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

UMD Engineers Discover Root Cause of Solid-State Battery Failure

A University of Maryland (UMD) research team - consisting of Chunsheng Wang, a professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE); Howard Wang, a visiting research professor of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and Nancy Dudney of Oak Ridge National Laboratory - discovered that high electronic conductivity of solid electrolytes is the root cause of dendrite formation in solid-state batteries.

New Thermoelectric Material Delivers Record Performance

Taking advantage of recent advances in using theoretical calculations to predict the properties of new materials, researchers have reported the discovery of a new class of half-Heusler thermoelectric compounds, including one with a record high figure of merit – a metric used to determine how efficiently a thermoelectric material can convert heat to electricity.

Superconductors Due for a Tuneup

Physicists at Rice University show quantum materials can be tuned for superconductivity.

IU Study Predicts How Air Pollutants from U.S. Forest Soils Will Increase with Climate Change

A study from Indiana University has found that trees influence whether soil can remove or emit gases that cause smog, acid rain and respiratory problems.

Iowa State University Chemists use Abundant, Low-Cost and Non-Toxic Elements to Synthesize Semiconductors

Chemists at Iowa State University and Ames Lab have been working to produce semiconductors from materials that are safe, abundant and inexpensive to manufacture.

Key Biological Mechanism is Disrupted by Ocean Acidification

A team led by scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego has demonstrated that the excess carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere through the combustion of fossil fuels interferes with the health of phytoplankton which form the base of marine food webs.

Simulate Today, Innovate Tomorrow: the Future of Materials Science

Stanford’s Evan Reed is at the forefront of a new class of materials scientists who dream up new materials with computer simulations.

Graphene Grows Stronger Against the Wind

Researchers from Oak Ridge National Lab, New Mexico State University and Rice University have developed a technique to grow single-atom-thick graphene monocrystals to unprecedented sizes.

A Catalyst for Clean Energy

Seeking new solutions to more efficiently harvest and store solar energy, an international scientific team has synthesized a new, dual-atom catalyst to serve as a platform for artificial photosynthesis.

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Researchers Sew Atomic Lattices Seamlessly Together

Scientists with the University of Chicago and Cornell University revealed a technique to “sew” two patches of crystals seamlessly together at the atomic level to create atomically-thin fabrics.

It Pays to Study the Solvent

Researchers at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison, are studying how solvents used in biomass conversion work in order to optimize reactions.

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A Single Atom for Catalytic Conversion

Tufts researchers, along with colleagues at Washington State University, have proven it’s possible to use a single atom of platinum to convert poisonous carbon monoxide to benign carbon dioxide, and at a lower temperature than current technology allows.