U.S. Department of Energy Research News

Public Release: 23-Apr-2013
Fertilizer that fizzles in a homemade bomb could save lives around the world
A Sandia engineer who trained US soldiers to avoid improvised explosive devices has developed a fertilizer that helps plants grow but can't detonate a bomb.

Public Release: 19-Apr-2013

Journal of the American Chemical Society
Freedom of assembly
Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have, for the first time, captured movies of nanoparticle self-assembly, giving researchers a new glimpse of an unusual material property.

National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy

Public Release: 18-Apr-2013

Science
New solar-cell coating could boost efficiency
New technique developed at MIT could enable a major boost in solar-cell efficiency.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 16-Apr-2013
Softening steel problem expands computer model applications
Sandia National Laboratories worked with the National Nuclear Security Administration's Kansas City Plant on the rapid design of an annealing process to soften stainless steel tubing.

Public Release: 16-Apr-2013

Nature Materials
NREL and partners demonstrate quantum dots that assemble themselves
Scientists from the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other labs have demonstrated a process whereby quantum dots can self-assemble at optimal locations in nanowires, a breakthrough that could improve solar cells, quantum computing, and lighting devices. A paper on the new technology, "Self-assembled Quantum Dots in a Nanowire System for Quantum Photonics," appears in the current issue of the scientific journal Nature Materials.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 16-Apr-2013

Scientific Reports
NREL and Stanford team up on peel-and-stick solar cells
It may be possible soon to charge cell phones, change the tint on windows, or power small toys with peel-and-stick versions of solar cells, thanks to a partnership between Stanford University and the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. A scientific paper, "Peel and Stick: Fabricating Thin Film Solar Cells on Universal Substrates," appears in the online version of Scientific Reports, a subsidiary of the British scientific journal Nature.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 16-Apr-2013

Nature Communications
Lawrence Livermore scientists discover new materials to capture methane
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and UC Berkeley and have discovered new materials to capture methane, the second highest concentration greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere.

Public Release: 16-Apr-2013
NREL survey shows dramatic improvement in B100 biodiesel quality
The latest national survey of 100 percent biodiesel "blend stock" samples by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that 95% of the samples from 2011-12 met ASTM International fuel quality specifications. The ASTM standards serve as guidelines for industry and are designed to ensure quality at the pump for consumers -- along with reliable operation of the nation's vehicles powered by biodiesel blends.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 15-Apr-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Plant protein puzzle solved
Researchers from North Carolina State University believe they have solved a puzzle that has long vexed science. The researchers provide the first three-dimensional model of an enzyme that links a simple sugar, glucose, into long-chain cellulose, the basic building block within plant cell walls that gives plants structure. Cellulose is nature's most abundant renewable biomaterial and an important resource for production of biofuels that represent alternatives to fossil fuels.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 11-Apr-2013

Science
Tiny wireless device shines light on mouse brain, generating reward
Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. The scientists report their findings in the journal Science.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience, US Department of Energy

Public Release: 11-Apr-2013

Science
A bright idea: Tiny injectable LEDs help neuroscientists study the brain
A new class of tiny, injectable LEDs is illuminating the deep mysteries of the brain. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis developed ultrathin, flexible optoelectronic devices -- including LEDs the size of individual neurons -- that are lighting the way for neuroscientists in the field of optogenetics, a new area of neuroscience that uses light to stimulate targeted neural pathways in the brain.

National Institutes of Health, US Department of Energy

Public Release: 9-Apr-2013
NREL employees lauded by industry peers
Employees of the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory were recently recognized by industry peers for their work in grid integration, industry advancement and electrochemistry. NREL was also named an Outstanding Large Company by IEEE.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 9-Apr-2013
NREL launches initiative to build solar performance database
The US Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory has launched an initiative to build an open-source database of real-world performance from solar facilities across the country. As part of DOE's SunShot Initiative, the Open Solar Performance and Reliability Clearinghouse will give the private market tools to develop investment vehicles to tap low-cost public capital.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 9-Apr-2013

Journal of Nuclear Medicine
System provides clear brain scans of awake, unrestrained mice
Researchers have shown that the AwakeSPECT system can obtain detailed, functional images of the brain of a freely moving, conscious mouse.

US Department of Energy's Office of Science, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 9-Apr-2013
Better monitoring and diagnostics tackle algae biofuel pond crash problem
Sandia National Laboratories is developing a suite of complementary technologies to help the emerging algae industry detect and quickly recover from algal pond crashes, an obstacle to large-scale algae cultivation for future biofuels. The research, which focuses on monitoring and diagnosing algal pond health, draws upon Sandia's longstanding expertise in microfluidics technology, its strong bioscience research program and significant internal investments.

Public Release: 4-Apr-2013

Journal of Nuclear Medicine
ORNL's awake imaging device moves diagnostics field forward
A technology being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory promises to provide clear images of the brains of children, the elderly and people with Parkinson's and other diseases without the use of uncomfortable or intrusive restraints.

Public Release: 3-Apr-2013

Nature
Quantum tricks drive magnetic switching into the fast lane
Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University, and the University of Crete in Greece have found a new way to switch magnetism that is at least 1000 times faster than currently used in magnetic memory technologies. Magnetic switching is used to encode information in hard drives, RAM and other computing devices.

US Department of Energy Office of Science, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 3-Apr-2013

Nature Communications
ORNL microscopy uncovers 'dancing' silicon atoms in graphene
Jumping silicon atoms are the stars of an atomic scale ballet featured in a new Nature Communications study from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Public Release: 2-Apr-2013
New instrument will quickly detect botulinum, ricin, other biothreat agents
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are developing a medical instrument that will be able to quickly detect a suite of biothreat agents, including anthrax, ricin, botulinum, shiga and SEB toxin. Sandia's work is funded by a recent grant -- nearly $4 million over four years -- from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Apr-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Research deciphers HIV attack plan
A new study by Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Pennsylvania scientists defines previously unknown properties of transmitted HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. The viruses that successfully pass from a chronically infected person to a new individual are both remarkably resistant to a powerful initial human immune-response mechanism, and they are blanketed in a greater amount of envelope protein that helps them access and enter host cells.

Public Release: 1-Apr-2013

Nature Nanotechnology
Watching fluid flow at nanometer scales
New research carried out at MIT and elsewhere has demonstrated for the first time that when inserted into a pool of liquid, nanowires naturally draw the liquid upward in a thin film that coats the surface of the wire.

Sandia National Laboratories, US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 28-Mar-2013

International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
Study: 'Waste heat' may economize CO2 capture
In some of the first results from a federally funded initiative to find new ways of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from coal-fired power plants, Rice University scientists have found it may be possible to use "waste" heat to remove CO2 instead of the higher pressure steam needed to make electricity.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 26-Mar-2013

Physical Review E
Simulations uncover obstacle to harnessing laser-driven fusion
Researchers at The Ohio State University have uncovered an obstacle to the cone-guided approach to fast-ignition fusion energy through simulations at the Ohio Supercomputer Center and experiments at the National Ignition Facility. Chris Orban, Ph.D., a researcher at Ohio State and the lead theorist on the project, found electric fields that build up on the cone's edge reduce the number of energetic electrons being directed by laser beams toward the targeted fuel.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 26-Mar-2013
NREL assembles industry working group to advance solar securitization
The US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently convened the Solar Access to Public Capital working group with a mission to enable securitization of solar PV assets and associated cash flows in the marketplace.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 24-Mar-2013

Nature Genetics
Peach genome offers insights into breeding strategies for biofuels crops
Rapidly growing trees like poplars and willows are candidate "biofuel crops" from which it is expected that cellulosic ethanol and higher energy content fuels can be efficiently extracted. Domesticating these crops requires a deep understanding of tree physiology and genetics. Scientists are turning to fruit trees for hints, leading to an international initiative, including DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers, publishing the 265-million base genome of the Lovell variety of Prunus persica in Nature Genetics.

US Department of Energy