Physicists discovered that charge density waves (CDW) compete with superconductivity for conduction electrons, but also assist through phonon coupling. At a certain threshold level of disorder, CDW disappears and superconducting transition temperature is reduced.
The Center for the Advancement of Topological Semimetals (CATS) will bring together researchers from top institutions to explore the potential impact of topological semimetals in mid-infrared photodetection and spintronics. The center will train young researchers to lead the discovery and development of quantum properties of matter.
Physicists at Ames Laboratory successfully mapped the spatial distribution of the Meissner effect, a hallmark signature of true superconductors. The technique used nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond to measure magnetic fields with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have developed a CaloriSMART test system that demonstrates sustained cooling power of about 10 watts, with a 15 degree Celsius gradient, using only three cubic centimeters of gadolinium. The system enables rapid evaluation of materials in regenerators without significant investment.
A research team led by Tanya Prozorov has demonstrated the first high-resolution mapping of magnetic fields in bacterial cells and magnetic nano-objects in liquid. This capability has vast potential for scientific breakthroughs in physics, nanotechnology, biofuels conversion, biomedical engineering, catalysis, batteries, and pharmacology.
Scientists have discovered a new process to layer metals under graphite, leading to unique mesas with potential applications in quantum computing and sensing. The formation of these structures could enable controlled magnetic and electronic properties.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have discovered a metallic material, CaCo1.86As2, with a perfectly frustrated magnetic state that persists even at low temperatures. This finding offers a new pathway for studying frustrated magnets and their potential applications in quantum computing and high-temperature superconductivity.
A US Department of Energy laboratory has developed a one-step 3D printing method for creating catalysts, which could lead to more efficient chemical reactions and improved industrial processes. The new technique uses inexpensive commercial printers to create structures with built-in catalytic properties.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory and UConn have discovered a material with extraordinary 'bounce' or super-elastic shape-memory properties, exceeding 13% recoverable strain. This breakthrough could lead to innovative applications in outer space and other harsh environments.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory has received funding to commercialize a gas atomization nozzle design for producing metal powders with customizable sizes and improved quality. The funding will support the adaptation of this technology in industrial manufacturing processes.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have successfully decomposed lignin into stable components using a phosphate-modified ceria catalyst, producing useful industrial precursors for nylon production. The process eliminates the need for hydrogen from natural gas and uses an energy-conserving alcohol-based hydrogenation process.
Researchers successfully manipulated graphene's electronic structure to create faster and more reliable transistors. The work guides the use of rare-earth metal ions to modify graphene's band gap, enabling new applications in spintronics.
By introducing small amounts of scandium, researchers have discovered an unexpected way to strengthen magnetism in rare earth alloys, transforming it into ferromagnetism. This breakthrough could lead to new tools for controlling and manipulating magnetic materials.
Ames Laboratory scientists are developing low-dimensional nanomaterials to enhance the performance of solar cells, TV displays, and computer technology. The goal is to broaden the science of these materials and explore their properties.
Researchers created uniform 3.2 nm platinum-zinc particles with twice the catalytic activity per surface site, outperforming larger particles containing the same amount of platinum.
Researchers discovered a new iron arsenide superconductor, CaKFe4As4, with a high superconducting temperature of 35K without dopants, questioning established theories. The material's pristine samples allowed for accurate measurements of the superconducting gap, contradicting previous models.
Researchers have successfully created the first intermetallic double salt with platinum, Cesium Platinide Hydride (4Cs2Pt?CsH), which exhibits a translucent ruby red crystal structure. The compound is highly unstable and can only exist in an inert environment, similar to outer space conditions.
Ames Laboratory scientists investigated the properties of iron-based superconducting materials, finding that transition temperature and magnetic field penetration depth depend on composition and disorder. The study provides new knowledge on unconventional superconductivity and will aid in discovering high-temperature superconductors.
A team of scientists at Ames Laboratory will develop a subdiffraction Raman imaging platform to analyze plant cell walls' chemical structures. This will enable better understanding of how to convert plant material into biofuels.
Recent perovskite research by Ames Laboratory scientist Javier Vela reveals enhanced thermal and moisture stability, as well as tunable light absorption, in mixed-halide perovskites. This breakthrough may lead to more efficient solar cells and LEDs.
Researchers have discovered a new type of Weyl semimetal, enabling the study of elusive Weyl fermions. The material, created by combining ARPES and modelling techniques, exhibits unusual transport properties.
Researchers Iver Anderson and Emma White at Ames Laboratory are awarded a grant to test the performance of Alnico magnets in advanced drive motors. They aim to reduce materials cost, cooling needs, and magnet-processing costs.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have found a charge density wave in purple bronze that could enable new high-temperature superconducting materials. The unusual phenomenon has been observed at temperatures as high as 220K and is accompanied by significant increases in the energy gap.
Physicists at Ames Laboratory have discovered a topological metal, PtSn4, with a high density of conduction electrons and large number of closely positioned Dirac points. This discovery may lead to energy-efficient computers with increased processor speeds and data storage.
Scientists at Ames Laboratory will contribute to LightMAT through three core capabilities: powder processing, pilot-scale materials processing, and theoretical alloy development. These efforts aim to develop lighter materials for industries such as transportation, with the goal of improving energy savings and reducing costs.
Researchers found that by-product metals and minerals are indeed more price volatile than commodity materials, with a 50% increase in volatility over the past 50 years. However, monthly price data showed mixed evidence, which may be attributed to smaller transaction volumes and unchanged published prices for several months at a time.
William Robin Lindemann, a senior at Iowa State University, has been awarded a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for his work in materials science and engineering. The fellowship provides three years of financial support to pursue a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering.
Scientists at Ames Laboratory have created a new magnetic alloy using cerium instead of dysprosium, which is scarce and expensive. The alloy demonstrates comparable properties to traditional magnets and could be used in high-performance applications such as wind turbines and automobile engines.
A new chemical process utilizing cerium-based nanometer-sized particles with a palladium catalyst produces cyclohexanone, a key ingredient in nylon production. This method replaces high-temperature and pressure traditional methods, requiring less hydrogen and energy, significantly improving the manufacturing process.
Scientists have developed a two-step recovery process to recycle rare-earth metals from old electronics, making it easier and more cost-effective. The new process uses liquid metal extraction and vacuum distillation to recover valuable rare earths like neodymium and dysprosium.
Scientists developed a deeper understanding of ideal mesoporous nanoparticle design to maximize catalytic output. They modeled molecular movement within narrow channels and found that the optimal channel diameter balances pore size with reactant and product passage.
Scientists at Ames Laboratory have developed a nanoparticle that can perform two processing functions at once for green diesel production. Using iron as the catalyst reduces costs and improves efficiency, making it a promising alternative to traditional biodiesel production methods.
Scientists at Ames Laboratory have observed magnetic properties typically associated with rare-earth elements in iron, when positioned between two nitrogen atoms. This discovery opens the possibility of using iron to provide both magnetism and permanence in high-strength permanent magnets.
Scientists at the Ames Laboratory used ultra-fast laser spectroscopy to examine the electronic properties of iron-based superconductors, finding evidence of an electronically-driven nematic order. This breakthrough sheds light on the transition from normal to superconducting states and holds potential for advancing energy technologies.
Karl Gschneidner, known as 'Mr. Rare Earth,' has been awarded the Materials and Society Award for his groundbreaking research on rare earths, essential ingredients in clean-energy technologies. His work has led to innovative solutions, including magnetic cooling devices with significant energy and environmental benefits.
Anderson's work on powder metallurgy and rapid solidification has led to the development of innovative materials, including rare earth compounds, magnetic materials, and lightweight porous materials. He is recognized for his ability to address both scientific and technical challenges and bring new materials to commercial use.
Researchers at the Ames Laboratory have developed a new method to generate broadband terahertz waves using metamaterials. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize fields such as non-invasive imaging and sensing, as well as high-speed information communication, processing, and storage.
Researchers have discovered a new explanation for the strange behavior of the compound LaCoO3, which loses magnetism at lower temperatures but becomes magnetic as temperature rises. A rhombohedral distortion in its lattice structure is key to understanding this phenomenon.
Researchers found a unique arrangement of spin glass behavior in these new quasicrystals, which is distinct from the magnetic ordering seen in crystalline structures. The discovery provides insight into magnetism in complex environments and opens up new avenues for studying rare-earth quasicrystals.
Physicists found that changes in electrical resistivity depend on compound composition and can change sign, indicating an intimate connection between magnetism and superconductivity. The study uses single crystals and liquid helium to measure properties in the coexistence region, shedding light on iron-based superconductors.
Researchers have discovered a new way to switch magnetism using short laser pulses, achieving speeds of quadrillionths of a second. This breakthrough potentially opens the door to faster memory and logic device speeds, exceeding current gigahertz limits.
Scientists at Ames Laboratory have discovered new ways to use a well-known polymer in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), eliminating the need for an increasingly problematic metal-oxide. The researchers' findings show that PEDOT:PSS OLEDs are at least 44% more efficient and flexible than traditional ITO-based devices.
Scientists at Ames Laboratory successfully remove neodymium and other rare earths from commercial magnets, maintaining useful properties. The new process aims to produce high-purity alloys for future applications.
Researchers found local configurations of atoms that tend towards a more ordered structure compared to looking at the whole structure. The underlying order in metallic glasses may hold the key to creating new alloys with specific properties.
A team of researchers at Ames Laboratory has solved a century-old debate over the Fenton reaction, determining that it depends on pH levels. The discovery opens up possibilities for new uses of the reaction in wastewater treatment and industrial oxidations.
Researchers have developed a new mass spectrometry technique that allows for the mapping of metabolites in plant material at the single cell level. This breakthrough provides unprecedented insights into plant biological processes and has significant potential for advancing biofuels research and crop genetics.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory found that magnetism helps or is responsible for superconductivity in iron-based superconductors. By measuring the London penetration depth, they revealed basic information about the material's behavior in the superconducting state.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory have designed a method to evaluate different conductors for use in metamaterial structures. The team evaluated various conducting materials, including graphene and high-temperature superconductors, but found that silver and gold remain the best conductors for use in metamaterials.
Researchers at Ames Laboratory overcome major hurdle in quantum information processing by decoupling individual qubits from their environment. This breakthrough enables robust quantum computation with solid-state devices, promising faster and more precise processing than classical computers.
Researchers have found a new type of defect in quasicrystals that extends beyond the surface and into the bulk. This discovery sheds light on the relationship between surface and bulk defects in materials, which is crucial for understanding the strength and properties of nanostructures.