University Research | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

ASU Team Discovers a New Take on Early Evolution of Photosynthesis

A team of scientists from Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences has begun rethinking the evolutionary history of photochemical reaction centers (RCs).

Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy Makes a Window into the Nanoscale

A team of scientists and engineers dug into the mechanisms that degrade sample quality in liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LC-TEM). They developed an LC-TEM device that uses multiple windows and patterned features to explore the impacts of high-energy electron bombardment on nanoparticles and sensitive biological samples.

Supercomputing the Emergence of Material Behavior

A team of chemists at the University of California, San Diego has now designed a two-dimensional protein crystal that toggles between states of varying porosity and density. This is a first in biomolecular design that combined experimental studies with computation done on several supercomputing systems: the San Diego Supercomputer Center, the National Institute for Computational Sciences, and the Texas Advance Computing Center.

UT Nuclear Engineering Student Chosen for Top Fellowship

UT’s Eric O’Quinn, a graduate student in nuclear engineering, has been chosen by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science for enrollment in its graduate student research program.

Artificial Intelligence Accelerates Discovery of Metallic Glass

A group led by scientists at Northwestern University, the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has reported a shortcut for discovering and improving metallic glass — and, by extension, other elusive materials — at a fraction of the time and cost.

New Self-Assembling Protein Hydrogels May Hold Many Applications for Biomedicine

Delivering medications safely and accurately is of great interest to researchers and, of course, to people who need them. So is restoring function to damaged body parts. Jin K. Montclare, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has taken a big step towards meeting both of these goals.

Quantum Shift Shows Itself in Coupled Light and Matter

A team led by Rice University scientists used a unique combination of techniques to observe, for the first time, a condensed matter phenomenon about which others have only speculated. The research could aid in the development of quantum computers.

Multi-Institutional Team of Scientists Mix the Unmixable to Create ‘Shocking’ Nanoparticles

Making a giant leap in the ‘tiny’ field of nanoscience, a multi-institutional team of researchers is the first to create nanoscale particles composed of up to eight distinct elements generally known to be immiscible, or incapable of being mixed or blended together.

Light ‘Relaxes’ Crystal to Boost Solar Cell Efficiency

A collaboration led by Rice University and Los Alamos National Laboratory found that constant illumination relaxes the lattice of a perovskite-like material, making it more efficient at collecting sunlight and converting it to energy.

Fluorescent Dye Could Enable Sharper Biological Imaging

A new technique developed by a team of researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital could allow doctors and researchers to generate clearer images of blood vessels and other tissues.

From Lotion to Ocean Liner

Researchers at RiKarbon, a University of Delaware start-up company, are combining plant scraps and natural oils, through chemistry, to engineer a bio-based oil that can be used as a renewable alternative to typical petroleum-based resources used in everything from popular skin lotions and sunscreens to lubricants for shipping, agriculture, food processing and hydropower production, among other things.

Read more about From Lotion to Ocean Liner

$6.8M Initiative to Enable American Laser Renaissance

In an effort to improve American competitiveness in high-intensity laser research, the Department of Energy has established LaserNetUS, a $6.8 million initiative that involves the University of Michigan—one of the field’s pioneers.