2017

Scientists Discover a 2-D magnet

A team led by the University of Washington and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has for the first time discovered magnetism in the 2-D world of monolayers, or materials that are formed by a single atomic layer.

Stanford Scientists Use Nanotechnology to Boost the Performance of a Key Industrial Catalyst

The discovery focuses on an industrial catalyst known as cerium oxide, or ceria, a spongy material commonly used in catalytic converters, self-cleaning ovens and various green-energy applications, such as fuel cells and solar water splitters.

Refining the Ocean’s Thermometer

Researchers from Oregon State University, the University of California, Davis, the University of Washington, and the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have found that the layers of magnesium in the shells of marine creatures known foraminifera are due to daily cycles of sunlight.

Caltech Chemical Engineer Explains Oxygen Mystery on Comets

A Caltech chemical engineer who normally develops new ways to fabricate microprocessors in computers has figured out how to explain a nagging mystery in space—why comets expel oxygen gas, the same gas we humans breathe.

New Understanding of Superconductor's 'Normal' State May Open the Way to Solving Longstanding Puzzle

Experiments done at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Madhavan and Abbamonte laboratories, in collaboration with researchers at six institutions in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, and Japan, have shed new light on the electronic properties of this material at temperatures 4°K above Tc.

Growing Pains and How that Might Affect Seed Quality

A team of researchers at Michigan State University are showing how heat affects seed quality in plants targeted for producing biofuels.

Caltech, Berkeley Lab Teams Combines Theory, X-ray Experiments to Explain What’s at Work in Copper Catalyst

Researchers report the mechanics behind an early key step in artificially activating CO2 so that it can rearrange itself to become the liquid fuel ethanol.

Molecular Scale Science May Inform Water Purification Methods and Battery Improvements

A new technique developed by a team including University of Delaware Prof. Neil Sturchio and colleagues at Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Chicago has produced real-time observations documenting the chemical reactions that happen between liquids and solids.