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

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Iowa State Physicist Analyzes First Electron Neutrino Data from NOvA Experiment

Iowa State physicists are part of the huge NOvA Neutrino Experiment that just published two papers about the first experimental observations of muon neutrinos changing to electron neutrinos. The discovery could offer insight into fundamental neutrino properties such as mass and could help explain the dominance of matter in the universe.

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.

Major Advance in ‘Synthetic Biochemistry’ Holds Promise for Industrial Products and Biofuels

UCLA biochemists have devised a way to convert sugar into a variety of useful chemical compounds without using cells, which could lead to the production of biofuels and new pharmaceuticals.

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.

UW-led Field Project Watching Clouds From a Remote Island Off Antarctica

Clouds play a key role, influencing the transfer of heat and light to the surface, but knowledge of these clouds’ properties and their impacts on the surface is hazy.