2016 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Scientists Create ‘Rewritable Magnetic Charge Ice’

A team of scientists working at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and led by Northern Illinois University physicist Zhili Xiao has created a new material, called “rewritable magnetic charge ice,” that permits an unprecedented degree of control over local magnetic fields and could pave the way for new computing technologies.

Researchers Seek Efficient Means of Splitting Water

Researchers at Cornell University have observed the catalytic reactions that pull apart water molecules are not distributed evenly across the surface of the semiconductor titanium dioxide, occurring only at “hotspots.”

Flat Boron is a Superconductor

Rice University scientists have determined that two-dimensional boron is a natural low-temperature superconductor. In fact, it may be the only 2-D material with such potential.

Remote Predictions of Fluid Flow in Fractures Possible with New Finding

A team of researchers at Purdue University have created a way to quickly and remotely evaluate fluid flow in subsurface fractures that could impact aquifers, oil and gas extraction, sequestration of greenhouse gases or nuclear waste and remediation of leaked contaminants.

Researchers Synthesize a Rare Mineral for the First Time

An international group of researchers including Lehigh University scientists have synthesized an extremely rare mineral and used it as a catalyst precursor to improve two reactions that are of great importance to the chemical industry.

Kerfeld Lab Reveals a New Light-Responsive Protein Family

Scientists at the Kerfeld Lab have identified a protein family, the Helical Carotenoid Proteins, which are ancestors to the modern protein that performs crucial light protection functions.

NYU Chemists Offer Enhanced 3D Look Inside Batteries

A team of chemists has developed a method to yield highly detailed, three-dimensional images of the insides of batteries. The technique, based on magnetic resonance imaging, offers an enhanced approach to monitor the condition of these power sources in real time.

WKU Signs Joint Faculty Agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The agreement between Western Kentucky Univeristy and UT-Battelle, which manages ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, will provide new opportunities for research for faculty, said Dr. Cheryl Davis, Interim Associate Provost for Research and Creative Activity at WKU.

Fueling the Quest for Green Energy

The University of Delaware-based Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI) mission is to develop a range of new catalysts that will convert inedible biomass—things like wood, switchgrass and other organic waste—into sugars and oils that can then be used in fuels and chemicals.

New Genus of Bacteria Found Living Inside Hydraulic Fracturing Wells

Researchers at Ohio State University are analyzing the genomes of microorganisms living in shale oil and gas wells have found evidence of sustainable ecosystems taking hold there—populated in part by a never-before-seen genus of bacteria they have dubbed “Frackibacter.”

UC Davis Receives $6M Grant to Tame ‘Wild West’ of Regional Climate Datasets

Amid increasing demands for accurate climate projections, a new grant to the University of California, Davis, from the U.S. Department of Energy Regional and Global Climate Modeling Program aims to help make better use of regional climate datasets.

Trap and Neutralize: A New Way to Clean Contaminated Groundwater

A team of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have helped discover a new chemical method to immobilize uranium in contaminated groundwater, which could lead to more precise and successful water remediation efforts at former nuclear sites.