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

Stanford Engineers Help Describe Key Mechanism in Energy and Information Storage

Work could inform research that leads to longer-lasting batteries or higher-capacity memory devices.

‘Pixel’ Engineered Electronics Have Growth Potential

Rice, Oak Ridge, Vanderbilt, and Penn St. scientists lead creation of atom-scale semiconducting composites.

Fat Molecules Influence Form and Function of Key Photosynthesis Protein

Researchers at Purdue University studied the atomic structure of, and electrical interactions within, the cytochrome bf complex, a protein complex central to the transport of electrons within membranes of a plant cell, a critical step in photosynthesis.

Electrically Conductive Plastics Promising for Batteries, Solar Cells

An emerging class of electrically conductive plastics called "radical polymers” may bring low-cost, transparent solar cells, flexible and lightweight batteries, and ultrathin antistatic coatings for consumer electronics and aircraft.

Researchers Look Inside to Reveal Workings of Powerful Biochemical Switch

A University of Utah-led study using X-rays and neutron beams has revealed the inner workings of a master switch that regulates basic cellular functions, but that also, when mutated, contributes to cancer, cardiovascular disease and other deadly disorders.

Winning By Losing: School of Engineering Scientists Find a Way to Improve Laser Performance

Scientists from the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis have shown a new way to reverse or eliminate energy loss by, ironically, adding loss to a laser system to actually reap energy gains.

Tarantula Venom Illuminates Electrical Activity in Live Cells

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have created a cellular probe that combines a tarantula toxin with a fluorescent compound to help scientists observe electrical activity in neurons and other cells.

Facetless Crystals That Mimic Starfish Shells Could Advance 3D-printing Pills

In a design that mimics a hard-to-duplicate texture of starfish shells, University of Michigan engineers have made rounded crystals that have no facets.

Imaging Electric Charge Propagating Along Microbial Nanowires

UMass Amherst researchers resolve a major biological controversy.

Magnetic Fields Make the Excitons Go ’Round

MIT theorists find a new way to improve efficiency of solar cells by overcoming exciton “traps.”

Iowa State Physicists Among Teams Preparing for New Energy Department Supercomputer

A team of Iowa State University nuclear physicists is preparing to scale up its computer codes for Cori, the next-generation supercomputer being developed by the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.

Nanoparticles Get a Magnetic Handle

New method at MIT produces particles that can glow with color-coded light and be manipulated with magnets.