Feature Channels: Energy

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R&D Magazine has recognized four Argonne projects with R&D 100 Awards.

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Scientists at have conducted research showing that a PPPL-developed powder dropper can successfully drop boron powder into high-temperature plasma within tokamaks that have parts made of a heat-resistant material known as tungsten.

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A lead-free solar material developed by Berkeley Lab scientists offers a simpler and more sustainable approach to solar cell manufacturing. The advance could also benefit halide perovskites, a promising solar technology that requires much less energy to manufacture than silicon.

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Five technologies invented by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been selected for targeted investment through ORNL’s Technology Innovation Program.

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SLAC works with two small businesses to adapt its pioneering software, ACE3P, for scientific computing and manufacturing design. The goal: to make using DOE supercomputers easier and more efficient.

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This study is led by Assoc. Prof. Yuli Shan (University of Birmingham / University of Groningen), Yuru Guan (PhD researcher, University of Groningen), Prof. Dabo Guan (Tsinghua University), Prof Klaus Hubacek (University of Groningen) and 5 other researchers.

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Garret Suen is an associate professor of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, who is researching how herbivores use the microbes in their stomachs to break down cellulose into smaller molecules that can be converted into biofuels and bioproducts.

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Cornell University’s Center for Alkaline-Based Energy Solutions (CABES) has received renewal funding of $12.6 million for a four-year period to continue its work developing advanced fuel cell technologies in alkaline media.

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Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and their technologies have received seven 2022 R&D 100 Awards, plus special recognition for a battery-related green technology product.

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The Department of Energy will renew for another four years the Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems Center, led by Argonne National Laboratory. Partners include the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and Princeton University.

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Atoms in magnetic materials are organized into regions called magnetic domains. Within each domain, the electrons have spins that point in the same direction. Researchers have developed a magnetic material whose thickness determines whether the walls between domains have the same or alternating spin chirality, or handedness. This study demonstrates a way to change the rotational direction and occurrence of domain wall pairs, a finding that could lead to technologies based on spintronics.

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Thirty-eight Chinese cities have reduced their emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) despite growing economies and populations for at least five years - defined as proactively peaked cities, a new study reveals.

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Jiping Huang’s group (Department of physics, Fudan University) and Cheng-Wei Qiu’s group (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore) collaborated to complete this study.

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RUDN chemists have created activated carbon-based catalysts for the production of higher alcohols from syngas. The researchers described how the microstructure activated carbon affects the efficiency and other parameters of catalysis.

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A new X-ray optics device based on optical microelectromechanical systems can harness extremely fast X-ray pulses in a device orders of magnitude smaller and lighter than conventional devices used to regulate X-ray probes. The ultrafast X-ray optics could be essential for experiments on ultra-high-speed phenomena at synchrotron particle accelerators and will help researchers study fast-evolving chemical, material, and biological processes.

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Media Briefing Schedule for ACS Fall 2022

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Near-real-time fish tracking using a new acoustic receiver developed by PNNL can support enhanced fish passage through hydropower dams.

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In early August 2022, the Aerogel Architecture Award was presented at Empa for the second time. The winning project comes from Germany, while buildings from Switzerland take second and third place. They all impressively demonstrate how historical buildings can be upgraded to the latest energy standards thanks to an innovative use of aerogel materials.

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Help researchers identify key changes that could catalyze and facilitate systemic and structural transformations of our entire societies.

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Wind power is becoming popular, but disposing of huge turbine blades is a problem. Today, scientists report a composite resin for making these behemoths that could be recycled into new blades or many other products, including gummy bears. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2022.

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The ‘Lithium-Ion Battery State’ may not have the same ring to it as ‘Battle-Born’ or ‘Silver State,’ but the reality is that Nevada could soon be a leader in the lithium battery supply chain – potentially giving the U.S. an edge in the arms race for the in-demand metal that’s the key to powering everything from your cell phone to electric vehicles.

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Carolyn Zerkle has been selected as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s deputy director and vice president of Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, Lab Director Kim Budil announced today. Her appointment is effective Sept. 12, 2022. As deputy director, Zerkle will participate in the day-to-day management of the Laboratory, including interfacing with the Livermore Field Office (LFO), acting as director in Budil’s absence and serving as a key member of the Laboratory’s senior management staff, providing executive-level guidance and direction.

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Argonne's Deborah Myers has been elected a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society. She is recognized for technological contributions to electrochemical and solid-state science and technology and for active membership and involvement in the Society.

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Speeding up electrical vehicle charging can damage the battery. Now, scientists report that they’ve designed superfast charging methods tailored to power different electric vehicle batteries in 10 minutes or less without harm. The researchers will present their results today at ACS Fall 2022.

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Close-up look at a counter-intuitive way to speed the arrival of carbon-free fusion energy.

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Researchers have developed floating ‘artificial leaves’ that generate clean fuels from sunlight and water, and could eventually operate on a large scale at sea.

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A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has developed a new moisture-driven electricity generation device made of a thin layer of fabric, sea salt, carbon ink, and a special water-absorbing gel. The device works by keeping one end of the fabric dry, while the other end is perpetually wet. The difference in moisture content of the wet and dry regions of the carbon-coated fabric creates an electric current. This rechargeable fabric-like battery can produce electricity for more than 150 hours and provides higher electrical output than a conventional AA battery, potentially powering everyday electronics.

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Wind energy continues to see strong growth, solid performance, and attractive prices in the U.S., according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and prepared by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

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Through a collaboration among the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, educators, the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), and local energy companies like ConEdison, students at Brooklyn’s Bedford Academy were offered a unique opportunity to participate in a pilot course on sustainable energy and learn about careers within the energy sector.

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In order to design radically new idea offshore wind turbines, Sandia National Laboratories engineers first needed to build a design tool capable of modeling the physics vertical-axis wind turbine, or a new "drawing board."

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Current severe heatwaves that will likely increase in severity and frequency in the future are driving a rise in the use of air conditioners, threatening the environment with their high energy consumption and refrigerants with high warming potential. A new study finds that switching to propane as a refrigerant could lessen the global temperature increase from space cooling.

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New investigations have produced a simpler model to elegantly explain previously observed behaviors for free carrier generation in organic solar cells. The model relies on well-established scientific descriptors, Marcus theory and entropy. Previous descriptions proposed new physical phenomena, but a new, simplified model provides a unified platform for understanding processes in both solution and solid-phase systems for organic photochemical conversion.

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With President Joe Biden’s $80 billion Inflation Reduction Plan directing funds to the Internal Revenue Service ($45.6 billion chiefly for enforcement) and taxing cryptocurrencies, a relatively new area for the IRS, Albany Law School Professor Danshera Cords is available to share her insight and deep knowledge of tax law.

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Argonne scientists are building artificial intelligence systems to streamline operations and maintenance at advanced nuclear reactors.

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The Biden administration is putting billions towards sustainable, domestic energy production. A major part of this effort is pumped underground storage hydro, or PUSH, a closed-loop hydroelectric system in which two Michigan Tech researchers are leading experts.

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A team led by Greeshma Gadikota from the College of Engineering at Cornell University has been named one of five finalists for a national prize for its environmentally friendly method of extracting lithium, an increasingly essential ingredient for electric vehicle batteries, energy storage, smartphones and laptops.

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EGRASS helps prepare and fortify critical structures to protect against the worst consequences of new hurricanes.