2019 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Researchers Flood Boundaries of Chemistry

With new funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, researchers at UC San Diego are collecting data on the properties of materials, like water, apply it to machine learning, optimize the material through modifications based on simulations and then synthesize an ideal material that could be used, for example, to extract water from the atmosphere.

X-rays Reveal Why Adding a Bit of Salt Improves Perovskite Solar Cells

A team of researchers has reported new findings about perovskites that could pave the way to developing low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells. Using high-intensity X-ray mapping, they explain why adding small amounts of cesium and rubidium salt improves the performance of a promising class of solar cell materials, called lead-halide perovskites.

UK Research Probes Nanomaterials in Plants at Cellular Level

A national team of scientists, led by University of Kentucky’s Jason Unrine, used the most powerful X-ray microscope on the planet to discover how nanomaterials enter and move within tomato plants on the cellular level.

Running an LED in Reverse Could Cool Future Computers

In a finding that runs counter to a common assumption in physics, researchers at the University of Michigan ran a light emitting diode (LED) with electrodes reversed in order to cool another device mere nanometers away.

Researchers Examine Puzzling Sizes of Extremely Light Calcium Isotopes

Michigan State University researchers have measured for the first time the nuclei of three proton-rich calcium isotopes, according to a new paper published in Nature Physics.

A Better Way to Make Acrylics

Acrylics and the closely related acrylates are the building blocks for many kinds of plastics, glues, textiles, dyes, paints, and papers. Now researchers from UConn and ExxonMobil describe a new process for making acrylics that would increase energy efficiency and reduce toxic byproducts.

Scientists Discover New Type of Magnet

A team of scientists has discovered the first robust example of a new type of magnet—one that holds promise for enhancing the performance of data storage technologies.

Controllable Electron Flow in Quantum Wires

Princeton University researchers have demonstrated a new way of making controllable “quantum wires” in the presence of a magnetic field, according to a new study published online in the journal Nature.

A New Spin on Computing: Chemist Leads $3.9 Million DOE Quest for Quantum Software

The Department of Energy has awarded theoretical chemist Francesco Evangelista $3.9 million to lead research into the development of software to run the first generation of quantum computers. The tools the team develops will be open access, made available to other researchers for free.

New Phenomenon Discovered that Fixes a Common Problem in Lasers: Wavelength Splitting

A team led by University of Utah physicists has discovered how to fix a major problem that occurs in lasers made from a new type of material called quantum dots. The never-before-seen phenomenon will be important for an emerging field of photonics research, including one day making micro-chips that code information using light instead of electrons.

Summer Adventure: Lasers and Nanotechnology

Junior Karly Casey shares her University of Alabama at Birmingham research journey and her summer at Brookhaven National Lab.

Early Spring Rain Boosts Methane from Thawing Permafrost by 30 Percent

A University of Washington-led team has found a new reason behind increased methane emissions from a thawing permafrost bog in Alaska: Early spring rainfall warms up the bog and promotes the growth of plants and methane-producing microbes.