Researchers have created an ultrathin silver coating for solid electrolytes that increases resistance to cracking, promising breakthroughs in the safety and longevity of lithium metal batteries.

Entrepreneurial timing – among other ingredients – in cleantech can make or break a venture, says William Chueh, director of Stanford's Precourt Institute for Energy, in the debut episode of the new Stanford Ecopreneurship Podcast (and vodcast).

Researchers have created a more energy dense storage material for iron-based batteries. The breakthrough could also improve applications in MRI technology and magnetic levitation.