The Cyclotron Road program has selected its second cohort of innovators, including researchers working on next-generation batteries, advanced materials, and solar technologies. The new cohort will receive funding and mentorship to develop their technology from Berkeley Lab.
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a method to reduce plant lignin using an enzyme, which could lead to cheaper production of carbon-neutral fuels. The technique decreases lignin content by 30 percent while increasing sugar production in model plants.
Researchers have developed a method to rapidly change electron spins using microwave photons, demonstrating potential for quantum information processing and enhancements in magnetic resonance techniques. The experiment showed an accelerated relaxation of electron spins and the release of a microwave photon in about 1 second.
The Daya Bay Collaboration has captured the most precise energy measurements of reactor antineutrinos, indicating two intriguing discrepancies with theoretical models. The measured energy spectrum shows a surprising excess of antineutrinos at an energy of around 5 million electron volts.
Researchers create nanowire lasers with exceptional brightness and stability, promising breakthroughs in optoelectronics and photonics. The innovative method uses a simple chemical-dipping process to produce self-assembled nanoscale crystals, plates, and wires composed of cesium, lead, and bromine.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have successfully reengineered a building block of a geometric nanocompartment, allowing for the transfer of electrons and enabling new functionalities. The introduction of iron-sulfur clusters expands the potential of nanocompartments as custom-made chemical factories.
Berkeley Lab scientists found that polycrystalline graphene is strong but has low toughness, a property necessary for structural reliability in applications. The researchers developed a statistical model to predict failure in the material, revealing its fracture resistance.
The team demonstrated that a laser pulse can accelerate an electron beam and couple it to a second laser plasma accelerator, achieving higher energy. The solution used two different kinds of LPA, including a discharge capillary and a jet of supersonic gas, and developed a disposable mirror system for staging.
Researchers have observed polar vortices in ferroelectric materials, which could lead to new states of matter and applications in data storage and processing. The discovery was made using scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies.
Berkeley Lab researchers find XPG plays a critical role in maintaining genome stability, raising the possibility that it prevents breast and ovarian cancers. The protein interacts with BRCA1 and BRCA2 to carry out homologous recombination repair.
A new mix of materials eliminates doping, a complex process that degrades performance, to create highly efficient silicon solar cells. The new design enables the creation of high-efficiency solar cells in just seven steps.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab will develop compact free electron lasers for affordable x-ray sources, overcoming current limitations of miles-long facilities costing hundreds of millions of dollars. The project aims to produce portable and high-contrast x-ray imaging with a smaller footprint and lower cost.
Researchers have successfully woven the first three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) from helical organic threads, displaying significant advantages in structural flexibility and reversibility. The woven COFs can be switched between two states of elasticity reversibly without degrading or altering the structure.
The new model simulates light-harvesting across a thylakoid membrane, enabling the explanation of PSII's high quantum efficiency. The research paves the way for improving food crop yields and developing artificial photosynthesis technologies for solar energy systems.
A new study by Gerrit Hansen and Dáithí Stone reveals that almost two-thirds of regional climate impacts can confidently be attributed to human-generated emissions. However, the link for trends in precipitation remains unclear due to insufficient observational data in some regions.
Researchers from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have published a study revealing the key market and system drivers for low-priced solar photovoltaic systems. The analysis finds that low-priced systems are more prevalent in local markets with fewer active installers, and are often customer-owned, lar...
Researchers at Joint BioEnergy Institute developed a high-gravity one-pot process for producing cellulosic ethanol, achieving unprecedented yields while minimizing water use and waste disposal. The process utilizes ionic liquid pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, and yeast fermentation.
The DOE has awarded $220 million for 88 new projects across 14 National Laboratories to deliver new grid concepts, tools, and technologies. Berkeley Lab is leading two projects: the California Distributed Resource Planning and Optimization Platform and Future Utility Regulation.
Berkeley Lab researchers have discovered a technique called spray pyrolysis that can improve the performance of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) cathodes, which are crucial for electric vehicle applications. By controlling surface chemistry, they were able to reduce surface reactivity and increase material stability.
A Berkeley Lab-led team has identified mechanisms that make the new CrMnFeCoNi alloy incredibly tough and strong at room temperature. The alloy's unique nanoscale mechanisms, including crack bridging and three-dimensional stacking fault defects, work together to resist damage.
A new study estimates that state renewable portfolio standard policies yielded significant environmental and economic benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions ($2.2 billion) and air pollution reductions ($5.2 billion). The study also found that RPS policies supported 200,000 renewable energy-related jobs and saved consumers...
Researchers induce self-photosensitization of M. thermoacetica with cadmium sulfide nanoparticles, enabling photosynthesis and synthesis of semiconductor nanoparticles for efficient solar-to-chemical production.
Researchers have visualized the self-assembly of protein facets in bacterial microcompartments, revealing a honeycomb pattern and selective arrangement. The study provides new clues for designing novel compartments or nanoscale architectures, potentially aiding in toxin removal or product production.
A new Berkeley Lab study found that cool roofs in Guangzhou, China, can lower average urban midday temperatures by 1.2 degrees Celsius during heat waves, a 50% increase over typical summer conditions. This reduction in temperature also decreases the intensity of the urban heat island effect.
Berkeley Lab researchers developed a novel glass-polymer hybrid electrolyte that is compliant and conductive at room temperature. The new material shows signs of being compatible with promising next-generation cathode candidates such as sulfur and high-voltage lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide.
Berkeley Lab researchers model hot carrier movement in real-time, distinguishing between plasmon and single particle excitation behaviors. The study shows that 90% of plasmon energy can be converted to single particle energy when excitations are in tune.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley demonstrate record-breaking NMR/MRI signal sensitivity through hyperpolarization of carbon-13 nuclei in diamond. The technique enables orders of magnitude sensitivity enhancement for NMR studies under ambient conditions.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have created a clinically relevant mouse model of human breast cancer, bearing resemblance to the most prevalent form of breast cancer. The model, '184AA3,' will enable testing of therapies for aggressive ER+ breast cancers and studying the biology and etiology of luminal cancers.
LUX scientists have improved the detector's sensitivity for low-mass dark matter particles, enhancing their ability to detect WIMPs. The new calibrations help rule out potential detections at low-mass ranges where other experiments had previously reported results.
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a bidirectional freeze-casting technique to manufacture novel structural materials with high control over structure. The technique, inspired by natural materials like bones and shells, enables the creation of advanced porous materials with outstanding properties.
Two new reports by Berkeley Lab examine future electric industry regulation, utility business models, reliability, affordability and cleaner resources. The first report discusses electric industry structure and regulatory responses in a high distributed energy resources future.
Researchers develop nanoparticles that can carry therapeutics across the brain blood barrier, offering new hope for treating glioblastoma multiforme. The 3HM nanocarriers show promising attributes for treating brain cancers.
A team of appraisers found that home buyers pay a premium for solar homes in six US states, with the average premium being $15,000. The study confirmed earlier research by Berkeley Lab and recommends considering individual market characteristics when valuing solar systems.
A new study by Berkeley Lab researchers has identified genetic factors that influence motor performance and body weight in a genetically diverse group of mice. The findings show significant overlaps with genes related to neurological disorders and obesity in humans, providing a new framework for studying these connections.
Researchers developed a new method to study metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) storing gases, revealing cooperative gas-gas interactions and superlattice structures. The discovery holds promise for designing more efficient MOFs for carbon capture and hydrogen fuels.
Berkeley Lab scientists discovered specific amino acid arrangements in FG Nups proteins enable efficient transport of molecular cargo into and out of the nucleus. These findings have implications for understanding diseases like cancer and infectious disorders.
The Nearby Supernova Factory has developed a new method to measure cosmological distances using 'supernova twins,' which are pairs of supernovae with closely matched spectra. This approach reduces the scatter in brightness dispersion to just 8%, allowing for more accurate measurements and a stronger test of dark energy theory.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab solved the structure of lithium- and manganese-rich transition metal oxides using complementary microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. The study revealed that the material is defected single-phase monoclinic, ruling out two popular theories.
A national effort is proposed to understand and harness the capabilities of Earth's microbial ecosystems. The Unified Microbiome Initiative aims to decipher how microbes interact with each other, their hosts and environment, leading to new antibiotics, obesity-fighting methods, drought-resistant crops and next-gen biofuels.
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed flexible metal-organic frameworks that can store methane efficiently, addressing the low energy density issue with natural gas as a transportation fuel. The new design enables higher usable capacity and internal heat management during adsorption and desorption.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have discovered the structural basis by which bacteria capture and utilize foreign DNA, a crucial step in their adaptive immune system. The study reveals that Cas1 and Cas2 enzymes function as molecular rulers to measure and manipulate foreign DNA.
The Berkeley Lab team is developing electronics that will send data from the scanner's detectors to a computer, converting it into a three-dimensional image of the patient. This new scanner will have half a million detectors, reducing a patient's radiation dose by a factor of 40 and scanning time from 20 minutes to just 30 seconds.
Researchers from Berkeley Lab demonstrate bright excitonic lasing at visible light wavelengths using a monolayer of tungsten disulfide in a microdisk resonator. The technology has potential for high-performance optical communication and computing applications, as well as valleytronic applications.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab discovered unique thermal properties in black phosphorus nanoribbons, with high directional anisotropy in thermal conductivity at temperatures greater than 100K. This finding has implications for designing energy-efficient devices, as the lattice orientation of patterns can affect thermal conductivity.
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have discovered a 'design rule' that enables the creation of peptoid nanosheets, flat structures composed of synthetic polymers. The rule allows for counter-rotating patterns in polymer adhesion, resulting in linear and untwisted backbones and larger, flatter nanosheet structures than those found in nature.
A team of researchers developed a simple model of permafrost carbon based on direct observations. For every one degree Celsius of global warming, the amount of permafrost carbon that enters the atmosphere is equivalent to 1.5 years of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Berkeley Lab's report reveals a 70% decline in PPA prices since 2009, making solar increasingly cost-competitive for utilities. Installed project costs have fallen by over 50%, with median up-front costs dropping from $6.3/W to $3.1/W.
Researchers successfully grew atomically thin 2D sheets of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites from solution, exhibiting efficient photoluminescence, color-tunability, and unique structural relaxation. The ultrathin sheets have square-shaped geometry, high quality crystallinity, and large size, facilitating their integration into futu...
The DOE is investing $10.5 million in CAMERA to develop computational mathematics and algorithms for experimental facilities research. This will help scientists extract useful information from experiments, tackling challenges such as data analysis and image processing.
The DESI Collaboration, led by the U.S. Department of Energy, has achieved a major milestone in its dark energy research project. Using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, DESI will measure the redshifts of over 30 million galaxies and quasars with unprecedented precision.