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

Carbon Nanotubes Improve Metal’s Longevity Under Radiation

A team of researchers at MIT and elsewhere has found that, at least in some reactors, adding a tiny quantity of carbon nanotubes to the metal can dramatically slow this breakdown process.

MSU Chemistry Professor and Graduate Student Publish Research in ‘Science’

Converting nitrogen into a form that people and plants can use can exact a heavy toll on the Earth, but a team involving two Montana State University researchers has discovered a much more eco-friendly method – a finding that has implications for food and alternative fuel production.

Controlling Light: New Protection for Photosynthetic Organisms

Newly discovered 'photosynthetic volume control' protects green organisms from unwanted light.

Making a Solar Energy Conversion Breakthrough With Help From a Ferroelectrics Pioneer

Designers of solar cells may soon be setting their sights higher, as a discovery by a team of researchers including scientists from Drexel University, has revealed a class of materials that could be better at converting sunlight into energy than those currently being used in solar arrays.

Stanford Researchers Find New Way of Making Hydrogen Fuel from Water and Improve Grid-Scale Batteries

Stanford engineer Yi Cui and colleagues have developed new ways to improve hydrogen production and rechargeable zinc batteries.

"Atomic Sandwiches" Could Make Computers 100X Greener

Researchers at the University of Michigan have engineered a material that could lead to a new generation of computing devices, packing in more computing power while consuming a fraction of the energy that today’s electronics require

The Dangers of Overcharging Your Plants

Capturing light to produce energy is a dangerous business for plants. The Kramer lab at Michigan State University has discovered one important reason why, in their search for ways to improve crop yields.

U of A Researchers Observe Dynamic Structure of Plant Protein

Research at the University of Arkansas shows that a plant protein’s dynamic structure plays a critical role in how the plant builds up its photosynthetic machinery, potentially informing the design of artificial solar energy conversion devices.

UA Engineer Predicts Materials Failure From the Tiniest of Grains

Researcher Katerina Aifantis, the principal investigator on a nanotechnology-based collaborative research project between the University of Arizona and Michigan Technological University, is probing mechanical processes at the nanoscale with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

MSU Chemist Receives $500,000 DOE Grant for Renewable Energy Work

Milton Smith, Michigan State University College of Natural Science chemistry professor, has been awarded a three-year, $500,000 grant for research on renewable energy by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Structure of Hydrogen-Stuffed, Quartz-Like Form of Ice Revealed

New work from a team led by Carnegie’s Timothy Strobel has identified the structure of a new type of ice crystal that resembles the mineral quartz and is stuffed with over five weight percent of energy-rich hydrogen molecules, which is a long-standing Department of Energy goal for hydrogen storage.

Computer Scientists Find ‘Inexact Computing’ Can Improve Answers

Computer scientists from Rice University, Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have used one of Isaac Newton’s numerical methods to demonstrate how “inexact computing” can dramatically improve the quality of simulations run on supercomputers.