With this new science, plastics could see a second life as biodegradable surfactants

Scientists at the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP) have discovered a chemical process that provides biodegradable chemicals, which are used as surfactants and detergents in a range of applications, from discarded plastics.
15-Apr-2021 12:05 PM EDT Add to Favorites

Scientists observe complex tunable magnetism tied to electrical conduction in a topological material

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have observed novel helical magnetic ordering in the topological compound EuIn2As2 which supports exotic electrical conduction tunable by a magnetic field.
23-Mar-2021 3:55 PM EDT Add to Favorites

Polystyrene waste is everywhere; scientists just found a way to break it down

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and their partners from Clemson University have discovered a green, low-energy process to break down polystyrene, a type of plastic that is widely used in foam packaging materials,...
17-Mar-2021 4:35 PM EDT Add to Favorites

Light-induced twisting of Weyl nodes switches on giant electron current

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and collaborators at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Alabama at Birmingham have discovered a new light-induced switch that twists the crystal lattice of the...
19-Jan-2021 12:00 PM EST Add to Favorites

Borrowing from birds, experts reduce search times for novel high-entropy alloys to seconds

Computational materials science experts at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory enhanced an algorithm that borrows its approach from the nesting habits of cuckoo birds, reducing the search time for new high-tech alloys from weeks to...
14-Jan-2021 1:10 PM EST Add to Favorites

Making it tougher: Samarium cobalt magnet improvements planned in Ames Lab partnership

Ames Laboratory will partner with Electron Energy Corporation to improve a mainstay of magnet technology-- the samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnet.
18-Dec-2020 11:35 AM EST Add to Favorites

Scientists look to meteorites for inspiration to achieve critical element-free permanent magnet

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Critical Materials Institute has developed a low-cost, high performance permanent magnet by drawing inspiration from an out-of-this-world source: iron-nickel alloys in meteorites. The magnet rivals widely...
10-Dec-2020 4:30 PM EST Add to Favorites

A first-of-its-kind catalyst mimics natural processes to break down plastic and produce valuable new products

A team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory has developed a first-of-its-kind catalyst that is able to process polyolefin plastics, types of polymers widely used in things like plastic grocery bags, milk jugs,...
19-Oct-2020 12:10 PM EDT Add to Favorites

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