News Archive | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

January 10, 2019 x Novel colloidal quantum dots are formed of an emitting cadmium/selenium (Cd/Se) core enclosed into a compositionally graded CdxZn1-xSe shell wherein the fraction of zinc versus cadmium increases towards the dot's periphery. Due to a directionally asymmetric lattice mismatch between CdSe and ZnSe, the core, at top right, is compressed more strongly perpendicular to the crystal axis than along it. This leads to modifications of the electronic structure of the CdSe core, which beneficially affects its light-emission properties. Bottom image: Experimental traces of emission intensity from a conventional quantum dot (upper panel) and a novel asymmetrically compressed quantum dot (lower panel) resolved spectrally and temporally. The emission from the conventional quantum dot shows strong spectral fluctuations (“spectral jumps” and “spectral diffusion”). The emission from the asymmetrically compressed quantum dots is highly stable in both intensity and spectral domains. In addition, it shows a much narrower linewidth, which is below the room-temperature thermal energy (25 meV).

More Stable Light Comes From Intentionally 'Squashed' Quantum Dots

New research at Los Alamos National Laboratory suggests that the strained colloidal quantum dots represent a viable alternative to presently employed nanoscale light sources, and they deserve exploration as single-particle, nanoscale light sources for optical “quantum” circuits, ultrasensitive sensors and medical diagnostics.

As lithium ions travel quickly between the electrodes of a battery, they can form inactive layers of lithium metal in a process called lithium plating. This image shows the beginning of the plating process on the graphene anode of a lithium-ion battery. (Image courtesy of Robert Horn/Argonne National Laboratory.)

Researchers Use X-rays to Understand the Flaws of Battery Fast Charging

While gas tanks can be filled in a matter of minutes, charging the battery of an electric car takes much longer. To level the playing field and make electric vehicles more attractive, scientists are working on fast-charging technologies.

Scientists at Brookhaven Lab are using a prototype radio telescope to look deep into the universe and gain a better understanding of its accelerated expansion and the nature of dark energy

Radio Telescope Gets Upgrade at Brookhaven Lab

A radio telescope at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has received a significant upgrade, advancing from one dish to four. The upgrades are part of the Laboratory’s ongoing effort to test the merits of a radio telescope for a potential future project between national labs and DOE-sponsored universities.

Funding: Department of Energy to Provide $12 Million for Research on Quantum Information Science for Particle Physics

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to provide $12 milion for new research on Quantum Information Science (QIS) for particle physics.

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (blue) budding from a chronically infected VERO E6 cell (yellow-green). Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health

Sophisticated Blood Analysis Provides New Clues About Ebola, Treatment Avenues

A detailed analysis of blood samples from Ebola patients in Sierra Leone is providing clues about the progression of the effects of the Ebola virus in patients and potential treatment pathways. A manuscript discussing the work, led by scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Funding: Department of Energy Announces $10 Million to Develop Particle Accelerators for Medicine and Industry

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to provide $10 million for efforts to advance particle accelerator technology for medical, security, energy, and industrial applications.

First Direct View of an Electron's Short, Speedy Trip Across a Border

Electrons flowing across the boundary between two materials are the foundation of many key technologies, from flash memories to batteries and solar cells. Now researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have directly observed and clocked these tiny cross-border movements for the first time, watching as electrons raced seven-tenths of a nanometer – about the width of seven hydrogen atoms – in 100 millionths of a billionth of a second.

Argonne Addresses Obstacles to Clean Water for All

Argonne scientists and collaborators at the University of Chicago and Northwestern are rethinking the water cycle and seeking to make it more effective and efficient.

Funding: Department of Energy Announces $66 Million for Research on Plants and Microbes

The $30 million plant initiative focuses on research and technological innovation aimed at expanding knowledge of gene function in plants to be grown for bioenergy and bioproducts. The microbe initiative will provide $36 million for research on how communities of microbes cycle nutrients in soil and the environment.

The ARM Climate Research Facility (Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Research Facility, Jason Tomlinson.)

Argonne's Innovative Community Software is on Weather Scientists' Radar

In 2015, the Python-ARM Radar Toolkit (Py-ART) made its open-source debut. After 4 years, and with contributions from 34 individual editors, it is now a staple in radar science. The toolkit helps scientists analyze radar data to improve models of the Earth’s systems; its growth illustrates the power of community software.

This instrumentation at Japan’s Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory in Wako, Japan, was used in an experiment to create an exotic magnesium isotope. (Credit: Heather Crawford/Berkeley Lab) )

New Measurements of Exotic Form of Magnesium Suggest a Surprising Shape-Shift

Just over a decade ago scientists pushed magnesium atoms to new limits, jamming extra neutrons into their nuclei toward – and possibly reaching – the maximum limit for this element. Now, an international team led by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has reproduced this exotic system, known as magnesium-40, and gleaned new and surprising clues about its nuclear structure.

CO2 release by mild heating of the BIG-bicarbonate solid. The released CO2 gas is trapped in the orange balloon, while the released water vapors are trapped by condensation in the ice-cooled U-shaped tube. Credit: Neil J. Williams and Erick Holguin.

Carbon-capture Technology Scrubs CO2 from Power Plants Like Scuba-diving Gear

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a process that could remove CO2 from coal-burning power plant emissions in a way that is similar to how soda lime works in scuba diving rebreathers. Their research, published January 31 in the journal Chem, offers an alternative but simpler strategy for carbon capture and requires 24 percent less energy than industrial benchmark solutions.