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7-Dec-2020
Defects slow the electron's dance
DOE/US Department of Energy
Researchers used two advanced microscopy techniques to learn how crystal defects affect the performance of crystalline solar cells called lead halide perovskite cells. The research used two microscopy techniques: electron backscattering diffraction to view crystal quality at scales of 100 nanometers and ultrafast microscopy to examine how electrons move. The research shows that microscopic defects that form when the crystals are made can reduce how fast electrons move by a factor of almost 10.
2-Dec-2020
Some like it hot: Boosting efficiency in solar cells
DOE/US Department of Energy
Novel hot-carrier solar cells convert sunlight to electricity more efficiently than conventional solar cells by harnessing charge carriers before they lose their energy to heat. A key to keeping electric charges hot longer is to slow the phonons that transport heat. Recent research shows that thermal transport--and thus performance--in hot-carrier solar cells can be reduced by replacing hydrogen atoms with heavier deuterium atoms.
2-Dec-2020
Decorating Semiconductors at the Atomic Scale
DOE/US Department of Energy
Combining two different semiconductors can create new properties. The way these combinations work depends on how the semiconductors are arranged and contact one another. Researchers have developed a new way to grow semiconductor crystals about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. This new synthesis method independently controls the arrangements and sizes of the crystals.
1-Dec-2020
Laser-driven "chirp" powers high-resolution materials imaging
DOE/US Department of Energy
Scientists use beams of electrons to study materials' properties. Shorter beams produce higher-resolution views. To make shorter beams, the electrons at the tail of the beam need to catch up to the head of the beam. This is accomplished by giving the electrons at the tail extra energy, a so-called "energy chirp." Scientists have now used a terahertz laser pulse to create this energy chirp.
1-Dec-2020
New prototype advances particle accelerators for industry and medicine
DOE/US Department of Energy
The most powerful particle accelerators on Earth are research machines built on superconducting radiofrequency technology. These accelerators are expensive and difficult to operate. Scientists have now built an accelerator prototype that uses off-the-shelf support systems that demonstrates it is possible to build and run powerful non-research accelerators at a fraction of the cost of research accelerators.
23-Nov-2020
Christopher Mauger: Then and Now / 2010 Early Career Award Winner
DOE/US Department of Energy
University of Pennsylvania physics professor Christopher Mauger measures neutrino properties, investigating the transformation of neutrinos between types. His work supports the long-baseline neutrino physics program DUNE - Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment - based in Illinois and South Dakota.
20-Nov-2020
Cell-Free Technology Accelerates Industrial Biotechnology
DOE/US Department of Energy
Industrial biotechnology aims to use microbes, such as bacteria, as factories to convert molecules into desirable products using enzymes. Scientists have now developed a framework to rapidly select from hundreds of options to design, build, and optimize enzymes without the need for intact cells.
6-Nov-2020
Christian Bauer: Then and now
DOE/US Department of Energy
Christian W. Bauer, a senior staff scientist in the Theory Group of the Physics Division at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, discusses his 2010 Early Career award.
6-Nov-2020
When tiny, energetic worlds collide
DOE/US Department of Energy
Scientists use collisions of heavy ions moving near the speed of light to recreate and investigate the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). By measuring the attenuation of fast particles travelling through the QGP, physicists learn more about the QGP and the conditions that existed shortly after the Big Bang.