2014 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Li-ion Batteries Contain Toxic Halogens VCU Physicists Discover

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have discovered that most of the electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries could be replaced with halogen-free electrolytes that are nontoxic and environmentally friendly.

New Form of Crystalline Order

A team of researchers from Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) reports that it has discovered an entirely new form of crystalline order that simultaneously exhibits both crystal and polycrystalline properties, which they describe as “interlaced crystals.”

Rice Study Fuels Hope for Natural Gas Cars

Rice University scientists identify metal organic framework candidates for methane storage.

Carnegie Mellon Becomes Affiliate of Joint Center for Energy Storage Research

Carnegie Mellon researchers will participate in workshops where they will collaborate with partners, other affiliates and the JCESR hub to find cheaper and more efficient systems for energy storage.

Dark Matter May Be Massive

Case Western Reserve University theorists suggest the Standard Model may account for the stuff.

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Emergent Behavior Lets Bubbles 'Sense' Environment (video)

Tiny bubbles can reorganize their membranes in response to the surrounding environment, according to work carried out in an international collaboration of engineers at the University of California, Davis, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Scientists Find Transitions Between States of Matter Are Complicated

The seemingly simple process of phase changes—those transitions between states of matter—is more complex than previously known, according to research based at Princeton University, Peking University and New York University.

Stunning Zinc Fireworks When Egg Meets Sperm

Northwestern University researchers understanding of zinc’s role in healthy embryos could improve in vitro fertilization.

Stanford Engineers Take Big Step Toward Using Light Instead of Wires Inside Computers

Using a new algorithm, Stanford engineers can design and build a prism-like silicon structure that can bend light at right angles. The goal is to transmit data faster and more efficiently via optical rather than electrical signals.

New Conversion Process Turns Biomass 'Waste' Into Lucrative Chemical Products

A team of researchers from Purdue University's Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels, or C3Bio, has developed a process that uses a chemical catalyst and heat to spur reactions that convert lignin into valuable chemical commodities.

Coral Reveals Long-term Link Between Pacific Winds, Global Climate

New research led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Arizona (UA) indicates that shifts in Pacific trade winds played a key role in twentieth century climate variation, a sign that they may again be influencing global temperatures.

Physicists Explain Puzzling Particle Collisions

A team at UC San Diego create a modification that simplifies one piece of the standard mathematical model of particle physics