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

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.

Microbial Manufacturing

Emily Balskus, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University, and a team of researchers untangled how soil bacteria are able to manufacture an antibiotic and anti-cancer compound.

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.

Unleashing Perovskites' Potential for Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells are thought to have great potential, and new understanding of how changes in composition affect their behavior could help to make them practical. New results at MIT show how varying the recipe could bring these materials closer to commercialization.

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.

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.

The Physics of Multitasking

Penn physicists characterize the limits of multitasking in biological networks, paving the way for future applications in fields from biology to medicine.

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The Dynamics of Light-Harvesting Chemistry

A new paper provides insights into the chemistry that underlies human-made, light-driven catalytic systems and paves the way to better understand how light-induced reactions can be controlled more effectively.

Ultracold Simulators of Super-dense Stars

Rice University physicists have created the world’s first laser-cooled neutral plasma, completing a 20-year quest that sets the stage for simulators that re-create exotic states of matter found inside Jupiter and white dwarf stars.

Engineering Tech Students Intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Two University of West Alabama engineering technology students recently participated in a 10-week paid internship at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, the largest U.S. Department of Energy science and energy laboratory.

Fermilab Scientists Lead Quest to Find Elusive Fourth Kind of Neutrino

Scientists at the UChicago-affiliated Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, site of the most extensive neutrino research in the world, are leading an international collaboration to explore the possibility of a completely new particle.

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.