2014 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

"Mind the Gap" Between Atomically Thin Materials

For the first time, the Penn State researchers grew a single atomic layer of tungsten diselenide on a one- atom-thick substrate of graphene with pristine interfaces between the two layers.

Physicists Advance Understanding of Transition Metal Oxides Used in Electronics

An international team of scientists, led by physicists at the University of Arkansas, has characterized the electronic and magnetic structure in artificially synthesized materials called transition metal oxides.

Rice Study Fuels Hope for Natural Gas Cars

Rice University scientists identify metal organic framework candidates for methane storage.

Computational Clues into the Structure of a Promising Energy Conversion Catalyst

Researchers at Princeton University have reported new insights into the structure of an active component of the nickel oxide catalyst, known as β-NiOOH, using theoretical calculations.

New Conversion Process Turns Biomass 'Waste' Into Lucrative Chemical Products

A team of researchers from Purdue University's Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels, or C3Bio, has developed a process that uses a chemical catalyst and heat to spur reactions that convert lignin into valuable chemical commodities.

New Findings Could Point the Way to “Valleytronics”

Researchers at MIT clear hurdles toward a new kind of 2-D microchip using different electron properties.

Proteins Stepping on "Landmines": How They Survive the Immense Heat They Create

How do some proteins survive the extreme heat generated when they catalyze reactions that can happen as many as a million times per second? Work by researchers from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the University of California Berkeley provides an explosive answer to this important question.

Stunning Zinc Fireworks When Egg Meets Sperm

Northwestern University researchers understanding of zinc’s role in healthy embryos could improve in vitro fertilization.

Switching to Spintronics

Cornell University and Berkeley Lab reports on electric field switching of ferromagnetism at room temperature.

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The Simplest Element: Turning Hydrogen Into “Graphene”

New work from Carnegie's Ivan Naumov and Russell Hemley delves into the chemistry underlying some surprising recent observations about hydrogen, and reveals remarkable parallels between hydrogen and graphene under extreme pressures.

World’s Most Complex Crystal Simulated at U-Michigan

The most complicated crystal structure ever produced in a computer simulation has been achieved by researchers at the University of Michigan.

New Technology Tracks Carcinogens As They Move Through the Body

Researchers at Oregon State for the first time have developed a method to track through the human body the movement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, as extraordinarily tiny amounts of these potential carcinogens are biologically processed and eliminated.