University Research | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Stretchy Solar Cells a Step Closer

Organic solar cells that can be painted or printed on surfaces are increasingly efficient, and now show promise for incorporation into applications like clothing that also require them to be flexible. The Rice University lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Rafael Verduzco has developed flexible organic photovoltaics that could be useful where constant, low-power generation is sufficient.

After 30 Years of R&D, Breakthrough Announced in Dark Matter Detection Technology, Definitive Search to Begin for Axion Particles

This week, the Axion Dark Matter Experiment (ADMX), which is based at the University of Washington, unveiled a new result, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, that places it in a category of one: it is the world’s first and only experiment to have achieved the necessary sensitivity to “hear” the telltale signs of dark matter axions.

Cutting Waste, Fossil Fuel Use, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Turning Unused Food into Biofuel

Funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant, a team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is creating a better way to convert waste food into biofuels that are environmentally friendly, a project that would have an impact on global problems like crude oil dependence, food waste, and water pollution.

Matthew Vollmer Receives DOE Graduate Student Research Award

Matthew Vollmer, a fourth-year graduate student working with Professor Connie Lu, has received a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award. He was one of 60 graduate students in the country to receive this award.

ASU Team Discovers a New Take on Early Evolution of Photosynthesis

A team of scientists from Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences has begun rethinking the evolutionary history of photochemical reaction centers (RCs).

Quantum Shift Shows Itself in Coupled Light and Matter

A team led by Rice University scientists used a unique combination of techniques to observe, for the first time, a condensed matter phenomenon about which others have only speculated. The research could aid in the development of quantum computers.

Fluorescent Dye Could Enable Sharper Biological Imaging

A new technique developed by a team of researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital could allow doctors and researchers to generate clearer images of blood vessels and other tissues.

Multi-Institutional Team of Scientists Mix the Unmixable to Create ‘Shocking’ Nanoparticles

Making a giant leap in the ‘tiny’ field of nanoscience, a multi-institutional team of researchers is the first to create nanoscale particles composed of up to eight distinct elements generally known to be immiscible, or incapable of being mixed or blended together.

Scripps Research Study Provides New Clues to Improving Chemotherapies

Scientists on the Florida campus of Scripps Research have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism—proteins that cells use to bind to a toxic substance and sequester it from the rest of the organism.

New Ways to Control Bacterial Factories for Future Biotech Uses

The lab of Cheryl Kerfeld at Michigan State University has developed a new method to manipulate miniature factories found in bacteria that could someday lead to new medical, industrial, or energy applications.

UMD Research Team Develops Compact Solid State Cooling Technology

A research team in the University of Maryland Department of Materials Science and Engineering has developed a novel compact solid-state cooling device, which can be used to prevent household electronics - such as laptops - from heating up, or even to treat epilepsy via local cooling of the human brain.

UChicago Scientists Create Way to Power Pacemaker with Light

University of Chicago scientists have developed a method to create a solar cell pacemaker, which may be less invasive and less harmful to living tissue.