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Understanding how materials can convert heat into electricity benefits from a view of those materials at the atomic scale. New research examined how the vibrational modes called phonons work in nanostructures and the interfaces between materials to more fully understand how heat transfers in those materials. This information can help researchers tailor thermoelectric properties on the nanoscale and design advanced nanodevices.

Lijuan Ruan is a senior physicist at Brookhaven National Lab who studies the strong force interactions in the quark-gluon plasma created at RHIC.

Quantum information devices need particles to be synchronized in space and time. In nickel molybdate (Ni2Mo3O8), nickel ions (Ni2+) form a triangular array of tetrahedrons and octahedrons with opposing magnetic spins. Electric fields in Ni2Mo3O8 induce parallel alignment of the spins; this alignment changes with time, producing spin excitons. These spin excitons may be why Ni2Mo3O8 is magnetic.

For the first time, scientists measured radium’s bonding interactions with oxygen atoms in an organic molecule. This finding will aid researchers developing chelators for the delivery of radium isotopes for cancer treatment. The results are important in part because they revealed that radium is less similar than expected to barium, which is often used as a substitute for radium during chelator development.

Building large-scale quantum computers will require the ability to create and control qubits made of industrially relevant materials. Researchers have used atomic-level simulations to understand how the vacancies in silicon carbide that translate into spin-based qubits form and behave. This is an important step toward the future of quantum computing as well as quantum sensing.

The way protons and neutrons move between two nuclei is key to understanding the processes in low-energy nuclear fusion reactions. As the nuclei draw close enough for the nuclear forces to become effective, neutrons and protons can migrate from one nucleus to another, potentially easing the fusion process. This study explored the influence on low-energy fusion processes of isospin composition, the property that differentiates protons from neutrons.

Humans can learn a lot from nature, especially when dealing with climate change and other environmental issues. A clean energy future relies on us reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, breaking down waste, and storing atmospheric carbon. Biofuels made from decomposing living things or biological waste are a potential alternative to fossil fuels. Soil microorganisms can break down plant biomass to produce biofuels and bioproducts. Improving our understanding of these microorganisms is important for developing a U.S. bioeconomy.    

Lignin is the world’s largest renewable source of aromatic carbon for potential bioproducts manufacture. Scientists have now engineered a bacterium to convert this aromatic carbon into two useful chemical compounds: carotenoids and an acid called PDC. This could help make biorefineries more sustainable and economically viable.