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Fuel-cell waste reduction goes platinum

DOE/US Department of Energy

Fuel cells employ platinum as a catalyst. However, platinum degrades unevenly in fuel cells, resulting in still-usable platinum being discarded. To improve fuel cell durability and reduce waste, this research studied the causes of uneven platinum degradation, producing simple, effective strategies to reduce the waste of precious catalyst material and thereby encouraging the use of fuel cells in vehicles.

Journal: Advanced Energy Materials

DOE awards $110 million for groundbreaking research by 83 early career scientists

DOE/US Department of Energy
Grant and Award Announcement

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of 83 early career scientists from across the country to receive $110 million in funding for research covering a wide range of topics, from holography to particle accelerators. This year’s awardees represent 47 universities and 13 National Labs in 29 states. These awards are a part of the DOE’s long-standing efforts to develop the next generation of STEM leaders who will solidify America’s role as the driver of science and innovation around the world.

Fixing spinal cord injuries with ‘dancing molecules’

DOE/US Department of Energy

Researchers have created an injectable therapy for spinal cord injuries that uses specially engineered molecules that trigger a healing response in spinal cells. These molecules come together to form tiny fibers in a liquid solution. Scientists can control the motion of these fibers, allowing the fibers to connect more effectively with cells in the spine. The research may lead to a cure for spinal injuries in humans.

Journal: Science

How buildings contribute to urban heating during heat waves

DOE/US Department of Energy

Previous research has found that heat waves and urban heat island effects reinforce each other’s effects. New research developed a method for modeling urban building energy demand and associated heat dispersal during heat waves. The researchers used the method to examine the variation over time and space in emissions of waste heat from buildings in Los Angeles and found that the heat from buildings increases by as much as 20 percent during a heat wave.

Journal: Atmosphere

How can changes to urban neighborhoods and buildings affect microclimates and energy use?

DOE/US Department of Energy

Heating and cooling for buildings accounted for the United States’ biggest share (41 percent) of energy consumption in 2010, and energy use by buildings amounts to 40 percent of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. A new method allows researchers to test the design of neighborhoods and buildings to understand how they affect local and regional weather and energy use.

Journal: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

Department of Energy announces $1.89 million for U.S.-Japan cooperative research in high energy physics

DOE/US Department of Energy
Grant and Award Announcement

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $1.89 million for 14 collaborative research projects in high energy physics that extend a robust history of collaboration with Japanese investigators

Capturing biogeochemical details in river corridor models

DOE/US Department of Energy

In many streams and rivers, water moves between the open channel and the adjacent groundwater, enabling reactions that can remove or transform carbon, contaminants, and nutrients. Researchers developed a new modeling strategy to represent these effects in watershed-scale models. The new model addresses current models’ limited ability to simulate how carbon, nutrients, and contaminants move and transform in river corridors and allows for a new generation of research on river networks.

Journal: Frontiers in Water

DOE announces $40 million to provide research training opportunities for historically underrepresented groups

DOE/US Department of Energy
Grant and Award Announcement

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $40 million to provide research opportunities to historically underrepresented groups in STEM and diversify American leadership in the physical and climate sciences through internships, training programs, and mentor opportunities. Beneficiaries will include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and other research institutions. Harnessing America’s best and brightest scientific minds will be key to unlocking the climate solutions that will help achieve President Biden’s goal of a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.

Not just pollen in the spring: Wild grass releases a variety of particles into the air

DOE/US Department of Energy

The aboveground portions of plants release particles such as fungal spores, pollen, bacteria, viruses, algae, and cell debris that can act as the nuclei of cloud droplets and ice crystals. A multi-institutional team of researchers has reported the first characterization of biological particles produced over the life cycle of Brachypodium distachyon, a wild but commonly used model grass. This will help scientists understand the role of these plant particle releases on the Earth’s climate.

Journal: ACS Earth and Space Chemistry

Oxygen formation in the light of gamma beams

DOE/US Department of Energy

Nuclear fusion reactions in stars consume carbon-12 to produce oxygen-16, and the resulting ratio of carbon to oxygen shapes a star’s evolution. Physicists have not been able to measure this ratio with precision using existing experimental methods. A new method shines gamma beams on an oxygen-16 target and captures images of the outgoing reaction products to obtain higher-quality data on this reaction.

Journal: Nature Communications

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