The historical partnership that revolutionized battery research at Argonne
Argonne battery scientist Michael Thackeray highlights the ongoing research into manganese-based lithium-ion batteries, and how his work with Nobel Prize winner John B. Goodenough in the 80s has informed today's studies.
Low-Cost Home Air Quality Monitors Prove Useful for Wildfire Smoke
Published recently in the journal Sensors, a new study by Berkeley Lab air quality scientists tested four models of low-cost air quality monitors during actual wildfire pollution events and found that their readings of PM2.5 - or particulate matter under 2.5 microns, which has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular issues - were consistently higher than the reference monitor used by the regulatory agencies; however, since each monitor had a relatively consistent response to the smoke, it is possible to use the readings to estimate true PM2.5 levels. Overall, the researchers concluded that the monitors can provide actionable information.
New findings could help scientists tame damaging heat bursts in fusion reactors
Physicists at PPPL discover a new trigger for edge localized modes (ELMs) -- instabilities that can halt fusion reactions and damage the tokamaks that house such reactions.
AI software enables real-time 3D printing quality assessment
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed artificial intelligence software for powder bed 3D printers that assesses the quality of parts in real time, without the need for expensive characterization equipment.
A Shining Example of Nature Leading the Way
From oil refining to automobile pollution-control devices to the bulk of pharmaceuticals, platinum-group metals are the go-to choice for facilitating chemical reactions. It's been that way for decades. But a new review article in the August 14 issue of the journal Science, led by first author Morris Bullock of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, provides a road map toward greater use of Earth-abundant metals, which would reduce cost and environmental impact.
UChicago scientists discover way to make quantum states last 10,000 times longer
Scientists discovered a simple modification that allows quantum systems to stay operational 10,000 times longer than previous systems.
SLAC scientists invent low-cost emergency ventilator and share the design for free
Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have invented an emergency ventilator that could help save the lives of patients suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Scientists propose method for eliminating damaging heat bursts in fusion device
Researchers discover a technique for widening the windows of plasma current to enhance suppression of edge localized modes (ELMs) that can damage tokamak facilities.
A team of international physicists join forces in hunt for sterile neutrinos
The MINOS+ and Daya Bay neutrino experiments combine results to produce most stringent test yet for the existence of sterile neutrinos.
Explosive nuclear astrophysics
An international team has made a key discovery related to "presolar grains" found in some meteorites. This discovery has shed light on stellar explosions and the origin of chemical elements. It has also provided a new method for astronomical research.
Aug. 2020 Science Snapshots
*Subtropical weather phenomenon likely to bring greater rainfall - and drought - by 2100 *A Q&A with scientist Bin Wang on how Berkeley Lab is helping cities prepare for a major shift in our transportation and grid sectors *Berkeley Lab founder, cyclotron inventor, and Nobel laureate Ernest Lawrence, honored with a Memorial Highway in his home state.
New Science Behind Algae-based Flip-flops
UC San Diego researchers formulated polyurethane foams, made from algae oil, to meet commercial specifications for midsole shoes and the foot-bed of flip-flops. Their latest result, in a series of recent research publications, offers a complete solution to the plastics problem--at least for polyurethanes.
Horizon31 startup licenses ORNL global communication system for drones
Horizon31, LLC, of Knoxville, Tenn., has exclusively licensed a novel communication system that allows users to reliably operate unmanned vehicles such as drones from anywhere in the world using only an internet connection.
A Closer Look at Water-Splitting's Solar Fuel Potential
Scientists at Berkeley Lab and the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) have gained important new insight into how the performance of a promising semiconducting thin film can be optimized at the nanoscale for renewable energy technologies such as solar fuels.
Poison control: Chasing the antidote
A fast-acting antidote to mitigate the effects of organophosphate poisoning requires a reactivator that can effectively and efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier, bind loosely to the enzyme, chemically snatch the poison and then leave quickly. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is using neutron diffraction data towards improving a novel reactivator design.
Promising new research identifies innovative approach for controlling defects in 3D printing
Argonne scientists use temperature data to tune -- and fix -- defects in 3D-printed metallic parts.
Turning carbon dioxide into liquid fuel
University reports a new electrocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide and water into ethanol with very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for the desired final product and low cost.
Interpreting the Human Genome's Instruction Manual
Berkeley Lab bioscientists are part of a nationwide research project, called ENCODE, that has generated a detailed atlas of the molecular elements that regulate our genes. This enormous resource will help all human biology research moving forward.
Ultrafast lasers probe elusive chemistry at the liquid-liquid interface
Real-time measurements captured by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory provide missing insight into chemical separations to recover cobalt, a critical raw material used to make batteries and magnets for modern technologies.
Dark Energy Survey census of the smallest galaxies hones the search for dark matter
Scientists on the Dark Energy Survey have used observations of the smallest known galaxies to better understand dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up 85% of the matter in the universe. The smallest galaxies can contain hundreds to thousands of times more dark matter than normal visible matter, making them ideal laboratories for studying this mysterious substance. By performing a rigorous census of small galaxies surrounding our Milky Way, scientists on the Dark Energy Survey have been able to constrain the fundamental particle physics that governs dark matter.
Story Tips: Pandemic impact, root studies, neutrons confirm, lab on a crystal and modeling fusion
ORNL Story Tips: Pandemic impact, root studies, neutrons confirm, lab on a crystal and modeling fusion
Scientists propose a novel method for controlling fusion reactions
Researchers at the DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have developed a pulsed method for stabilizing magnetic islands that can cause disruptions in fusion plasmas.
Cementing the future
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials are utilizing nano- and micro-scale imaging to better understand the chemical processes behind the formation of cement.
Fat-Based Molecules are Key to Zika Virus Infection
Researchers from PNNL have helped colleagues at OHSU identify lipid molecules required for Zika infection in human cells. The specific lipids involved could also be a clue to why the virus primarily infects brain tissue.
Another Win for the Standard Model: New Study Defies Decades-Old 'Discrepancy' With High-Precision Measurement
A new study dives into a decades-old discrepancy from a Standard Model of particle physics pillar known as "lepton flavor universality," and provides strong evidence to resolve it.