Report Sheds New Insights on the Spin Dynamics of a Material Candidate for Low-Power Devices
In a report published in Nano LettersArgonne researchers reveal new insights into the properties of a magnetic insulator that is a candidate for low-power device applications; their insights form early stepping-stones towards developing high-speed, low-power electronics that use electron spin rather than charge to carry information.
Researchers Find Computer Code That Volkswagen Used to Cheat Emissions Tests
An international team of researchers has uncovered the mechanism that allowed Volkswagen to circumvent U.S. and European emission tests over at least six years before the Environmental Protection Agency put the company on notice in 2015 for violating the Clean Air Act. During a year-long investigation, researchers found code that allowed a car's onboard computer to determine that the vehicle was undergoing an emissions test.
Physicists Discover That Lithium Oxide on Tokamak Walls Can Improve Plasma Performance
A team of physicists has found that a coating of lithium oxide on the inside of fusion machines known as tokamaks can absorb as much deuterium as pure lithium can.
Scientists Perform First Basic Physics Simulation of Spontaneous Transition of the Edge of Fusion Plasma to Crucial High-Confinement Mode
PPPL physicists have simulated the spontaneous transition of turbulence at the edge of a fusion plasma to the high-confinement mode that sustains fusion reactions. The research was achieved with the extreme-scale plasma turbulence code XGC developed at PPPL in collaboration with a nationwide team.
Green Fleet Technology
New research at Penn State addresses the impact delivery trucks have on the environment by providing green solutions that keep costs down without sacrificing efficiency.
Scientists Demonstrate New Real-Time Technique for Studying Ionic Liquids at Electrode Interfaces
This electron microscope-based imaging technique could help scientists optimize the performance of ionic liquids for batteries and other energy storage devices.
How Scientists Turned a Flag Into a Loudspeaker
A paper-thin, flexible device created at Michigan State University not only can generate energy from human motion, it can act as a loudspeaker and microphone as well, nanotechnology researchers report in the May 16 edition of Nature Communications.
Assembling Life's Molecular Motor
As part of a project dedicated to modeling how single-celled purple bacteria turn light into food, a team of computational scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) simulated a complete ATP synthase in all-atom detail. The work builds on the project's first phase--a 100-million atom photosynthetic organelle called a chromatophore--and gives scientists an unprecedented glimpse into a biological machine whose energy efficiency far surpasses that of any artificial system.
Engineering Researchers Apply Data Science to Better Predict Effect of Weather and Other Conditions on Solar Panels
In a new study, a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Gebze Technical University (GTU) in Turkey used data science to determine and predict the effects of exposure to weather and other conditions on materials in solar panels.
More Natural Dust in the Air Improves Air Quality in Eastern China
Man-made pollution in eastern China's cities worsens when less dust blows in from the Gobi Desert, according to a new study. That's because dust plays an important role in determining the air temperatures and thereby promoting winds to blow away man-made pollution. Less dust means the air stagnates, with man-made pollution sticking around longer.
New Model of Plasma Stability Could Help Researchers Predict and Avoid Disruptions in Fusion Machines
PPPL physicists have helped develop a new computer model of plasma stability in doughnut-shaped fusion machines known as tokamaks. The model could help scientists predict when a plasma might become unstable and then avoid the underlying conditions.
Can the Motion of Checking Your Smartwatch Charge It?
Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are small devices that convert movement into electricity, and might just be what bring us into an era of energy-harvesting clothes and implants. But could TENGs, even theoretically, give us wearable electronics powered solely by the wearer's day-to-day body motion? The short answer is yes. New research published this week in APL Materials demonstrates the ability of mechanical energy produced by typical body motions to power a watch or smartphone.
Scientists Help Thin-Film Ferroelectrics Go Extreme
Scientists have created the first-ever polarization gradient in thin-film ferroelectrics, greatly expanding the range of functional temperatures for a key material used in a variety of everyday applications. The discovery could pave the way for developing devices capable of supporting wireless communications in extreme environments.
Scientists Print Nanoscale Imaging Probe onto Tip of Optical Fiber
Combining speed with incredible precision, a team of researchers has developed a way to print a nanoscale imaging probe onto the tip of a glass fiber as thin as a human hair, accelerating the production of the promising new device from several per month to several per day.
Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University Scientists Develop More Efficient Catalytic Material for Fuel Cell Applications
Scientists at Ames Laboratory have discovered a method for making smaller, more efficient intermetallic nanoparticles for fuel cell applications, and which also use less of the expensive precious metal platinum.
Argonne Welcomes Scientists to Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials User Meeting
More than 400 researchers from numerous disciplines will convene at Argonne today for the annual Users' Meeting for the Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials.
Finding a New Major Gene Expression Regulator in Fungi
Changing a single base in an organism's genetic code impact its traits. Subtler changes can and do happen: in eukaryotes, one such modification involves adding a methyl group to base 6 of adenine (6mA). Researchers have now found prevalent 6mA modifications in the earliest fungal lineages.
Scientists Launch Flights to Gather Detailed Data on Aerosols and Clouds
For an intensive period throughout June and July, and again next January and February, scientists from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories will take to the skies in a specially outfitted aircraft to gather data on the properties of aerosols and clouds above the Eastern North Atlantic
Installing Solar to Combat National Security Risks in the Power Grid
Power grid vulnerabilities are one of the most prevalent national security threats. The technical community calls for building up grid resiliency using distributed energy and microgrids for stabilization as multiple sources increases the difficulty of triggering cascading blackouts, and following an attack or natural disaster, microgrids can provide localized energy security.
Bacterial Boost for Bio-Based Fuels
"Electrical" bacteria are the key ingredient in a new process developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory that recycles wastewater from biofuel production to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen can then be used to convert bio-oil into higher grade liquid fuels such as gasoline or diesel.
Wood Filter Removes Toxic Dye From Water
Engineers at the University of Maryland have developed a new use for wood: to filter water. Liangbing Hu of the Energy Research Center and his colleagues added nanoparticles to wood, then used it to filter toxic dyes from water.
First EPA-Approved Outdoor Field Trial for Genetically Engineered Algae
Scientists have completed the first outdoor field trial sanctioned by the EPA for genetically engineered algae. A genetically engineered strain of algae tested in outdoor ponds demonstrated that genetically engineered algae can be successfully cultivated outdoors without adversely impacting native algae populations.
First Result from Jefferson Lab's Upgraded CEBAFOpens Door to Exploring the Universal Glue
The first experimental result has been published from the newly upgraded Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The result demonstrates the feasibility of the experiment that is designed to study quark confinement: why no quark has ever been found alone.
Researchers Develop a New Catalyst for Water Splitting
Water-splitting systems require a very efficient catalyst to speed up the chemical reaction that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, while preventing the gases from recombining back into water. Now an international research team, including scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, has developed a new catalyst with a molybdenum coating that prevents this problematic back reaction and works well in realistic operating conditions.
Study Measures Air Pollution Increase Attributable to Air Conditioning
A new University of Wisconsin-Madison study shows that the electricity production associated with air conditioning causes emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide to increase by hundreds to thousands of metric tons, or 3 to 4 percent per degree Celsius (or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit).