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Model captures how nitrogen limitation affects hydrological processes

DOE/US Department of Energy

Rising atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide act as a fertilizer for plants, speeding their growth and altering how they use water and interact with the climate. However, an insufficient supply of nitrogen can limit the rapid growth caused by increased carbon dioxide. Researchers adapted the Community Land Model to represent how nitrogen limitation affects plant growth.

Connecting 3 atomic layers puts semiconducting science on its edge

DOE/US Department of Energy

Scientists created a new semiconducting material -- only three atomic layers thick -- that exhibits electronic properties beyond traditional semiconductors. Two nano-engineered configurations of the material have shown an enhanced response to light.

Direct visualization of magnetoelectric domains

DOE/US Department of Energy

A novel microscopy technique called magnetoelectric force microscopy was developed to detect the local cross-coupling between magnetic and electric dipoles. Combined experimental observation and theoretical modeling provide understanding on how a bulk linear magnetoelectric effect can be realized in a new family of materials.

STAR heavy flavor tracker detects signs of charm at RHIC

DOE/US Department of Energy

Nuclear physicists at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider can now detect rare, elusive heavy quark particles using the Heavy Flavor Tracker, a new component installed as part of the STAR experiment.

Insulator-to-metal transition of vanadium dioxide

DOE/US Department of Energy

When heated to just above room temperature, the electrical conductivity of vanadium dioxide abruptly increases by a factor of 10,000. Experiments and high-performance computation reveal how the unusually large lattice vibrations stabilize this highly conductive metallic phase.

Spontaneous formation of biomimetic, nanoporous membrane channels

DOE/US Department of Energy

For the first time, spontaneous insertion of carbon nanotubes into natural as well as synthetic cell membranes to form pores that mimic biological channels has been demonstrated.

Optimizing atomic neighborhoods for speedier chemical reactions

DOE/US Department of Energy

Scientists have discovered that for palladium-nickel catalysts, certain surface characteristics, measured at the atomic level, sped the creation of carbon dioxide from carbon monoxide. This type of atomic detail has not been available by traditional studies and can aid the cycle of catalyst design by optimizing for structural parameters at the nearest neighbor level of an atomic environment.

Multimetal nanoframes improve catalyst performance

DOE/US Department of Energy

Researchers synthesized a highly active and durable class of electrocatalysts by exploiting the structural evolution of solid Pt-Ni bimetallic nanocrystals into porous cage-like structures or nanoframes. This approach to synthesizing the material is a significant advance towards realizing electrocatalysts with superior catalytic properties and lower cost.

Office of Science salutes new APS fellows

DOE/US Department of Energy
Grant and Award Announcement

Thirty-two researchers from national labs stewarded by the Office of Science have been elected as American Physical Society Fellows.

Silicon shovels for rare-Earth solutions

DOE/US Department of Energy

Office of Science scientists are using supercomputers to search for innovative answers to rare-earth supply needs.