News By Location

News from CA

Select a state to view local articles and features

To bridge LEDs' green gap, scientists think small... really small

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Nanostructures half the breadth of a DNA strand could improve the efficiency of light emitting diodes, especially in the 'green gap,' simulations at the US Department of Energy's National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center have shown. Nanostructure LEDs made from indium nitride could lead to more natural-looking white lighting while avoiding some of the efficiency loss today's LEDs experience at high power.

Journal: Nano Letters
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

'Smart window' material may make better batteries

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Windows that darken to filter out sunlight in response to electric current, function much like batteries. Now, X-ray studies at SLAC provide a crystal-clear view into how this color-changing material behaves in a working battery -- information that could benefit next-generation rechargeable batteries.

Americans using more energy according to Lawrence Livermore analysis

DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Americans used more renewable, fossil and even nuclear energy in 2013, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Hybrid vehicles more fuel efficient in India, China than in US

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

What makes cities in India and China so frustrating to drive in -- heavy traffic, aggressive driving style, few freeways -- makes them ideal for saving fuel with hybrid vehicles, according to new research by scientists at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In a pair of studies using real-world driving conditions, they found that hybrid cars are significantly more fuel-efficient in India and China than they are in the United States.

Journal: Applied Energy
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Human-induced climate change reduces chance of flooding in Okavango Delta

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Researchers at the University of Cape Town, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the United Nations Development Programme have analyzed how human-induced climate change has affected recent flooding in an ecologically and geographically unique river basin in southern Africa -- the Okavango River. After running a number of simulations, they found that greenhouse gas emissions have substantially reduced the chance of the floods in the region.

Resistance is not futile

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers with the Joint BioEnergy Institute have identified the genetic origins of a microbial resistance to ionic liquids and successfully introduced this resistance into a strain of E. coli bacteria for the production of advanced biofuels.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Lawrence Livermore scientists discover bacterial resistance to improve biofuel production

DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research by scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in conjunction with the Joint BioEnergy Institute suggests that a type of bacterial resistance may provide more efficient production of biofuels.

Journal: Nature Communications

New technique for identifying gene-enhancers

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab researchers led the development of a new technique for identifying gene enhancers -- sequences of DNA that act to amplify the expression of a specific gene -- in the genomes of humans and other mammals. Called SIF-seq, this new technique complements existing genomic tools, such as ChIP-seq, and offers additional benefits.

Journal: Nature Methods
Funder: National Institutes of Health

New semiconductor holds promise for 2-D physics and electronics

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry have discovered a unique new semiconductor, rhenium disulfide, that behaves electronically as if it were a 2-D monolayer even as a 3-D bulk material. This not only opens the door to 2-D electronic applications with a 3D material, it also makes it possible to study 2-D physics with easy-to-make 3-D crystals.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: US Department of Energy's Office of Science

Scientists discover potential way to make graphene superconducting

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have discovered a potential way to make graphene -- a single layer of carbon atoms with great promise for future electronics -- superconducting, a state in which it would carry electricity with 100 percent efficiency.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy