Using a never-before-seen technique, scientists have found a new way to use some of the world’s most powerful X-rays to uncover how atoms move in a single atomic sheet at ultrafast speeds. The study, led by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and in collaboration with other institutions, including the…
Scientists Use Machine Learning to Identify High-Performing Solar Materials
New Research Identifies Causes For Defects in 3D Printing and Paves Way For Better Results
Argonne/Carnegie Mellon team works to eliminate tiny pockets that cause big problems. Additive manufacturing’s promise to revolutionize industry is constrained by a widespread problem: tiny gas pockets in the final product, which can lead to cracks and other failures. New research published today in Science, led by teams from Carnegie Mellon University and the U.S. Department…
Researchers Use X-Rays to Understand the Flaws of Battery Fast Charging
A closer look reveals how speedy charging may hamper battery performance. While gas tanks can be filled in a matter of minutes, charging the battery of an electric car takes much longer. To level the playing field and make electric vehicles more attractive, scientists are working on fast-charging technologies. Fast charging is very important for…
Scientists Find Unusual Behavior in Topological Material
Argonne scientists have identified a new class of topological materials made by inserting transition metal atoms into the atomic lattice of a well-known two-dimensional material. In recent years, scientists have become intrigued by a new type of material that shows a kind of unusual and split behavior. These structures, called topological materials, can demonstrate different…
The Next Phase: Using Neural Networks to Identify Gas-Phase Molecules
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have begun to use neural networks to identify the structural signatures of molecular gases, potentially providing new and more accurate sensing techniques for researchers, the defense industry and drug manufacturers. This breakthrough work has been recognized as a finalist for a 2018 R&D 100 award. Neural…
Balancing Nuclear and Renewable Energy
Nuclear power plants typically run either at full capacity or not at all. Yet the plants have the technical ability to adjust to the changing demand for power and thus better accommodate sources of renewable energy such as wind or solar power. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the…
Discovery Suggests New Significance of Unheralded Chemical Reactions
X-Ray Imaging at Argonne Captures Material Defect Process
From blacksmiths forging iron to artisans blowing glass, humans have for centuries been changing the properties of materials to build better tools – from iron horseshoes and swords to glass jars and medicine vials. In modern life, new materials are created to improve today’s items, such as stronger steel for skyscrapers and more reliable semiconductors…
Argonne-Led Projects Among $39.8M in First-Round Exascale Computing Project Awards
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Exascale Computing Project (ECP) today announced its first round of funding with the selection of 15 application development proposals for full funding and seven proposals for seed funding, representing teams from 45 research and academic organizations. Exascale refers to high-performance computing systems capable of at least a billion billion…
Argonne Discovery Yields Self-Healing Diamond-Like Carbon
Diamonds Help Generate New Record for Static Pressures
Extraordinary things happen to ordinary materials when they are subjected to very high pressure and temperature. Sodium, a conductive metal in normal conditions, becomes a transparent insulator; gaseous hydrogen becomes a solid. But generating the terapascal pressures — that’s ten million times the atmospheric pressure at the earth’s surface — needed to explore the most…