Lithium From Water, Solar 'Holy Grail,' and Titanium Hearts w/ Ralph Bond

Show Notes 21 March 2025
Story 1: Lithium needed for the battery revolution could be harvested from salt-lake brines or geothermal brine solutions
Source: Imperial College announcement by Ian Mundell
Link: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/261774/lithium-needed-battery-revolution-could-harvested/
See also: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-lithium-battery-revolution-harvested-saltwater.html
See research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00398-8
Story 2: Nanoparticle breakthrough could bring 'holy grail' of solar power within reach
Source: LiveScience.com Story by Ben Turner
Link: https://www.livescience.com/chemistry/nanoparticle-breakthrough-could-bring-holy-grail-of-solar-power-within-reach
See the research paper here: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/el/d4el00029c
Story 3: Mimicking Human Skin, This Self-Healing Gel Could be Applied to Soft Robotics
Source: Discover Magazine Story by Monica Cull
Link: https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/mimicking-human-skin-this-self-healing-gel-could-be-applied-to-soft-robotics
See the research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-025-02146-5#Sec5
See also: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250307130138.htm
Story 4: Man survives with titanium heart for 100 days – a world first
Source: Nature Magazine Story by Smriti Mallapaty
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00782-0
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW3MMFmDobs
Honorable Mentions
Story: Scientists Use Amino Acid to Extract 99.99% of Lithium from Old Batteries
Source: Technology Networks
Link: https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/scientists-use-amino-acid-to-extract-9999-of-lithium-from-old-batteries-397175
Story: Spinning, Twisted Light for Next-Generation Electronics
Source: RealClearScience.com
Link: https://www.realclearscience.com/2025/03/14/spinning_twisted_light_for_next-generation_electronics_1097501.html
Story: Nanoparticle Could Act as Switch in Optical Computers - New nanoparticles can switch between dark and bright states
Source: IEEE Spectrum Story by Katherine Bourzac
Link: https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoparticle-optical-switches
Story: James Webb telescope's view of the Flame Nebula is a 'quantum leap' forward for astronomers
Source: LiveScience.com Story by Jamie Carter
Link: https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/space-photo-of-the-week-james-webb-telescopes-view-of-the-flame-nebula-is-a-quantum-leap-forward-for-astronomers