Advanced Materials for Energy Storage
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As this MRS Bulletin issue on "Ad vanced Materials for Energy Storage" was being finalized, the North Ameri can continent suffered one of its wärmest summers ever recorded. The past two to three years have also been the wärmest on record, August 1999 being the 21st consecutive month with above-average temperatures. Such deviations could be quite natural. Indeed, these temperature increases can be explained in part by increased solar activity. Yet, b u r n i n g of fossil fuels and other human factors are considered likely contributors. Whether from human activities or cosmic effects, for human survival, technological Solu tions may be needed to keep the global temperature within tolerable margins. In a parallel development, the price of oil on the New York market has nearly doubled since the beginning of 1999. This current increase is directly related to selfcontrols imposed by the oil-producing countries. The price will probably not climb to excessive values, mainly because the oil-producing countries do not want other nations to develop competitive al ternative technologies. However, these increases in oil prices could have devastating effects on the general economy, and again, the future is unpredictable. This Situation poses an interesting dilemma for the scientific Community. Scientists are trained to base conclusions on facts and respond with appropriate engineering Solutions. Yet the extrapolation of global climate change is far from conclusive; the economies of nations can be volatile and often are determined by politics as opposed to science; and the needs of individual nations are varied and continue to evolve based on their local resources, economies, and environmental regulations. So, do we begin our develop ment of new technologies now, before the füll depth of the problems are known, or do we wait until a conclusive analysis can be drawn, at which point it may be too late? What will be the chance of reversing trends like these then, before a global ca-
MRS BULLETIN/NOVEMBER 1999
tastrophe—climatic or energy-related— occurs? With the future understanding of cli mate change and the economies of fossil fuels uncertain, it is thus pertinent to ad dress the development of energy Systems in a flexible way in order to provide a pool of technologies that can be drawn upon for Solutions. N e w t e c h n o l o g i e s are needed to reduce the impact of our Over all consumption of fossil fuels and aid the developed and developing countries as they adapt to future trends. In this issue of MRS Bulletin, we tackle one important element of energy management, that of energy storage. We move beyond the question of if there are prob lems to solve and instead offer suggestions of what some materials Solutions might be. The issue examines extensions of current technologies and delves into new advanced materials. The articles composing this issue cover lead-aeid batteries, lithium and nickel-metal hydride batteries, hydrogen-storage materials, and flywheels. In the first article, Palumbo and Erb revisit the mat
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