A team of researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Ames National Laboratory developed a magnetocaloric heat pump that matches current vapor-compression technology in terms of weight, cost, and performance. The device eliminates refrigerant emissions and requires less energy to operate, offering a promising alternative for cooling...
Researchers from Ames National Laboratory identified miassite, a rare mineral, as an unconventional superconductor with properties similar to high-temperature superconductors. The discovery could lead to more sustainable and economical technology using this type of superconductivity.
A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory developed a new machine learning model that predicts Curie temperatures of new material combinations. This breakthrough discovery is crucial for designing high-performance magnets with reduced critical materials.
Researchers developed a unique approach to predict metal ductility using quantum mechanics, filling the need for an inexpensive and efficient method. The new approach was tested on refractory multi-principal-element alloys and showed robust results, confirming its effectiveness in distinguishing between ductile and brittle materials.
A team from Ames National Laboratory solved the structure of boron monoxide, a compound first discovered in the 1940s, using new nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods and techniques. The researchers found that the material forms nanosheets with a turbostratic arrangement.
A team of researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery about the magnetic interactions in TbMn6Sn6, a Kagome layered topological magnet. At intermediate temperatures, both uniaxial and isotropic terbium ions exist, with the population of spherical terbium increasing as temperature rises.
Researchers used a terahertz scanning near-field optical microscope to visualize the interface and connectivity of a nano Josephson Junction. The tool revealed a defective boundary in the junction that causes disruption in conductivity, posing a challenge for producing long coherence times needed for quantum computation.
Researchers found that introducing magnetic defects into topological insulators leads to competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions, which control the material's magnetic order. This discovery could have significant implications for reducing energy footprints in computing and electricity transmission.
Scientists developed a custom microscopy insert for a cryostat to operate the terahertz microscope at extreme environments. This enabled examination of superconductors and topological semimetals, crucial for quantum computing technology development.
A new zirconia-based catalyst can break down polyolefin plastics into new, useful products, reducing plastic waste and recovering value. The catalyst is made of earth-abundant materials and demonstrates high selectivity and activity.
Researchers developed a new catalyst that transforms hydrocarbons into higher-value chemicals, making materials easier to recycle and biodegrade. The catalyst introduces functional groups into aliphatic hydrocarbons, affecting their properties and making them recyclable.
A new hybrid catalyst converts CO2 into ethylene in one pot, using abundant earth materials. The catalyst achieves high efficiency in CO2 reduction to CO, with up to 60% conversion rate to ethylene.
Researchers used a terahertz scanning probe microscope to investigate Methylammonium Lead Iodide perovskite, a potential alternative to silicon in solar cells. The team found significant variation in light scattering along grain boundaries, shedding light on the material's degradation issue.
Researchers developed a new method to manufacture manganese bismuth (MnBi) magnets using microstructure engineering. The process resulted in increased coercivity and reduced magnetization, making it suitable for high-power permanent magnets.
Scientists develop a colloidal synthesis method for alkaline earth chalcogenides, allowing control over nanocrystal size and surface chemistry. This enables the creation of more sustainable and environmentally friendly materials with potential applications in solar panels, LEDs, and bioimaging.
Scientists have discovered new magnetic interactions in TbMn6Sn6, a Kagome layered topological magnet, which could be used to customize electron flow and reduce energy loss. The material's unique structure and electronic band structure make it an ideal candidate for quantum computing, magnetic storage media, and high-precision sensors.
A team of researchers has developed a unique catalyst that breaks down plastics into valuable molecules at an increased rate without sacrificing desirable product chains. The catalyst's activity and selectivity can be independently controlled, allowing for faster and more efficient plastic upcycling processes.
Researchers have discovered a new type of Fermi arc that appears at low temperatures when the material becomes antiferromagnetic, offering a new path for electronics based on electron spins. The arcs can be switched on and off quickly by applying a magnetic pulse, potentially leading to more efficient information technology.
Researchers developed an AI-powered model to assess rare-earth compound stability, leveraging machine learning and high-throughput density-functional theory. This framework has far-reaching applications in materials science, including designing new compounds for clean energy technologies and optimizing magnetic properties.
A new catalyst developed by researchers extracts hydrogen from liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) easily and efficiently. The breakthrough offers a promising solution to adopting hydrogen fuel for transportation, addressing a long-standing challenge.
Researchers have identified a complex alloy system that can be strengthened and made more ductile using quantum-mechanical modeling. This breakthrough may lead to more efficient engines, lowering fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation industry.
Researchers at iCOUP have developed a chemical process that breaks down polyolefins into valuable biodegradable chemicals. These chemicals can be used as surfactants, detergents, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastics.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory observe complex helical magnetic ordering in EuIn2As2, a topological compound that supports exotic electrical conduction. The discovery has significant implications for functional topological properties and may lead to advanced technology applications.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have developed a new method to break down polystyrene waste in a single step, at room temperature, and without harmful solvents. The process involves ball-milling, which generates free radicals that enable the extraction of monomeric styrene from the oligomeric radical-bearing species formed.
Scientists have discovered a new light-induced switch that twists the crystal lattice, enabling giant electron currents with nearly zero dissipation. This discovery holds promise for spintronics, topological effect transistors, and quantum computing.
Computational materials scientists at Ames Laboratory have created an algorithm that uses a hybrid approach inspired by cuckoo birds' nesting habits to find novel high-entropy alloys. The new method significantly reduces the search time for these materials, which are highly sought after for their unique properties and applications.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory discovered a correlation between broad diffraction patterns and high-quality graphene, challenging conventional wisdom. The discovery has implications for reliable quality control of 2D materials in manufacturing environments.
A team of scientists has developed a first-of-its-kind catalyst that can process polyolefin plastics and produce fuels, solvents, and lubricating oils. The process uses nanoparticle technology and mimics the natural processes by which enzymes break apart macromolecules.
Scientists have discovered a metal-free carbon-based catalyst with potential to transform chemical manufacturing, enabling more efficient reactions without expensive transition metals. The catalysts are robust and deliver unexpected catalytic reactions for various processes including hydrogenolysis, dehydrogenation, and hydrogenation.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory developed a new approach to generating layered, difficult-to-combine heterostructured solids. By smashing pristine materials together through ball milling, they created unique three-dimensional misfit hetero assemblies with distinct electronic and magnetic properties.
Researchers have made a breakthrough discovery that could help establish optically controlled quantum computation by using light to steer quantum states in a Dirac semimetal. This new mechanism enables the creation of topological transistors and quantum computing devices with high speed and low energy consumption.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have experimentally proven the presence of the Rashba effect in bulk organometallic halide perovskites using terahertz light bursts. This discovery settles the long-standing debate about the effect's existence, offering significant advancements for spintronic and photovoltaic applications.
Researchers discovered that applying vibrational motion in a periodic manner can prevent dissipations of desired electron states, making topological materials promising for technological applications. This approach, called dynamic stabilization, enhances protected topological states, enabling longer-lived electronic excitations.
Scientists have combined multiple measurements of quantum materials into one, discovering a new way to measure their behavior. This breakthrough allows for the control and manipulation of these materials for possible applications in technology such as quantum computing.
Scientists at DOE/Ames National Laboratory have found a broad diffraction pattern in high-quality graphene samples, indicating defect-free and uniform layers of atoms. This discovery enables the reliable identification of structurally perfect graphene, a crucial step towards optimizing its properties for various applications.
Researchers found that rapidly cooled copper-based shape memory alloys performed better than slowly cooled samples due to the formation of nickel-rich dots. This discovery could lead to more energy-efficient HVAC and refrigeration systems using heat pumping technology.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have identified orbital-moment quenching as a tool to enhance magnetization and magnetic anisotropy in samarium-cobalt magnets, potentially leading to improved performance and high-temperature durability.
Researchers used DNP-NMR to elucidate the atomic-scale location and distribution of functional groups on MSN surfaces, disproving existing notions of synthetic strategies. This breakthrough provides mechanistic insight for guiding MSN synthesis in a more controlled way.
A new layered ferromagnetic semiconductor material has been discovered, which holds great promise for electronic technologies. The material, made of vanadium and iodine, exhibits spin-dependent electronic properties, allowing for additional control over currents flowing through it.
Researchers at DOE's Ames Laboratory developed a new microscopy approach to image gel nanocomposites in their natural state, providing insights into their assembly and properties. The technique allows for the observation of nanoparticles within gels, which shows promise in creating materials with unique optical properties.
Scientists have developed a model for predicting nanocrystal shapes when sandwiched between graphene layers. The research uses scanning tunneling microscopy and theoretical modeling to explain the data, showing that the top layer of graphene resists upward pressure from growing metal islands, flattening them.
Researchers tracked platinum and tin atom movement during iNPs synthesis, discovering intermediate phases with unique catalytic properties. This discovery enables control over material synthesis and potential applications in energy-efficient fuel conversion and biofuel production.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have stabilized skyrmions without an external magnetic field, observing their behavior over time, temperature, and magnetic field. This breakthrough provides a solid foundation for theorists to better understand the phenomenon.
A team of researchers has discovered a long-lived new state of matter in an iron pnictide superconductor, which reveals collective behaviors that compete with superconductivity. The discovery was made using laser-induced spectroscopy techniques, allowing for real-time observation of electron pairings and fluctuations.
Researchers have successfully created complex multi-principle element transition metal dichalcogenides with unique quantum phenomena. By combining layered TMDCs using ball-milling and reactive fusion, they have demonstrated the possibility of forming 3D-heterostructured architectures with tunable properties.
Scientists at Ames Laboratory have discovered a new quantum criticality in a superconducting material, exhibiting a hedgehog spin-vortex crystal antiferromagnetic state without nematic transitions. This finding suggests that spin fluctuations are the primary driver of superconductivity.
Researchers have developed a method to measure magnetic properties of superconducting materials at extremely low temperatures and high magnetic fields.
The Critical Materials Institute has made a breakthrough in printing aligned anisotropic magnets using additive manufacturing. By applying magnetic alignment, researchers were able to improve the magnetic performance of the magnets without using more critical rare earth materials.
Researchers computationally predicted unique properties, including room-temperature super-elasticity, in iron arsenide materials. The material's structure collapsed noticeably under pressure, with atomic structures near the calcium and potassium layers collapsing first.
Scientists at Ames Laboratory have discovered a rare-earth intermetallic with an unusual magnetoelastic transition that displays a sharp magnetic phase change, giant magnetocaloric effect, and no hysteresis. This discovery has the potential to lead to the development of new materials for applications like magnetic refrigeration.