Scientists have discovered a novel chemical state, first proposed about 90 years ago, that enables a high-performance, low-cost sodium-ion battery. The battery could quickly and efficiently store and distribute energy produced by solar panels and wind turbines across the electrical grid.
Imaging Flexible DNA ‘Building Blocks’ in 3-D
A team of researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) and Ohio State University have generated 3-D images from 129 individual molecules of flexible DNA origami particles. Their work provides the first experimental verification of the theoretical model of DNA origami.
Scientists Discover ‘Chiral Phonons’ – Atomic Rotations in a 2-D Semiconductor Crystal
A research team has found the first evidence that a shaking motion in the structure of an atomically thin material possesses a naturally occurring circular rotation that could become the building block for a new form of information technology and molecular-scale machines.
X-Ray Experiments Suggest High Tunability of 2-D Material
Researchers used MAESTRO, an X-ray platform at Berkeley Lab, to zero in on signatures of exotic electronic behavior in a 2-D material. They found that the material may be highly tunable, with potential applications in spintronics and other emerging fields.
New Discovery Could Improve Organic Solar Cell Performance
Scientists who are members of a new energy materials-related science center based at Berkeley Lab have solved a mystery that could lead to gains in efficiency for organic solar cells.
Scientists Discover Material Ideal for Smart Photovoltaic Windows
A photovoltaic glass that is also reversibly thermochromic is a green technology researchers have long worked toward, and now, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have demonstrated a way to make it work.
Coupling Experiments to Theory to Build a Better Battery
A Berkeley Lab-led team of researchers has reported that a new lithium-sulfur battery component allows a doubling in capacity compared to a conventional lithium-sulfur battery, even after more than 100 charge cycles.
X-Rays Reveal ‘Handedness’ in Swirling Electric Vortices
Scientists used spiraling X-rays at Berkeley Lab to observe, for the first time, a property that gives left- or right-handedness to swirling electric patterns – dubbed polar vortices – in a layered material called a superlattice.
Ingredients for Life Revealed in Meteorites That Fell to Earth
A detailed study of blue salt crystals found in two meteorites that crashed to Earth – which included X-ray experiments at Berkeley Lab – found that they contain both liquid water and a mix of complex organic compounds including hydrocarbons and amino acids.
Berkeley Lab Researchers ID Plant ‘Sunscreen’ Protein
Berkeley Lab researchers have identified a protein that protects plants from damage caused by too much light energy. They found that plants with deficient levels of the lipocalin protein, found in chloroplasts, are less able to dissipate excess light energy.
