Science Highlights

Scientists have identified a new way to improve the process for using light to make a liquid fuel from carbon dioxide. Research shows that three-dimensional silicon scaffolds on photoelectrodes improve the yield of the desired products of chemical reactions, even converting carbon dioxide to methanol.

Experiment findings will help nuclear industry model, design and construct clean nuclear energy systems, and continue an impressive safety legacy.

Scientists have for the first time mechanically detected individual nuclear decays occurring in a microparticle. The research used a new technique. Rather than detecting the radiation emitted by the nuclei, the researchers detected the occurrence of decay by measuring the tiny “kick” to the entire microparticle that contained the decaying nucleus as this radiation escaped.

In 2D quantum materials, chiral edge states are 1D conducting channels in which electrons travel only in one direction and electron collisions are strongly suppressed. This means chiral channels act like resistance-free conductors. Researchers have created chiral edge states in atomically thin devices made of three graphene layers, paving the way for more efficient future electronics.

For the first time since X-rays were discovered, researchers have successfully performed X-ray spectroscopy to identify the element of a single atom at a time. The achievement takes advantage of improvements to synchrotron X-ray light sources. Until now, the smallest usable sample was at least 10,000 atoms. Now, by combining synchrotron X-rays and quantum tunneling, the researchers detected the element and chemical state of a single atom of iron and terbium.

Researchers studied gene expression in plant/mycorrhizae symbioses by analyzing the roots of a model plant colonized by fungi and using a combination of techniques to measure gene activity in individual cells and visualize gene expression within two-dimensional sections of roots.

Using a polymer to make a strong yet springy thin film, scientists led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are speeding the arrival of next-generation solid-state batteries. This effort advances the development of electric vehicle power enabled by flexible, durable sheets of solid-state electrolytes.

When light shines on a semiconductor, it excites the electrons, leaving behind a “hole.” Electrons and these holes attract each other to form excitons, which can interact with other unpaired charges to alter the shape, direction, and/or frequency of a beam of light in the semiconductor. Researchers demonstrated that this response is unprecedently strong in a two-dimensional device made of three atomic layers of the semiconductor tungsten di-selenide.