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

Computational Astrophysics Team Uncloaks Magnetic Fields of Cosmic Events

Computational astrophysicists at the University of Chicago describe a new method for acquiring information on experiments using laser beams to reproduce cosmic conditions.

Climate Change Game-Changer? USC Scientists Find More Efficient Way to Convert Methane into Useful Chemicals

USC scientists have unlocked a new, more efficient pathway for converting methane — a potent gas contributing to climate change — directly into basic chemicals for manufacturing plastics, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Research Team Publish Work on Solar Cell Film Phase Transitions

A Purdue University professor and a multi-institution team of researchers recently published a paper on solar cells in Nature Materials titled “Thermochromic halide perovskite solar cells,” which focuses on the team’s research of the structural-phase transition behaviors in mixed halide perovskite thin films.

UCLA Scientists Develop Low-Cost Way to Build Gene Sequences

A new technique pioneered by UCLA researchers could enable scientists in any typical biochemistry laboratory to make their own gene sequences for only about $2 per gene. Researchers now generally buy gene sequences from commercial vendors for $50 to $100 per gene.

Gene Improves Plant Growth and Conversion to Biofuels

A research team led by the University of Georgia has discovered that manipulation of the same gene in poplar trees and switchgrass produced plants that grow better and are more efficiently converted to biofuels.

Rapid Decompression Key to Making Low-Density Liquid Water

New work from Carnegie high-pressure geophysicists Chuanlong Lin, Jesse Smith, Stanislav Sinogeikin, and Guoyin Shen found evidence of the long-theorized, difficult-to-see low-density liquid phase of water.

Texas A&M-Led Team Doubles Down on Energy Storage with Novel Metal-Oxide Magnesium Battery

A multi-institution team of scientists led by Texas A&M University chemist Sarbajit Banerjee has discovered an exceptional metal-oxide magnesium battery cathode material, moving researchers one step closer to delivering batteries that promise higher density of energy storage on top of transformative advances in safety, cost and performance in comparison to their ubiquitous lithium-ion (Li-ion) counterparts.

New Water-Splitting Method Could Open Path to Hydrogen Economy

Washington State University researchers have found a way to more efficiently generate hydrogen from water — an important key to making clean energy more viable.

2-Stage Gas Sensor Reports on Soil Dynamics

A gene “genie” developed by Rice University scientists grants researchers valuable data about microbes through puffs of gas from the soil.

IBBR Awarded DOE Grant to Investigate How to Protect an Emerging Biofuel Crop from Disease

The Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) has been awarded a $1.1M U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to elucidate the mechanism of rust pathogenesis in poplar in an effort to engineer durable resistance for this important, second generation biofuel crop.

University of Virginia Researchers Continue to Learn More About the Universe’s Origins

University of Virginia scientists are remotely monitoring two Department of Energy detectors-one in Illinois and one in Minnesota-to observe and study neutrino oscillation.

Pigments in Oil Paintings Linked to Artwork Degradation

Karen Chen-Wiegart, an Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University with a joint appointment at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is part of a scientific collaboration led by researchers at The Met, the University of Delaware, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) BNL to better understand 'soap formation,' a widespread degradation process in oil paintings.