Caught on Camera: First Movies of Droplets Getting Blown Up by X-ray Laser
Researchers have made the first microscopic movies of liquids getting vaporized by the world's brightest X-ray laser at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The new data could lead to better and novel experiments at X-ray lasers, whose extremely bright, fast flashes of light take atomic-level snapshots of some of nature's speediest processes.
5 Ways Scientists Can Make Soil Less Dirty
A primer on 5 remediation methods scientists can use to pull contaminants out of soil and groundwater.
Neutrons Probe Structure of Enzyme Critical to Development of Next-Generation HIV Drugs
A team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory used neutron analysis to better understand a protein implicated in the replication of HIV, the retrovirus that causes AIDS. The enzyme, known as HIV-1 protease, is a key drug target for HIV and AIDS therapies. The multi-institutional team used neutron crystallography to uncover detailed interactions of hydrogen bonds at the enzyme's active site, revealing a pH-induced proton 'hopping' mechanism that guides its activity.
Temporary Oilfield Workers Are Major Factor in Increased Water Use in N. Dakota Bakken Region
Increased water use in the rapidly growing oil industry in North Dakota's Bakken oil shale region, or play, is surprisingly due not only to oil well development but also to people, according to a recent study. Increased oil development in that region has attracted thousands of oilfield employees.
ORNL Demonstrates Large-Scale Technique to Produce Quantum Dots
ORNL demonstrates a method to produce significant amounts of semiconducting nanoparticles for light-emitting displays, sensors, solar panels and biomedical applications.
Laser Treatment, Bonding Potential Road to Success for Carbon Fiber
Joining carbon fiber composites and aluminum for lightweight cars and other multi-material high-end products could become less expensive because of an ORNL method that harnesses a laser's power and precision.
New Berkeley Lab Study Tallies Environmental and Public Health Benefits of Solar Power
Solar power could deliver $400 billion in environmental and public health benefits throughout the United States by 2050, according to a study from the U.S. Department of Energy's Berkeley Lab and National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Thinning Out the Carbon Capture Viscosity Problem
Researchers have used computer modeling to design these liquid materials so that they retain a low viscosity after sponging up carbon dioxide, based on a surprise they found in their explorations. Although the chemists still have to test the predicted liquid in the lab, being able to predict viscosity will help researchers find and design cheaper, more efficient carbon capture materials, they report in Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.
Gone with the Wind: Argonne Coating Shows Surprising Potential to Improve Reliability in Wind Power
A group of researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Akron discovered that a particular form of carbon coating not necessarily designed for wind turbines may indeed prove a boon to the wind industry--a serendipitous finding that was recently highlighted in the journal Tribology International.
Speeding Up Key Oxygen-Oxygen Bond-Formation Step in Water Oxidation
By accelerating the formation of the oxygen-oxygen bond in water oxidation, newly developed ruthenium catalysts could drive the reaction needed to efficiently store solar energy in the chemical bonds of clean fuels.
$40M to Establish New Observatory Probing Early Universe
A new astronomy facility, the Simons Observatory, is planned in Chile's Atacama Desert to boost ongoing studies of the evolution of the universe, from its earliest moments to today. The observatory will probe the subtle properties of the universe's first light, known as cosmic microwave background radiation.
Berkeley Lab Scientists Discover Surprising New Properties in a 2-D Semiconductor
Researchers found how substantial linear defects in a new semiconductor create entirely new properties. Some of these properties indicate the defects might even mediate superconducting states.
Scientists Take a Major Leap Toward a 'Perfect' Quantum Metamaterial
Scientists have devised a way to build a "quantum metamaterial"--an engineered material with exotic properties not found in nature--using ultracold atoms trapped in an artificial crystal composed of light. The theoretical work represents a step toward manipulating atoms to transmit information, perform complex simulations or function as powerful sensors.
Berkeley Lab Scientists Brew Jet Fuel in One-Pot Recipe
Berkeley Lab scientists have engineered a strain of bacteria that enables a "one-pot" method for producing advanced biofuels from a slurry of pre-treated plant material. The achievement, described in a study to be published May 10 in Green Chemistry, is a critical step in making biofuels a viable competitor to fossil fuels.
Argonne Rolls Out New Version of Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Analysis Tool
This week Argonne National Laboratory is releasing an updated version of its alternative fuels and advanced vehicles analysis tool to reflect the latest advances in alternative fuels and vehicle technologies and updated emissions data. The free, publicly-available tool provides users with a roadmap for assessing which types of vehicles and fuels are right for them.
Berkeley Lab Scientists Part of New Particle-Hunting Season at CERN's LHC
Berkeley Lab scientists thousands of collaborators worldwide who will be sifting through loads of new data expected from this latest experimental run at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, which could reveal unexpected twists in the makeup of matter and shed more light on the known pantheon of particles including the Higgs boson.
Neutrons Tap Into Magnetism in Topological Insulators at High Temperatures
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and their collaborators used neutron scattering to reveal magnetic moments in hybrid topological insulator (TI) materials at room temperature, hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the extreme sub-zero cold where the properties are expected to occur. The discovery promises new opportunities for next-generation electronic and spintronic devices such as improved transistors and quantum computing technologies.
Visualizing the Lithiation of a Nanosized Iron-Oxide Material in Real Time
An electron microscopy technique for visualizing how lithium ions migrate at the nanoscale could help improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries.
Speedy Ion Conduction in Solid Electrolytes Clears Road for Advanced Energy Devices
A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory detected a feature in a solid electrolyte and experimentally verified its importance to fast ion transport. The work points out a new strategy for design of highly conductive solid electrolytes.
Scientists Watch Bacterial Sensor Respond to Light in Real Time
Researchers have made a giant leap forward in taking snapshots of these ultrafast reactions in a bacterial light sensor. Using the world's most powerful X-ray laser at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, they were able to see atomic motions as fast as 100 quadrillionths of a second - 1,000 times faster than ever before.
Getting a Better Measure of Spin with Diamond
Diamonds are one of the most coveted gemstones. But while some may want the perfect diamond for its sparkle, physicists covet the right diamonds to perfect their experiments. The gem is a key component in a novel system that enables precision measurements that could lead to the discovery of new physics in the sub-atomic realm -- the domain of the particles and forces that build the nucleus of the atom.
Story Tips From the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory May 2016
ORNL's GLIDES features advanced energy storage technology; Old tires get new life in sodium-ion batteries; Silicon carbide shows promise for reactor fuel, core structures; ORNL, Boeing collaboration delivers impressive results
PPPL Scientists Challenge Conventional Understanding and Improve Predictions of the Bootstrap Current at the Edge of Fusion Plasmas
Article describes new finding of the composition of the bootstrap current at the edge of fusion plasmas.
A Cleansing Rain Falls; A Soil-Filled Mist Arises
Scientists have found that rain triggers the release of a mist of particles from wet soils into the air, a finding with consequences for how scientists model our planet's climate and future. The evidence comes in the form of tiny glassy spheres, less than one-hundredth the width of a human hair, discovered in the Great Plains.
Math Helps Scientists Capture Molecules in Motion
Using data from the world's most powerful X-ray laser at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, an international team of scientists has made a crucial advance in analyzing ultrafast motions of molecules. They developed a computational method that increases the accuracy of this analysis 300 times - to one femtosecond, which is a millionth of a billionth of a second.