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A dash of disorder yields a very efficient photocatalyst

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A little disorder goes a long way, especially when it comes to harnessing the sun's energy. Berkeley Lab scientists jumbled the atomic structure of the surface layer of titanium dioxide nanocrystals, creating a catalyst that is both long lasting and more efficient than all other materials in using the sun's energy to extract hydrogen from water.

Journal: Science

Somorjai wins Frontiers of Knowledge Award

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Grant and Award Announcement

Berkeley Lab's Gabor Somorjai, widely considered the "father of modern surface chemistry," has won a Frontiers of Knowledge Award from Spain's BBVA Foundation. He was recognized for "his pioneering contributions to the understanding of surface chemistry and catalysis at a microscopic and molecular level."

Funder: BBVA Foundation

How now, inside the cow: Nearly 30,000 novel enzymes for biofuel production improvements

DOE/Joint Genome Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Through massive-scale DNA sequencing, researchers at the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, with support from the Energy Biosciences Institute, have characterized the genes and genomes of plant-digesting microbes isolated from the cow rumen and reported in a study published January 28 in the journal Science. The data analysis has revealed nearly 30,000 novel enzymes that may now be explored for improved biofuel production.

Journal: Science
Funder: Energy Biosciences Institute, US Department of Energy's Office of Science

The practical full-spectrum solar cell comes closer

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and their colleagues have demonstrated a new solar cell design that can not only convert the full spectrum of sunlight to electrical energy, it is also practical to make using common manufacturing techniques in the semiconductor industry.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: US Department of Energy's Office of Science, RoseStreet Labs Energy

GRIN plasmonics

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab researchers have carried out the first experimental demonstration of GRIN plasmonics, a hybrid technology that opens the door to a wide range of exotic applications in optics, including superfast photonic computers, ultra-powerful optical microscopes and "invisibility" carpet-cloaking devices.

Journal: Nature Nanotechnology
Funder: US Army, National Science Foundation

A nanoscale rope, and another step toward complex nanomaterials that assemble themselves

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab scientists have coaxed polymers to braid themselves into wispy nanoscale ropes that approach the structural complexity of biological materials. Their work is the latest development in the push to develop self-assembling nanoscale materials that mimic the intricacy and functionality of nature's handiwork, but which are rugged enough to withstand harsh conditions such as heat and dryness

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Hotspots tamed by BEAST

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The secrets behind the mysterious nano-sized electromagnetic "hotspots" that appear on metal surfaces under a light are being revealed with the help of a BEAST. The results hold promise for solar energy and chemical sensing among other technologies.

Journal: Nature
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Speeding up Mother Nature's very own CO2 mitigation process

DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using seawater and calcium to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) in a natural gas power plant's flue stream, and then pumping the resulting calcium bicarbonate in the sea, could be beneficial to the oceans' marine life.

Journal: Environmental Science & Technology

Polymer membranes with molecular-sized channels that assemble themselves

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a solution-based method for inducing polymer membranes with molecular-sized channels to assemble themselves. Fully compatible with commercial membrane-fabrication, this new technique is believed to be the first example of organic nanotubes fabricated into a functional membrane over macroscopic distances.

Journal: Nano Letters
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

New glass tops steel in strength and toughness

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new type of damage-tolerant metallic glass, demonstrating a strength and toughness beyond that of steel or any other known material, has been developed and tested by a collaboration of researchers with Berkeley Lab and Cal Tech.

Journal: Nature Materials
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation