When raindrops fall from the sky, they can produce a small amount of energy that can be harvested and turned into electricity.

The ability of some animals, including chameleons, octopus, and squid, to change their skin colour for camouflage, temperature control, or communication is well known. While science has been able to replicate these abilities with artificial skin, the colour changes are often only visible to the naked eye when the material is put under huge mechanical strain.

Energy storage systems with high energy density are essential to fulfilling the ever-increasing demands of electronic devices, electric vehicles, and smart grids for intermittent solar or wind power. The Li-S battery is a promising candidate for next-gen energy storage, with an extremely high theoretical energy density that is five to seven times higher than that of conventional LIBs.

Recently, researchers at Tsinghua University, China have proposed a graphene-based nanostructured lithium metal anode for lithium metal batteries to inhibit dendrite growth and improve electrochemistry performance. They report their findings in Advanced Materials. "Widely used lithium-ion batteries cannot satisfy the increasing requirement of energy storage systems in portable electronics and electric vehicles. New lithium metal anode b...