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

Berkeley Lab Researchers ID Plant ‘Sunscreen’ Protein

Researchers are working to understand – and manipulate – plant photoprotection mechanisms, such as a process called NPQ, or nonphotochemical quenching, which helps dissipate excess light energy inside chloroplasts.

Getting Under Graphite’s Skin: A Recently Discovered Method of Layering Metals with the 2D Material May Lead to Brand New Properties

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have discovered a new process to sheathe metal under a single layer of graphite which may lead to new and better-controlled properties for these types of materials.

Creating a World of Make-Believe to Better Understand the Real Universe

Scientists are creating simulated universes – complete with dark matter mock-ups, computer-generated galaxies, quasi quasars, and pseudo supernovae – to better understand real-world observations.

Artificial Intelligence Helps Accelerate Progress Toward Efficient Fusion Reactions

researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University are employing artificial intelligence to improve predictive capability. Researchers led by William Tang, a PPPL physicist and a lecturer with the rank and title of professor at Princeton University, are developing the code for predictions for ITER, the international experiment under construction in France to demonstrate the practicality of fusion energy.

New Catalyst Meets Challenge of Cleaning Exhaust from Modern Engines

As cars become more fuel-efficient, less heat is wasted in the exhaust, which makes it harder to clean up the pollutants that are emitted. But researchers have recently created a catalyst capable of reducing pollutants at the lower temperatures expected in advanced engines.

Clearing the Air

Residents in some areas of the developing world are currently coping with dangerous levels of air pollution. Recent research, co-led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, is leading to a new understanding of a key chemical able to break down some major air pollutants.

Accelerating the Self-Assembly of Nanoscale Patterns for Next-Generation Materials

Using polymer blends, scientists rapidly generated highly ordered patterns that could be used in the fabrication of microelectronics, antireflective surfaces, magnetic data storage systems, and fluid-flow devices.

The Wet Road to Fast and Stable Batteries

An international team of scientists — including several researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory — has discovered an anode battery material with superfast charging and stable operation over many thousands of cycles.

Scientists Discover Path to Improving Game-Changing Battery Electrode

Electric car makers are intensely interested in lithium-rich battery cathodes that could significantly increase driving range. A new study opens a path to making them live up to their promise.

Scientists Engineer Nanoscale Pillars to Act Like Memory Foam

A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Connecticut have developed a customizable nanomaterial that combines metallic strength with a foam-like ability to compress and spring back.

One Researcher’s Road to Aerosol Science

Allison McComiskey’s path involved swerves into biology, deep history and the environment before she set out on a career in atmospheric science.

Final Check as Instruments Set Sail to Track Aerosols Over Southern Ocean

Scientists at the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility have set sail on the Southern Ocean to collect air samples, humidity readings, and other atmospheric data, to better understand aerosols’ role in climate change.