Unlocking the potential of lithium-sulfur batteries

Researchers develop electrolyte additives for enhanced energy storage: “Synchrotron techniques provide powerful tools for characterizing battery materials”

15-Jan-2025 - Lithium-ion (Li-ion)batteriesare an integral part of society, from cellphones and laptops to electric vehicles. While Li-ion batteries have been a major success to date, scientists worldwide are racing to design even better​“beyond Li-ion” batteries in the shift toward a more electrified ...

A new way to gauge the growth of nanowires

21-Mar-2018 - In a new study, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne and Brookhaven National Laboratories observed the formation of two kinds of defects in individual nanowires, which are smaller in diameter than a human hair. These nanowires, made of indium gallium arsenide, could be ...

Turning up the heat for perfect (nano)diamonds

15-Feb-2017 - Quantum mechanics, the physics that governs nature at the atomic and subatomic scale, contains a host of new physical phenomena to explore quantum states at the nanoscale. Though tricky, there are ways to exploit these inherently fragile and sensitive systems for quantum sensing. One nascent ...

Tasty fat: X-rays finding the blueprint of why fat is yummy

31-May-2016 - Fat free ice cream, for all its healthy merits, melts the wrong way. Two seconds on the tongue and it's a slush of milk, flavoring and water instead of the rich glob of slowly melting cream we grew to love as kids. When it comes to taste memories, fats are forever. Now X-ray science is ...

One direction: Researchers grow nanocircuitry with semiconducting graphene nanoribbons

15-Oct-2015 - In a development that could revolutionize electronic ciruitry, a research team from the University of Wisconsin at Madison (UW) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory has confirmed a new way to control the growth paths of graphene nanoribbons on the surface of a germainum ...

Elemental and magnetic imaging using X-rays and a microscope

15-Jun-2012 - A team of researchers has developed a new microscope that can image the elemental and magnetic properties of a wide range of energy-important materials that are used in devices such as solar cells and solid-state lighting. The imager is based on a technique known as X-ray excited luminescence ...

Argonne scientists reveal secret of nanoparticle crystallization in real time

19-May-2010 - A collaboration between the Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials at U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has "seen" the crystallization of nanoparticles in unprecedented detail. “Nanoscience is a hot issue right now, and people are trying to create ...

Argonne dedicates new microscopy facility at Center for Nanoscale Materials

Research may lead to energy efficient engines, advanced medical therapy

26-Oct-2009 - The Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory dedicated its new scanning probing microscopy building recently during its annual users conference. The new building will house a new scanning probe microscope that measures ...

Argonne, University of Chicago scientists develop targeted cancer treatment using nanomaterials

Nano-bio material kills cancer cells, leaves healthy cells in unharmed

21-Aug-2009 - Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago's Brain Tumor Center have developed a way to target brain cancer cells using inorganic titanium dioxide nanoparticles bonded to soft biological material. Thousands of people die from ...

Argonne scientists discover networks of metal nanoparticles are culprits in alloy corrosion

New alloy composition could cut costs for petrochemical industry

06-Aug-2008 - Oxide scales are supposed to protect alloys from extensive corrosion, but scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have discovered metal nanoparticle chinks in this armor. Oxide scales develop on the outer surface of alloys at high temperatures creating a protective ...