassembled and reconstituted using reclaimed materials for the current collector. Electrochemical testing confirmed that its performance remained unchanged.
“As battery materials become increasingly scarce, and sustainability and circular economy become increasingly important, it will be essential to design components that can be reused,” said Yuan Zhang, Ph.D., who is a post-doctoral researcher in Gogotsi’s lab and co-author of the research.
“Thanks to their outstanding electrochemical durability, MXenes can be recycled without losing much of their exceptional properties.”
The investigation was led by Sokhna Dieng, Schlumberger Future Fellow in Gogotsi’s lab, who contributed to the work as part of her doctoral research. She plans to continue exploring MXenes as conductive additives and other passive components in batteries that can improve performance and also enhance safety by preventing dendrite growth.
“We envision batteries with MXene components being used one day in wearable and portable microelectronics, where size and weight are absolutely critical and the amount of material required is minimal,” Gogotsi said.
“Another potential use is in systems where low weight is essential, such as drones or other flying vehicles.”
More information:
Sokhna Dieng et al, MXene current collectors for recyclable batteries with improved capacity, Cell Reports Physical Science (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.102874
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MXene current collectors could reduce size and improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries (2025, October 13)
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Tech
The Best Cyber Monday Streaming Deals With a Convenient Roommate’s Email Address
HBO knows you’re bored and cold. It wants you to Max and chill with Noah Wyle in scrubs. The company offers some of the best Cyber Monday streaming deals with a ridiculously low-priced $3/month offer for basic HBO Max (it’s the version with ads and 2K streaming, but still, super-cheap). Disney Plus and Hulu deals are bundled up for $5/month. Apple TV wants back in your life for $6.
Of course, this deal is only meant for new customers. Not boring ol’ existing customers. If you already have basic HBO Max, you’re already paying $11 for the same service, and HBO would like you to keep doing that. Streaming apps are banking on you being complacent and happy in your streaming life. Maybe they’re even taking you for granted.
Sometimes you can get the current deal just by threatening to cancel, or actually canceling, your account. Suddenly, you’re an exciting new customer again! Another method is by using an alternate email account (perhaps your spouse’s or roommate’s?) and alternate payment information as a new customer. If you do use a burner email (you did not hear this from me), check in on your favorite app’s terms of service to make sure you’re not in violation by re-enrolling with different emails. I’ll also issue the caveat that you lose all your viewing data and tailored suggestions if you sign up anew.
But times and wallets are tight! And $3 HBO Max sounds pretty good. After all, every middle-aged American man needs to rewatch The Wire once every five years or so—assuming he’s not the kind of middle-aged man who rewatches The Sopranos instead. Here are the current best streaming deals for Cyber Monday 2025.
Devon Maloney; ARCHIVE ID: 546772
Regular price: $80
Tech
Hong Kong FWA services market set for 9.6% growth | Computer Weekly
Analysis from GlobalData is forecasting that fixed wireless access (FWA) service revenue in Hong Kong is expected to increase at a “healthy” compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6% between 2025 and 2030.
The latest Hong Kong Total Fixed Communications Forecast set out to quantify current and future demand and spending on mobile services for the special administrative region of China. It noted that growth was being driven by Hong Kong’s extensive 5G network coverage and could also be attributed to local operators’ efforts to expand FWA services and position it as an alternative to traditional fibre broadband services for both residential and commercial sectors, meeting growing demand for high-speed connectivity in areas where extending fibre lines is challenging.
“High-density urban and suburban centres of Hong Kong create a strong business case for FWA services due to their cost-effective and rapid deployments without the complex infrastructure and civil work required for extending fibre-optic lines to such locations,” said Neha Misra, senior analyst at GlobalData.
“Competitive, feature-rich plans from the operators will also help drive its adoption over the forecast period. For instance, HKBN’s 5G Home Broadband Plan provides unlimited 5G broadband data (subject to a 300GB with a fair-usage policy) for HKD118 per month on a 24-month contract, along with a seven-day trial guarantee. The plan also includes a waiver of the HKD28 monthly administration fee and complimentary access to the basic HomeShield security plan.”
In addition to HKBN, the study noted that operators such as 3 Hong Kong and HKT are also using their extensive 5G networks to offer home broadband services, particularly in areas with limited fibre infrastructure. It cited HKT as recently having successfully deployed mmWave-based FWA to deliver ultra-high-speed internet to rural areas and outlying islands.
“Growing demand for FWA provides operators a strong revenue opportunity by expanding home and SME broadband without the high capital intensity of fibre roll-out,” Misra added. “By leveraging nationwide 5G coverage, introducing competitively priced service plans and bundling digital home services, operators can unlock higher ARPU [average revenue per user], accelerate market penetration in underserved areas and diversify beyond traditional revenues.”
GlobalData believes the Hong Kong government’s smart city initiatives will also open new opportunities for FWA, especially 5G FWA, which can deliver high-speed internet to power applications such as the digital economy, digital governance and e-health services, while supporting the city’s dense urban environment and digital transformation goals under the Smart City Blueprint 2.0.
The original blueprint was set out in December 2017, outlining 76 initiatives under six smart areas, namely Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Government and Smart Economy. Blueprint 2.0 puts forth more than 130 initiatives that continue to enhance and expand existing city management measures and services. The new initiatives aim to bring benefits and convenience to the public so that residents can better perceive the benefits of smart city innovation and technology.
Tech
Prague’s City Center Sparkles, Buzzes, and Burns at the Signal Festival
And thanks to a mention in Dan Brown’s new novel, The Secret of Secrets, the festival has gained even more global recognition. Just a few weeks after the release of Brown’s new bestseller set in contemporary Prague, viewers were able to see for themselves what drew the popular writer to the festival, which is the largest Czech and Central European showcase of digital art. In one passage, the Signal Festival has a cameo appearance when the novel’s protagonist recalls attending an event at the 2024 edition.
“We’re happy about it,” festival director Martin Pošta says about the mention. “It’s a kind of recognition.” Not that the event needed promotion, even in one of the most anticipated novels of recent years. The organizers have yet to share the number of visitors to the festival this year, but the four-day event typically attracts half a million visitors.
On the final day, there was a long queue in front of the monumental installation Tristan’s Ascension by American video art pioneer Bill Viola before it opened for the evening, even though it was a ticketed event. In the Church of St. Salvator in the Convent of St. Agnes, visitors could watch a Christ-like figure rise upwards, streams of water defying gravity along with him, all projected on a huge screen.
The festival premiere took place on the Vltava River near the Dvořák Embankment. Taiwan’s Peppercorns Interactive Media Art presented a projection on a cloud of mist called Tzolk’in Light. While creators of other light installations have to deal with the challenges of buildings—their irregular surfaces, decorative details, and awkward cornices—projecting onto water droplets is a challenge of a different kind with artists having to give up control over the resulting image. The shape and depth of the Peppercorns’ work depended on the wind at any given moment, which determined how much of the scene was revealed to viewers and how much simply blown away. The reward, however, was an extraordinary 3D spectacle reminiscent of a hologram—something that can’t be achieved with video projections on static and flat buildings.
Another premiere event was a projection on the tower of the Old Town Hall, created for the festival by the Italian studio mammasONica. It transformed the 230-foot structure into a kaleidoscope of blue, green, red, and white surfaces. A short distance away, on Republic Square, Peppercorns had another installation. On a circular LED installation, they projected a work entitled Between Mountains and Seas, which recounted the history of Taiwan.
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