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A catalytic support material takes a leading role

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Chemists at Argonne and Ames national laboratories have spotted an important and unexpected reaction mechanism -- called redox behavior -- in some catalyst support materials that are commonly used in the chemical industry.

Putting bacteria to work

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Bacteria are diverse and complex creatures that are demonstrating the ability to communicate organism-to-organism and even interact with the moods and perceptions of their hosts (human or otherwise). Scientists call this behavior 'bacterial cognition,' a systems biology concept that treats these microscopic creatures as beings that can behave like information processing systems.

Two faces offer limitless possibilities

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Named for the mythical god with two faces, Janus membranes -- double-sided membranes that serve as gatekeepers between two substances -- have emerged as a material with potential industrial uses.

Journal: Advanced Materials Interfaces
Funder: Basic Energy Sciences, DOE/US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, University of Chicago, Agonne National Laboratory's Laboratory Directed Research and Development program

Relax, just break it

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Argonne scientists and their collaborators are helping to answer long-held questions about a technologically important class of materials called relaxor ferroelectrics.

Journal: Nature Materials
Funder: US Department of Energy's Office of Science, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Basic Energy Sciences; US Office of Naval Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Oleo Sponge successful in real-world conditions off California coast

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Business Announcement

Argonne's Oleo Sponge, developed to clean oil spills, lived up to its promise in an experiment conducted off the coast of Southern California, in April.

Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy, US Coast Guard, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Basic Energy Sciences; Anthropocene Institute

Four ways the electric system can better integrate microgrids

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

The US electric system is adapting to a new wave of distributed energy resources, such as solar panels and energy storage. Some of these work together in localized networks known as microgrids -- nearly 2,000 are now operating or planned across the country, according to one estimate. Researchers at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory study the impact of microgrids and analyze ways to assimilate them smoothly within the larger electric system.

Slippery when dry

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne scientists reaffirm the potential of graphene as a cheaper, more efficient alternative to oil for lubrication purposes.

Electrons slowing down at critical moments

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne scientists have determined that electrons in some oxides can experience an 'unconventional slowing down' of their response to a light pulse. This behavior may result in potentially useful properties related to magnetism, conductivity or even superconductivity.

Radiokrypton dating plumbs mysteries of water aquifers

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne physicists are using a unique, laser-based, atom-counting technique called Atom Trap Trace Analysis to selectively capture and count the krypton isotopes 81Kr and 85Kr to determine the age of ice and groundwater. The results provide valuable information about the dynamics, flow rates and direction of water in aquifers, particularly those vital to arid regions.

Department of Energy taps Argonne to lead effort focused on energy-water systems

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Grant and Award Announcement

Argonne National Laboratory has been selected by the US Department of Energy to lead an Energy Frontier Research Center focused on advanced materials for energy-water systems.

Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences.