2018 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

2-Stage Gas Sensor Reports on Soil Dynamics

A gene “genie” developed by Rice University scientists grants researchers valuable data about microbes through puffs of gas from the soil.

IBBR Awarded DOE Grant to Investigate How to Protect an Emerging Biofuel Crop from Disease

The Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) has been awarded a $1.1M U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to elucidate the mechanism of rust pathogenesis in poplar in an effort to engineer durable resistance for this important, second generation biofuel crop.

UW and PNNL Team Up to Make the Materials of Tomorrow

With this eye toward the future, the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Washington announced the creation of the Northwest Institute for Materials Physics, Chemistry and Technology — or NW IMPACT — a joint research endeavor to power discoveries and advancements in materials that transform energy, telecommunications, medicine, information technology and other fields.

Reviewing Photosynthesis in Dynamic Conditions: PSI as the Protector

Scientists at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory shed light on how a protein complex, Photosystem I (PSI), plays important roles in protecting plants from excessive sunlight exposure and in helping them navigate old age.

New Exotic Phenomena Seen in Photonic Crystals

A team of researchers at MIT and elsewhere has found novel topological phenomena in a different class of systems — open systems, where energy or material can enter or be emitted, as opposed to closed systems with no such exchange with the outside.

New Approach Could Quickly Identify Best Organic Solar Cell Mixtures

An international team of researchers has discovered a new quantitative relation that allows for quick identification of promising material combinations for organic solar cells.

New Method Uses DNA, Gold Nanoparticles and Top-Down Lithography to Fabricate Optically Active Structures

Northwestern University researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind technique for creating entirely new classes of optical materials and devices that could lead to light bending and cloaking devices.

The Atomic Dynamics of Rare Everlasting Electric Fields

By ricocheting neutrons off the atoms of yttrium manganite (YMnO3) heated to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, researchers at Duke University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered the atomic mechanisms that give the unusual material its rare electromagnetic properties.

DOE Grants $10.6 Million to Produce More Biodiesel and Biojet Fuel

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the University of Illinois a $10.6 million, five-year grant to transform two of the most productive crops in America into sustainable sources of biodiesel and biojet fuel.

ASU Researchers Find New Solution for Mitigating Dendrite Growth, Which Shows Promise for All Batteries

New research from Arizona State University finds that using a 3-D layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), or silicone, as the substrate of the lithium metal anode can mitigate dendrite formation and both dramatically extend battery life and diminish safety risks.

U CO2 Sensor Network Shows Effects of Metro Growth

A team led by University of Utah atmospheric scientists Logan Mitchell and John Lin report that suburban sprawl increases CO2 emissions more than similar population growth in a developed urban core.

UW Researchers Lead Study that Discovers South African Wildfires Create Climate Cooling

University of Wyoming researchers led a study that discovered that biomass smoke originating from South Africa that drifts over the southeast Atlantic Ocean significantly enhances the brightness of low-level clouds there -- creating a reflective process that actually helps cool the Earth and counteract the greenhouse effect.