2016 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Research Improves Conductive Plastic for Health and Energy

Biological implants that communicate with the brain to control paralyzed limbs or provide vision to the blind are one step closer to reality thanks to research by Brian Collins, an assistant professor of physics at Washington State University.

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.

New Nanoparticle Catalysts Could Reduce Need for Precious Metals

Researchers at MIT have found a less-expensive way to get the same amount of catalytic activity, using a lesser amount of platinum or palladium as an atomically-thin coating over a tiny ceramic particle.

Study Finds Unexpected Long-Range Particle Interactions

A team of researchers at MIT have found a new kind of long-range interaction between particles, in a liquid medium, that is based entirely on their motion.

UB's Wackeroth Named One of Fermilab’s Inaugural Distinguished Scholars

Doreen Wackeroth, University at Buffalo professor of physics, has been named a Fermilab Distinguished Scholar, making her one of the first four researchers to be selected for the honor.

UCR Researchers Discover New Method to Dissipate Heat in Electronic Devices

For the first time, an international team of scientists led by a researcher at the University of California, Riverside has modified the energy spectrum of acoustic phonons— elemental excitations, also referred to as quasi-particles, that spread heat through crystalline materials like a wave—by confining them to nanometer-scale semiconductor structures.

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.

Managing Photosynthesis' Traffic Jams

The Ducat lab at Michigan State University has coaxed a lab-grown cyanobacteria to efficiently make and export sugar, a technique which could someday lead to greater biofuel production at lower cost.

Stanford Scientists Improve Perovskite Solar-Cell Absorbers by Giving Them a Squeeze

Stanford University scientists have found that adding pressure could improve the performance of solar cells made of perovskites, a promising photovoltaic material.

Penn Engineers Develop First Transistors Made Entirely of Nanocrystal ‘Inks’

A new study by University of Pennsylvania engineers opens the door for electrical components to be built into flexible or wearable applications, as the lower-temperature process is compatible with a wide array of materials and can be applied to larger areas.

Johns Hopkins Researcher Advance Treatment of Tuberculosis By Targeting New Enzyme

Researchers at Johns Hopkins report they have laid the foundation to develop novel antibiotics that work against incurable, antibiotic-resistant bacteria like tuberculosis by targeting an enzyme essential to the production and integrity of bacterial cell walls.

Engineers Capture Self-Assembly of Nanocrystals in Real Time

The new study by University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineers Eli and Peter Sutter demonstrates that liquid-cell electron microscopy, an imaging technique that transmits high-energy electron beams through very thin layers of liquid, checks all three boxes.