Science Headlines | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Dendrite Eraser: New Electrolyte Rids Batteries of Short-circuiting Fibers

PNNL physicists have developed a new electrolyte that allows lithium-sulfur, lithium-metal and lithium-air batteries to operate at 99 percent efficiency, while having a high current density and without growing dendrites that short-circuit rechargeable batteries.

Speeding Up the Epochs

Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have created a new model that quickly shows if and when minerals form, which could be vital to creating cleaner energy.

Semiconductor Works Better When Hitched to Graphene

Experiments at SLAC show potential for graphene-based organic electronic devices.

Shape-shifting Groups of Nanorods Release Heat Differently

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have revealed previously unobserved behaviors that show how details of the transfer of heat at the nanoscale cause nanoparticles to change shape in ensembles.

Searching for Signs of a Force from the 'Dark Side' in Particle Collisions at RHIC

Data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and other experiments nearly rule out role of 'dark photons' as an explanation for the 'g-2' anomaly.

Bigger Steps

Berkeley Lab researchers develop algorithm to make simulation of ultrafast processes possible.

Sugar and Splice

Oak Ridge National Lab researchers identify genes best suited for producing biofuel from poplar trees planted in different environments.

Scientists Get First Glimpse of a Chemical Bond Being Born

Scientists have used an X-ray laser at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to get the first glimpse of the transition state where two atoms begin to form a weak bond on the way to becoming a molecule.

Scientists Take First X-ray Portraits of Living Bacteria at the LCLS

Researchers working at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have captured the first X-ray portraits of living bacteria. This technique could allow the study of viral infections, cell division, and photosynthesis in new detail.

Smashing Polarized Protons to Uncover Spin and Other Secrets

Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider starts 15th year of nuclear physics operations.

Flipping the Switch

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are collaborating with industry to develop a high-performance material that nearly doubles the performance of traditional insulators without a high cost premium.

New Design Tool for Metamaterials

Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have shown, using a recent theory for nonlinear light scattering when light passes through nanostructures, that it is possible to predict the nonlinear optical properties of metamaterials.