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

Fundamental Discovery Slashes Energy Cost of Chemical Reactions

In research that could one day allow fuel cells to be fueled by biomass rather than hydrogen gas, a University of Wisconsin—Madison lab has found a pair of catalysts that oxidize alcohols with significantly better energy efficiency.

Simulations Reveal Dynamics of Electrons at the Surface of Popular Photocatalyst TiO₂

Theoretical chemists in the Selloni lab at Princeton University have offered a detailed picture of the dynamics of excess electrons near anatase titanium dioxide (TiO₂) surfaces.

Clark University Affiliated International Research Project Digs into Shiitake Mushroom's Genetic and Biogeographic History

The researchers won Community Science Program support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute, which will provide “invaluable” services — DNA and RNA sequencing, bioinformatics and other analytical work to unlock the information encoded in shiitake genomes.

Probing Giant Planets’ Dark Hydrogen

Carnegie’s Alexander Goncharov and University of Edinburgh’s Stewart McWilliams measures the conditions under which hydrogen undergoes this transition in the lab and finds an intermediate state between gas and metal, which they’re calling “dark hydrogen.”

Novel Capping Strategy Improves Stability of Perovskite Nanocrystals

UC Santa Cruz researchers reported the results of experiments using unique branched ligands to synthesize perovskite nanocrystals with greatly improved stability and uniform particle size.

Solved: First Crystal Structure of a Transcription Terminator Protein

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and elsewhere resolve the first protein structure in a family of proteins called transcription terminators that could provide insight into aging and cancer.

New Capability Supports U.S. Energy and Security Needs

The National Nuclear Security Administration, Argonne Lab, and Washington State University will dedicate a new, first-of-a-kind facility dedicated to dynamic compression science for material sciences research.

Stanford-led Team Reveals Nanoscale Secrets of Rechargeable Batteries

An interdisciplinary team has developed a way to track how particles charge and discharge at the nanoscale, an advance that will lead to better batteries for all sorts of mobile applications.

5 Nanoscience Research Projects That Could Deliver Big Results

Berkeley Lab researchers are solving big challenges with nanoscale projects: a DIY, reflective coating for energy efficient windows, nanoscale wires serving as tiny lasers, nano sponges capturing carbon from power plants, nanocompartments as custom-made chemical factories, polymers spontaneously assembling into nanotubes, and writing with light – photolithography.

Breakthrough Solar Cell Captures CO2 and Sunlight, Produces Burnable Fuel

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have engineered a potentially game-changing solar cell that cheaply and efficiently converts atmospheric carbon dioxide directly into usable hydrocarbon fuel, using only sunlight for energy.

Newly Discovered Bacteria Linked With Ocean Nitrogen Loss

A team led by the Georgia Institute of Technology has discovered members of a highly prolific bacteria group known as SAR11 living in the world’s largest oxygen minimum zone. The team has produced unambiguous evidence that the bacteria play a major role in denitrification.

'Road Testing' Plants Reveals Photosynthesis Secrets

Scientists at Michigan State University are dedicating considerable efforts to understanding basic mechanisms of photosynthesis and how the ‘solar panel,’ the photosynthetic membrane and ultimately the leaf, is built.