With the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, various nanodevices have been successfully demonstrated, such as single electron devices, logic gates, chemical biological sensors, nano-robotics, etc. However, these nanodevices are still powered by external power sources at present. For practical applications, external power sources actually cause a lot of inconvenience and even hinder the functionalities of the nanodevices. Thus, integration of multifunctional nanodevices with nanoscale power sources into a fully functional nanosystem will be in high demand in future. Recently, several groups have reported on nano-power sources. Some experts have developed a nanometer solar cell with a p-type/intrinsic/n-type (p–i–n) coaxial silicon nanowire. Under the solar illumination, the nano-solar cell could serve as a robust power source to drive nanosensors and logic gates. Some experts constructed a nanogenerator from zinc oxide nanowire arrays, which could convert mechanical energy into electrical energy by means of piezoelectric effect. However, neither the nano solar cells nor the nanogenerator could store energy and release it when necessary. Obviously, it is essential to develop nanoscale energy storage devices to realize self-powered nanosystems in future.

The scientist reported on a rechargeable lithium battery based on a single hexagonal tungsten oxide (h-WO₃) nanowire. This nanobattery can discharge at a voltage of 0.27–0.1 V and a current of 20–10 pA for more than 1000 s with a capacity of 15.2 nC, suggesting that each WO₃ molecule could accommodate 1.8–2.2 Li⁺ ions on average. It exhibits excellent stability and repeatability. Real time ultraviolet (UV) light detection is achieved through a single WO₃ nanowire based UV sensor, which is powered by the nanobattery.

As common energy storage devices, batteries play a key role in our daily life. Modern batteries are no longer characterized by the simple purpose of energy storage, but with designed multi-functionality as one of the hot topics and development directions of the battery research. A new-style electrochromic battery has been conceived which enables the highly desired convenient user-device interface based on a friendly human-readable output. However, the field of combination between the technology of battery and electrochromism is still rather young with many unsolved problems. For example, the specific capacity that the electrochromic battery delivers is rather low and the battery device needs a very long time for self-charging (12 hours). Therefore, exploring smart electrochromic battery with high performances is undoubtedly a worthwhile field of inquiry, and various solutions for building electrochromic batteries with new device configurations are eagerly needed.

The scientists have successfully developed a high-capacity electrochromic batteries with ultrafast charging in seconds.

The aluminum (Al)/tungsten oxide material system was selected to build new electrochromic batteries, and they show the extraordinary advantages. First, the new born battery established an interactive interface between user and devices. Second, ultrafast charging could be realized by the small addition of hydrogen peroxide (8s). Third, the capacity of this electrochromic battery was 6 times higher than those of congeneric devices. This study opens the door for the future electrochromic batteries development.

During tungsten carbide countersink using, usually appears chipping phenomenon in the initial period for various reasons, so it can reach the service life required. This unusual tool consumption will not only increase the machining of tool costs, but also directly affect the overall processing efficiency. In order to reduce chipping phenomenon and improve tungsten carbide countersink service life, we ought to notice and improve in design, manufacture, and use. First, from the structure design, according to the difference of the surface countersunk, there are some differences in countersink structure designing correspondly, such as the plate countersink structure is suitable for the complete, uniform cutting force and shallow pores of plate; if the cylinder bore with deeper countersink hole is used the sinking bore structure; in addition, there are monolithic and modular countersink. In order to avoid chipping, usually designed to avoid the knife tip is designed to countersink a right angle, and grinding the transition edges or rounded edges.

In the manufacturing process, the quality of tungsten carbide welding blade greatly depends on the service life of tungsten carbide countersink. At present, using a brazing process, it should be noted that prior to welding sandblasting and cleaning with gasoline before removing the oxide film and the surface of the blade to reduce oil sealing off the phenomenon; the follow is to control the welding temperature and cooling rate, heating or cooling too fast too quickly will cause internal countersink knife produce greater stress, which is one cause of blade cracking and chipping. Furthermore, it also need to select milling parameters properly according to the characteristic of the grinding wheel and strictly follow the grinding mill can avoid hollowing edge chipping due to improper use of the tool caused by grinding.

The other one is chipping caused by improper use. It mainly includes two aspects, one is the operation, and the other is the cutting amount. In the working process, countersink will encounter a great impact and unstable, and the working surface will be beating and vibration, then it is prone to chipping and knife fight. The cutting amount or called cutting rate depends on the surface evenness, especially in the initial stage of countersinking.

Tungsten carbide countersink is also called tungsten carbide countersink drill, which is composed of the hard phase WC and the binder phase Co and it can manufacture the flat end surface holes, cylinders, cones and other surface. In general, tungsten carbide countersink consists of steel blade and tungsten carbide tip, which plays an important role in automotive internal combustion engine manufacturing. According to different processing purposes, the countersink can be divided into plate countersink, cylindrical countersink, conical countersink, end countersink and so on. The commonest flat countersink has 3-4 buttons on the each circumferential end surface. In processed hole insertion guide posts, and its role is to control the original error is countersunk hole concentricity. The post usually made into detachable pattern, which is convenient for the end surface of countersink machining and sharpening.

According to the different requirements of workpiece tapered countersink, the taper angle of conical countersink has 5 kinds of 60°, 82°, 90°, 100° and 120°, and the most of using is 90°. Cylindrical countersink play a major role in cutting is the end face of the blade, bevel helical groove is its front angle. Countersink drill tip has a guide post, guide post hole diameter and the workpiece has been tight clearance fit to ensure good centering and guide. This pillar is detachable, but can also countersink drill guide post integrally formed. The end face countersink is designed for the end surface of the plate, which can ensure the vertical of bore and the center line. When small aperture processed, in order to maintain a certain strength of the rod may be the holder of the head section and the diameter of the machined hole clearance fit, thus ensuring a good guiding effect. In a word, tungsten carbide countersink not only has high hardness, high strength and excellent wear and corrosion resistance, but also easily for manufacturing and high in efficiency, which has been widely used in machinery manufacturing industries, especially for some parts of the bolt on the engine via bearing surfaces machining is applicable.

To produce excellent performance composite rare earth tungsten electrode should optimize the manufacturing technology. After several industrial trials and understanding the role of rare earth in tungsten electrode summarized the following key points during manufacturing.

1. doping rare earth uniformly
Solid-liquid doping method can make rare earth be fully doped. APT and rare earth nitrate as raw materials and doped with solid-liquid method, rare earth nitrates can enter or adsorb on the surface of APT. It is conductive to help rare earth get into tungsten lattice to achieve uniformly doping during subsequent decomposition and restore process.

2. controlling reduced powder’s grain size
The grain size and distribution of reduced powder has a certain influence on the subsequent sintering and machining. The reduced powder which doped with rare earth has higher reduction temperature, so the powder grain size controlling is mainly by increasing the amount of powder loaded boat or increased reduction furnace temperature gradient, relying on high-temperature gaseous hydrated tungsten oxide quick migration to produce large and wide grain size. In addition, when sintering and subsequent processing can successfully operation, should as much as possible to reduce the reduction temperature which can obtain better rare earth grain size.

3. sintering curve
To develop a reasonable sintering curve can obtain good quality sintered blank. During sintering process, the electrode blank should keep warm at low temperature for long time and after rare earth diffusion to reach a balance can increase temperature. Sintering temperature too high can cause rare earth serious volatile, so to make a sintering process should take powder grain size, sintering temperature into consideration.

4. Processing System
Tungsten electrode doped with rare earth has a higher recrystallization temperature, so the processing temperature is also improved. However, rare earth will hinder tungsten grains to increases the recovery and recrystallization driving force, so as to increase the amount of deformation, the processing temperature should decrease. Beside the temperature decreasing range should great than thorium tungsten electrode, cerium tungsten electrode and other rare earth tungsten electrode which doped with single rare earth oxide.

While the global climate heats up, so does the conversation on sustainability and the need for alternative energy and fuel resources. Dr. Robert Mayanovic, assistant department head of physics, astronomy, and materials science at Missouri State University, brings new hope to the topic as he has helped to discover a porous metal-oxide that could potentially be used as an alternative to traditional energy and fuel resources.

“Basically, we are looking for ways to develop materials that can be used in the future to harness conventional or alternate energy sources in a more sustainable fashion than what materials offer today,” said Mayanovic. “The first phase of the project is to test the stability of the materials in extreme environments.”

Using a large x-ray machine called a synchrotron, which allows the materials to be probed down to the atomic level, Mayanovic and colleagues Dr. Sonal Dey of Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, and Dr. Ridwan Sakidja, associate professor of physics, astronomy, and materials science at Missouri State, found the porous metal-oxide (tungsten oxide) to be very stable under high temperatures and nominal pressures in water.

“Once this particular metal-oxide porous material is further modified to have excellent catalytic properties, it may potentially be used to break down bio-matter waste to liberate hydrogen and methane so that these gasses could be used as energy sources,” Mayanovic adds.

Initially collaborating with other scientists from the Energy Frontier Research in Extreme Environments Center (EFree), Mayanovic now continues to develop his research on tungsten oxide, hoping to provide the world with a new means to sustain the planet. Most recently, Mayanovic had the opportunity to be published in “Nanoscale”, a peer reviewed scientific journal that covers experimental and theoretical research in all areas of nanotechnology and nanoscience.

Tungsten heater generally consists of tungsten wire which has a high melting point and high corrosion resistance, and it is mainly used in vacuum metallizing, aluminizing and other decorative items, chrome and other mirrors, plastic products, heating elements. Wolfram heater can be twisted or stranded by tungsten wire into different styles in according with the specific requirements. The tungsten wire can be pure tungsten or doped tungsten wire. Tungsten wire diameter generally in the range between 0.2 ~ 1.2mm. Tungsten is one of several materials commonly used to make electron emitters. The advantage of tungsten is its extremely low vapor pressure even at high temperatures.

The heating cathode was indirectly introduced to the public for the first time in 1927. At that time, there was a big difference of the design of wolfram heater. A kind of tungsten heater is supported by an extruded ceramic insulator and surrounded by a nickel sleeve.

“A” of the picture shows the tube of detector and amplifier commonly used for a wolfram heater before. This heating element needs supply voltage of 2.5 volts. It takes 20 to 30 seconds to warm-up. “B” shows a diameter of 0.02mm tungsten wire wound on a spiral port of alumina insulating tube. Under normal circumstances, the alumina coating covers the entire tungsten wire. “C” in this picture shows a 0.7mm diameter tungsten wire is wound on a spiral port of alumina insulating tube, a molybdenum rod passes the middle of the tube. Such type of wolfram heater generally operates at 5 volts and 60 amperes environment. “D” in the picture shows a diameter of 0.25mm heating sub-branch, and it is pressed in the insulating tube. These four wolfram heater are the most typical form, but in fact, in order to facilitate the use of follow-up processes, the heater element will be made into a variety of shapes and sizes.

Aluminum film is formed in the vacuum container. The high purity aluminum wire (generally up to 99.9%) is heated and vaporized at a relatively low temperature deposition surface of the fluorescent screen, thereby forming a thin and uniform dense aluminum. A fluorescent screen whose fluorescent material is a pure rare earth compound such as a compound of the formulas. Steamed aluminum screen is to evaporate aluminum film on the screen. Usually industrial processes of aluminizing and tungsten heater mainly include: aluminum wire insert → phosphor screen loading → first vacuum → second vacuum→ l vacuum measurement →preheating→evapotranspire →film thickness measurement  →cooling  → screen material blanking.

Tungsten heater is electrified in a vacuum vessel to form aluminum film after the gasification of aluminum wire. In other words, aluminum wire would obtain a certain power by a low voltage high current and then form an aluminum film by evaporation and gasification of aluminum wire after melting. Wolfram heater is main used in preheat evapotranspiration of the whole processes. The main purpose of preheat is to cleanup and purify gas adsorbed in the aluminum wire, making the process of evaporation can be carried out smoothly. In the beginning, the input current of heating element would increase with the voltage increases. After a long warm-up time, the temperature of heating element would rise, resulting in increase of resistivity.

In the process of evapotranspiration, solid aluminum molecules are escaped by electrical heating. In the process of evapotranspiration, voltage is applied to a certain value at first, such as 8.5V. Before the temperature reaches the melting temperature of aluminum, the change of current and power is the same as preheating process. When it reaches the evaporation temperature, aluminum would quickly evaporate and the current would reduce until the end of evaporation.