Single Atoms Break Carbon's Strongest Bond
Scientists have developed a new catalyst for breaking carbon-fluorine bonds, one of the strongest chemical bonds known. The discovery is a breakthrough for efforts in environmental remediation and chemical synthesis.
The Promise of Deep Grooves
Argonne's sequential infiltration synthesis technique could advance computer chip manufacturing as well as other industries.
New Report Outlines Steps to Govern Solar Radiation Management Technologies
New Report Outlines Steps to Govern Solar Radiation Management Technologies
Story Tips From the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, October 2018
ORNL story tips: Recycled hard drives give magnets new life in motors; new organ-on-a-chip design to test radiation effects on cells that mimic breathing; supercomputers analyze molecules that could increase yield of certain rare earth elements important for energy applications
Kennesaw State University: Finding New Clues
Black holes are mysterious, but new research into black holes may shed light on the origins of life in the universe. David Garofalo, Kennesaw State University assistant professor of physics, co-authored a paper published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The findings: the breaking up or ripping of magnetic fields near black holes may explain the way jets of energy come from black holes or contribute to that understanding.
By Jove! Methane's Effects on Sunlight Vary by Region
Solar energy absorption by methane is 10 times stronger over desert regions such as the Sahara Desert and Arabian Peninsula than elsewhere on Earth, and nearly three times more powerful in the presence of clouds. This result advances science beyond the existing "global annual-mean estimate" of methane forcing by providing insights into its remarkable spatial variability. This research enabled the first global spatially-resolved calculations of methane forcing, showing strong regional patterns.
No Longer Whistling in the Dark: Scientists Uncover a Little-Understood Source of Waves Generated Throughout the Universe
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and other laboratories, using data from a NASA four-satellite mission that is studying reconnection, have developed a method for identifying the source of waves that help satellites determine their location in space.
New biofuel production system powered by a community of algae and fungi
MSU scientists have a new proof of concept for a biofuel production platform that uses two species of marine algae and soil fungi. It lowers cultivation and harvesting costs and increases productivity, factors that currently hold back biofuels from being widely adopted.
Multimodal Imaging Shows Strain Can Drive Chemistry in a Photovoltaic Material
A unique combination of imaging tools and atomic-level simulations has allowed a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to solve a longstanding debate about the properties of a promising material that can harvest energy from light.
Study of tiny vortices could lead to new self-healing materials, other advances
Argonne scientists hope that tiny vortices, driven by various magnetic fields, will be able to move microscopic particles.
How a Molecular Signal Helps Plant Cells Decide When to Make Oil
Scientists identify new details of how a sugar-signaling molecule helps regulate oil production in plant cells. The work could point to new ways to engineer plants to produce substantial amounts of oil for use as biofuels or in the production of other oil-based products.
Neutrons Produce First Direct 3D Maps of Water During Cell Membrane Fusion
New 3D maps of water distribution during cellular membrane fusion could lead to new treatments for diseases associated with cell fusion. Using neutron diffraction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, scientists made the first direct observations of water in lipid bilayers modeling cell membrane fusion.
Chemists Demonstrate Sustainable Approach to Carbon Dioxide Capture From Air
Chemists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a practical, energy-efficient method of capturing carbon dioxide directly from air. If deployed at large scale and coupled to geologic storage, the technique may bolster the portfolio of responses to global climate change.
Nucleation a boon to sustainable nanomanufacturing
Young-Shin Jun, professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, and Quingun Li, a former doctoral student in her lab, are the first to measure the activation energy and kinetic factors of calcium carbonate's nucleation, both key to predicting and controlling the process.
Breaking the Symmetry Between Fundamental Forces
Scientists improve our understanding of the relationship between fundamental forces by re-creating the earliest moments of the universe.
Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
Argonne scientists and their collaborators have developed a new model that merges basic electrochemical theory with theories used in different contexts, such as the study of photoelectrochemistry and semiconductor physics, to describe phenomena that occur in any electrode.
A prize-winning measurement device could aid a wide range of industries
Companies dealing with liquids ranging from wastewater to molten metals could benefit from a prize-winning device developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University.
After 150 years, a Breakthrough in Understanding the Conversion of CO2 to Electrofuels
Using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, Columbia Engineers are first to observe how CO2 is activated at the electrode-electrolyte interface; their finding shifts the catalyst design from trial-and-error paradigm to a rational approach and could lead to alternative, cheaper, and safer renewable energy storage.
Water Plays Unexpected Role in Forming Minerals
Water molecules line up tiny particles to attach and form minerals; understanding how this happens impacts energy extraction and storage along with waste disposal.
X-Rays Uncover a Hidden Property That Leads to Failure in a Lithium-Ion Battery Material
X-ray experiments at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have revealed that the pathways lithium ions take through a common battery material are more complex than previously thought.
Graphene helps protect photocathodes for physics experiments
Argonne researchers have used thin sheets of graphene to prevent photocathode materials from interacting with air, which increases their lifetimes. Photocathodes are used to convert light to electricity in accelerators and other physics experiments.
Heavy Particles Get Caught Up in the Flow
First direct measurement show how heavy particles containing a charm quark get caught up in the flow of early universe particle soup.
Seeing Between the Atoms
New detector enables electron microscope imaging at record-breaking resolution.
The Next Phase: Using Neural Networks to Identify Gas-Phase Molecules
Argonne scientists have developed a neural network that can identify the structure of molecules in the gas phase, offering a novel technique for national security and pharmaceutical applications.
Scaling Up Single-Crystal Graphene
New method can make films of atomically thin carbon that are over a foot long.