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

For Zombie Microbes, Deep-Sea Buffet is Just Out of Reach

Far below the ocean floor, sediments are teeming with bizarre zombie-like microbes. Although they’re technically alive, they grow in slow motion, and can take decades for a single cell to divide—something their cousins at the surface do in a matter of minutes. A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is beginning to pick apart how they survive by examining their source of “food”—nearby molecules of organic carbon.

UMD Engineers Discover Root Cause of Solid-State Battery Failure

A University of Maryland (UMD) research team - consisting of Chunsheng Wang, a professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE); Howard Wang, a visiting research professor of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and Nancy Dudney of Oak Ridge National Laboratory - discovered that high electronic conductivity of solid electrolytes is the root cause of dendrite formation in solid-state batteries.

New Thermoelectric Material Delivers Record Performance

Taking advantage of recent advances in using theoretical calculations to predict the properties of new materials, researchers have reported the discovery of a new class of half-Heusler thermoelectric compounds, including one with a record high figure of merit – a metric used to determine how efficiently a thermoelectric material can convert heat to electricity.

Superconductors Due for a Tuneup

Physicists at Rice University show quantum materials can be tuned for superconductivity.

Creating a Roadmap for 2D Materials

An invited article in the December online edition of the journal 2D Materials provides a roadmap for the synthesis of electronic-grade two-dimensional materials for future electronic and sensing applications. Led by Penn State, with contributions from five additional universities and national laboratories, the roadmap addresses the grand challenges in 2D materials with useful electronic or photonic properties, and the outlook for U.S. advances in the field.

IU Study Predicts How Air Pollutants from U.S. Forest Soils Will Increase with Climate Change

A study from Indiana University has found that trees influence whether soil can remove or emit gases that cause smog, acid rain and respiratory problems.

Periodic Table Still Influencing Today’s Research

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table, and the principles that drove Dmitri Mendeleev to construct his table are still influencing today’s research advances. In a special issue of Science, which celebrates this sesquicentennial anniversary, a Michigan State University scientist highlights some of the current research around the globe driven by Mendeleev’s influence.