MSE Science Highlights | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

The density of bonding electrons (red and yellow) in silicon (upper left) is rather evenly distributed, whereas in zinc oxide (upper right), it is concentrated around the oxygen atoms.

Understanding How Semiconductors Absorb Light

Advances in how we calculate optical properties of semiconductors shorten the path to improved solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.

[Left] Next generation multijunction solar cell with a dilute nitride middle junction (red) [Right] A transition from delocalized to localized electron trapping is directly observed in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra as the magnetic field is increased up to 57 Tesla.

Optimizing New Materials for Extreme Solar PV Performance

High magnetic fields reveal the existence of nitrogen superclusters.

Diagram showing the properties of a material as temperature and chemical composition (phosphorus level in this study) are varied.

What Causes High-temperature Superconductivity?

A phase change at absolute zero temperature may provide key insights into the decades-old mystery of high-temperature superconductivity.

Schematic illustration of cylinder-forming diblock copolymers...

Design Principles Revealed for a New Class of Functional Biomaterials

Ordered arrays of functional proteins with designed molecular properties created through self-assembly by combining proteins and synthetic polymers.

A focused laser is scanned over the sample, a suspended nanobeam of VO2.

Illuminating How Complex Oxides Turn Light into Electrical Current

Nanoscale imaging of the current generated by light provides insights for future generation optoelectronic devices.

Illustration of infinitely long one-dimensional microporous channels (blue arrow) within the metal-organic framework...

Notorious Insulators Are Made Conductive

New porous, electrically conductive materials have potential uses in fuel cells, batteries, and solar photovoltaics.

Depiction of superionic phase of copper (blue) diffusing through the sulfur (yellow) sublattice.

Watching Ions Hop in Next Generation Battery Materials

Atomic-Scale, femtosecond time-scale measurements unravel the atomistic pathways and speed limits for copper migration through a nanocrystal.

Schematic figure of solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formed during the first charging cycle illustrating a interphase layer comprised predominantly of a mixture of lithiumethylene dicarbonate (LEDC) and lithium fluoride (LiF).

Revealing the Illusive Interphase in Lithium Ion Batteries

Structure and composition of the Solid Electrolyte Interphase in lithium ion batteries was investigated via a unique combination of microscopy and spectroscopy.

Inelastic neutron scattering of high-quality single-crystal samples of the mineral ZnCu3(OD)6Cl2.

Experimental Confirmation of a New State of Magnetism Previously Predicted by Theory

This observation paves the way for a deeper understanding of high-temperature superconductivity and future applications for quantum computing.

With increasing hydration within the interlayer space of the initially disordered lipid membranes, lateral layer-by-layer phase separation begins.

The Medium Matters

Long-range, three-dimensional alignment and stacking of multiple regions within biologically derived membranes.

The composition of solvents, such as chloroform and toluene, during nanoparticle fabrication can alter the internal aggregate structure of polymer P3HT...

Bridging the Nano-World and the Real World in Polymer Solar Cells

Discovering how polymer organization on the molecular level affects electric charge movement in organic solar cells.

Spatially resolved activation energy map overlaid with sample topography

Catching Lithium Ions in Action in a Battery Electrode

New microscopy with nanometer-sized resolution may bring revolutionary new understanding to energy storage technologies.