University Research | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

In Borophene, Boundaries Are No Barrier

Borophene, the atomically flat form of boron with unique properties, is even more interesting when different forms of the material mix and mingle, according to scientists at Rice and Northwestern universities.

A Physics Treasure Hidden in a Wallpaper Pattern

An international team of scientists has discovered a new, exotic form of insulating material with a metallic surface that could enable more efficient electronics or even quantum computing. The researchers developed a new method for analyzing existing chemical compounds that relies on the mathematical properties like symmetry that govern the repeating patterns seen in everyday wallpaper.

Physicists Practice 'Spin Control' to Improve Information Processing

Currently, information-processing tools like computers and cell phones rely on electron charge to operate. A team of UC San Diego physicists, however, seeks alternative systems of faster, more energy-efficient signal processing.

Department of Energy Selects Guihua Yu for Early Career Award

Prof. Guihua Yu of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and materials science program in the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin has been selected to receive the prestigious Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Research Award.

FSU Researchers Use Artificial Intelligence to Identify, Predict New Chemical Compounds

A team of Florida State University researchers is using artificial intelligence to identify which among hundreds of thousands of hypothetical crystal structures can result in the prediction of new chemical compounds.

DOE Early Career Program Funds Philipp Zerbe’s Biofuel Research

Funded by the DOE’s Early Career Research Program, Zerbe and his colleagues will study the contribution of small molecules to the environmental stress tolerance of switchgrass, with hopes of developing new avenues to generate crops that better withstand stress and produce biofuel more efficiently.

Eagle-eyed Algorithm Outdoes Human Experts

With collaborators that included Kevin Field, a staff scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Wei Li, who earned his master’s degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018, used machine learning to quickly and consistently detect and analyze microscopic-scale radiation damage to materials under consideration for nuclear reactors.

Nanocrystal Links Could Lead to Better Electronics

A new study by researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory examines inorganic links between nanoparticles for applications in solar panels, electrons and optical devices.

Electric Car Batteries Souped-up with Fluorinated Electrolytes for Longer-range Driving

Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD), the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have figured out how to increase a rechargeable battery's capacity by using aggressive electrodes and then stabilizing these potentially dangerous electrode materials with a highly-fluorinated electrolyte.

Military Personnel Show Brain Changes Similar to Those in Retired Football Players Suspected to Have CTE

In a small study of military personnel who had suffered head trauma and had reported memory and mood problems, UCLA researchers found brain changes similar to those seen in retired football players who may have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head.

$10.75M Grant Aids Nex-gen Fuel Cell Development

Chemistry professor Héctor Abruña will lead a Department of Energy-sponsored Energy Frontier Research Center at Cornell University, aimed at developing next-generation, alkaline-based fuel cells.

Two New Energy Frontier Research Centers at Stanford

Stanford will soon be home to two new Department of Energy-funded Energy Frontier Research Centers, aimed at transforming the way energy is generated, transformed, stored and used.