University Research

A comeback for incandescent bulbs?

Incandescent bulbs have always suffered from one major problem: More than 95 percent of the energy that goes into them is wasted, most of it as heat. Now, researchers at MIT and Purdue University may have found a way to make them just as efficient as some LED bulbs.

Fuel Cell Breakthrough

Researchers at the University of Delaware recently reported a breakthrough that promises to bring down the cost of hydrogen fuel cells by replacing expensive platinum catalysts with cheaper ones made from metals like nickel.

New Analysis of Big Data Sheds Light on Cell Functions

Researchers led by bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new way of obtaining useful information from big data in biology to better understand—and predict—what goes on inside a cell.

Decoding Cement’s Shape Promises Greener Concrete

Scientists at Rice University have decoded the kinetic properties of cement and developed a way to “program” the microscopic, semicrystalline particles within.

Researchers Peer Into Atom-Sized Tunnels in Hunt for Better Battery

A team led by a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago has used a special electron microscope with atomic-level resolution to show that certain large ions can hold the tunnels open so that the charge-carrying ions can enter and exit the electrode easily and quickly.

UVA Physicists, Engineers Paving Way for Wider Use of New Solar Cell Materials

University of Virginia Scientists and engineers, with colleagues at the NIST Center for Neutron Research, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Cornell University, have made new inroads on understanding the fundamental physics of the solar cell material -hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites or HOIPS - extremely lightweight, flexible, and efficient materials.

TSRI Scientists Show How Drug Binds with ‘Hidden Pocket’ on Flu Virus

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is the first to show exactly how the drug Arbidol stops influenza infections.

A Wolverine Inspired Material

Scientists, including several from the University of California, Riverside, have developed a transparent, self-healing, highly stretchable conductive material that can be electrically activated to power artificial muscles and could be used to improve batteries, electronic devices, and robots.

Ocean Temperatures Faithfully Recorded in Mother-of-Pearl

A team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison physics Professor Pupa Gilbert describes studies of the physical attributes of nacre in modern and fossil shells showing that the biomineral provides an accurate record of temperature as the material is formed, layer upon layer, in a mollusk.