The Salton Sea geothermal field in California potentially holds enough lithium to meet all of America’s domestic battery needs, with even enough left over to export some of it. But how much of that lithium can be extracted in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way? And how long will the resource last? These are just a few of the questions that researchers hope to answer in a new project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Scientists Discover ‘Secret Sauce’ Behind Exotic Properties of New Quantum Material
Science Snapshots Media Relations •
MIT physicists and colleagues, including scientists from Berkeley Lab, have discovered the “secret sauce” behind the exotic properties of a new quantum material known as a kagome metal.
With a Little Help, New Optical Material Assembles Itself
Feature Story Theresa Duque •
A research team led by Berkeley Lab has demonstrated an optical material that self-assembles from tiny concentric nanocircles. Their work could enable the large-scale manufacturing of nanocomposites for fiberoptic telecommunications systems as well as for buildings, automobiles, and aerospace.
Technique Tunes Into Graphene Nanoribbons’ Electronic Potential
News Release [email protected] •
Researchers at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have discovered how to directly measure the unique magnetic properties of superthin graphene nanoribbons. The breakthrough could lead to high-speed, low-power nanoscale data storage technologies.
New Technique Visualizes Every Pigment Cell of Zebrafish in 3D
Science Snapshots Theresa Duque •
A new technique images every pigment cell of a whole zebrafish in 3D. The work could lead to new insight into melanin’s role in skin cancer.
New Device Advances Commercial Viability of Solar Fuels
News Release Theresa Duque •
A research team has developed a new artificial photosynthesis device component with remarkable stability and longevity as it selectively converts sunlight and carbon dioxide into two promising sources of renewable fuels – ethylene and hydrogen.
New Smart-Roof Coating Enables Year-Round Energy Savings
News Release Theresa Duque •
Scientists have developed an all-season smart-roof coating that keeps homes warm during the winter and cool during the summer – without consuming natural gas or electricity. Research findings point to a groundbreaking technology that outperforms commercial cool-roof systems in energy savings.
These Tiny Liquid Robots Never Run Out of Juice as Long as They Have Food
News Release Theresa Duque •
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have demonstrated the first self-powered, aqueous robot that runs continuously without electricity. The technology has potential as an automated chemical synthesis or drug delivery system for pharmaceuticals.
How Can Next-Gen Computer Chips Reduce Our Carbon Footprint?
Feature Story Theresa Duque •
Berkeley Lab scientists Maurice Garcia-Sciveres and Ramamoorthy Ramesh discuss how future microchips could perform better – and require less energy – than silicon. Over the next three years, they will lead two of the 10 projects recently awarded nearly $54 million by the Department of Energy to increase energy efficiency in microelectronics design and production.
Chloro-phylling in the Answers to Big Questions
Feature Story Aliyah Kovner •
Photosynthesis – the enzyme-based process of converting carbon dioxide into food, using water and sunlight – is literally the foundation of life on Earth, and understanding the reaction at an atomic level could lead to vast production of renewable fuels made from greenhouse gases sucked out of the air. A Berkeley Lab team has been uncovering precise, step-by-step details of photosynthesis for years. We spoke to two members, co-lead author and senior scientist Vittal Yachandra and co-first author and postdoctoral researcher Philipp Simon, about their latest study, shooting stuff with lasers, and why they chose this field.