Science Snapshots September 2020
2D Electronics, Plant Biofactories, Transforming Waste, and Vaccine Development.
Scientists Capture Candid Snapshots of Electrons Harvesting Light at the Atomic Scale
A team of scientists led by Berkeley Lab has gained important new insight into electrons' role in the harvesting of light in artificial photosynthesis systems.
Machine Learning Scientists Teach Computers to Read X-Ray Images
PNNL researchers used machine learning to develop a tool for a nonprofit to identify orthopedic implants in X-ray images to improve surgical speed and accuracy
Argonne researchers target lithium-rich materials as key to more sustainable, cost-effective, next-generation batteries
Researchers are developing new ways to advance lithium-rich batteries and using new materials for practical use, according to researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.
Faced with pandemic shortages, researchers combine heat and humidity to disinfect N95 masks for reuse
They found that gently heating N95 masks in high relative humidity could inactivate SARS-CoV-2 virus trapped within the masks, without degrading the masks' performance.
Machine Learning Takes on Synthetic Biology: Algorithms Can Bioengineer Cells for You
Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a new tool that adapts machine learning algorithms to the needs of synthetic biology to guide development systematically. The innovation means scientists will not have to spend years developing a meticulous understanding of each part of a cell and what it does in order to manipulate it.
Scientists achieve higher precision weak force measurement between protons, neutrons
Through a one-of-a-kind experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, nuclear physicists have precisely measured the weak interaction between protons and neutrons. The result quantifies the weak force theory as predicted by the Standard Model of Particle Physics.
Novel cell membrane model could be key to uncovering new protein properties
Researchers have recently shed light on how cell membrane proteins could be influenced by the lipids around them. By developing a novel type of membrane model, they were able to show that the shape and behavior of a protein can be altered by exposure to different lipid compositions. The research team confirmed the artificial membrane's structure using x-ray and neutron scattering at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Brookhaven (BNL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL).
SLAC invention could make particle accelerators 10 times smaller
A team led by scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has invented a new type of accelerator structure that could make accelerators used for a given application 10 times shorter.
Active learning accelerates redox-flow battery discovery
In a new study from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, researchers are accelerating the hunt for the best possible battery components by employing artificial intelligence.
Automatic database creation for materials discovery: Innovation from frustration
A collaboration between the University of Cambridge and Argonne has developed a unique method of generating automatic databases to support specific fields of science using AI and high-performance computing.
Scientists develop forecasting technique that could help advance quest for fusion energy
An international group of researchers has developed a technique that forecasts how tokamaks might respond to unwanted magnetic errors. These forecasts could help engineers design fusion facilities that create a virtually inexhaustible supply of safe and clean fusion energy to generate electricity.
New composite material revs up pursuit of advanced electric vehicles
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory used new techniques to create a composite that increases the electrical current capacity of copper wires, providing a new material that can be scaled for use in ultra-efficient, power-dense electric vehicle traction motors.
Not Your Average Refinery
PNNL researchers outline how to convert stranded biomass to sustainable fuel using electrochemical reduction reactions in mini-refineries powered by renewable energy.
Supercooled Water Is a Stable Liquid, Scientists Show for the First Time
First-ever measurements provide evidence that supercooled liquid water exists in two distinct structures that co-exist and vary in proportion dependent on temperature
New Calculation Refines Comparison of Matter with Antimatter
An international collaboration of theoretical physicists has published a new calculation relevant to the search for an explanation of the predominance of matter over antimatter in our universe. The new calculation gives a more accurate prediction for the likelihood with which kaons decay into a pair of electrically charged pions vs. a pair of neutral pions.
Digging into soil organic matter
A new study found patterns in how soil organic matter forms across a wide range of climate types. Understanding how soils break down or preserve organic matter is important because organic matter plays a central role in the kind of services soils can provide, such as whether they make good agricultural soils or if they can sequester carbon to slow climate change.
Quirky Response to Magnetism Presents Quantum Physics Mystery
The search is on to discover new states of matter, and possibly new ways of encoding, manipulating, and transporting information. One goal is to harness materials' quantum properties for communications that go beyond what's possible with conventional electronics. Topological insulators--materials that act mostly as insulators but carry electric current across their surface--provide some tantalizing possibilities. Scientists at Brookhaven Lab describe one such material that should be right just right for making qubits. But this material doesn't obey the rules.
High-precision electrochemistry: The new gold standard in fuel cell catalyst development
As part of an international collaboration, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have made a pivotal discovery that could extend the lifetime of fuel cells that power electric vehicles by eliminating the dissolution of platinum catalysts.
Scientists probe the chemistry of a single battery electrode particle both inside and out
Cracks and chemical reactions on a battery particle's surface can sap its ability to store and release energy. Scientists probed a single charged particle the size of a red blood cell to see how interior and surface damage influence each other.
Quantum light squeezes the noise out of microscopy signals
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory used quantum optics to advance state-of-the-art microscopy and illuminate a path to detecting material properties with greater sensitivity than is possible with traditional tools.
Exploring Oxidative Pathways in Nuclear Fuel
An international team used PNNL microscopy to answer questions about how uranium dioxide--used in nuclear power plants--might behave in long-term storage.
Researchers find unexpected electrical current that could stabilize fusion reactions
PPPL scientists have found that electrical currents can form in ways not known before. The novel findings could give researchers greater ability to bring the fusion energy that drives the sun and stars to Earth.
Scientists find new way to measure important beam property
In a new study from Argonne, researchers have measured important beam properties that will help scientists develop more focused beams for high-impact science.
Story Tips: Cool smart walls, magnetism twist, fuel cost savings and polymers' impact
ORNL Story Tips: Cool smart walls, magnetism twist, fuel cost savings and polymers' impact