Scientists have moved quantum optic networks a step closer to reality. The ability to precisely control the interactions of light and matter at the nanoscale could help such a network transmit larger amounts of data more quickly and securely than an electrical network. A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne…
Uncovering a Missing Link From Methane to Methanol
Microscopic crystalline structures called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) may provide a way to solve one of the biggest problems in methane functionalization catalysis, an economically important chemical process. The nation’s shale gas production boom of recent years has led many researchers to look for new ways to functionalize methane — i.e., transform it into something more…
Solar Energy Research Benefits from “Hot” Electrons
Solar and renewable energy is getting hot, thanks to nanoscientists — those who work with materials smaller than the width of a human hair — at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory who have discovered new, better, and faster ways to convert energy from light into energetic electrons. Their innovative methods could…