Making materials more durable through science

Researchers develop molecule that reduces wear and tear

01-Sep-2023 - A team at Sandia National Laboratories developed a molecule that helps change the way some materials react to temperature fluctuations, which makes them more durable. It’s an application that could be used in everything from plastic phone cases to missiles. Polymers, which include various forms ...

Machine learning takes materials modeling into new era

Deep learning approach enables accurate electronic structure calculations at large scales

11-Jul-2023 - The arrangement of electrons in matter, known as the electronic structure, plays a crucial role in fundamental but also applied research such as drug design and energy storage. However, the lack of a simulation technique that offers both high fidelity and scalability across different time and ...

The hidden culprit killing lithium-metal batteries from the inside

First-of-their-kind snapshots reveal byproduct crippling powerful, experimental cells

16-Jul-2021 - For decades, scientists have tried to make reliable lithium-metal batteries. These high-performance storage cells hold 50% more energy than their prolific, lithium-ion cousins, but higher failure rates and safety problems like fires and explosions have crippled commercialization efforts. ...

From smoky skies to a green horizon: Scientists convert fire-risk wood waste into biofuel

A simplified new process transforms wood waste from agriculture and forest management into ethanol

20-Apr-2021 - Reliance on petroleum fuels and raging wildfires: Two separate, large-scale challenges that could be addressed by one scientific breakthrough. Teams from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Sandia National Laboratories have collaborated to develop a streamlined and efficient ...

The most wear-resistant metal alloy in the world

17-Aug-2018 - If you're ever unlucky enough to have a car with metal tires, you might consider a set made from a new alloy engineered at Sandia National Laboratories. You could skid -- not drive, skid -- around the Earth's equator 500 times before wearing out the tread. Sandia's materials science team has ...

A splash of detergent makes catalytic compounds more powerful

05-Jun-2018 - Researcher David Rosenberg examines images of a white powder under a powerful scanning electron microscope. Up close, the powder looks like coarse gravel, a heap of similar but irregular chunks. Then he looks at a second image — the same material produced by colleague Hongyou Fan instead of ...

Superior hydrogen catalyst just grows that way

06-Dec-2017 - Replacing your everyday gas guzzler with a hydrogen fueled car could drastically reduce your carbon footprint. So why don't we all make the switch? One of reasons we don't is the expensive platinum catalyst required to operate hydrogen fuel cells efficiently. Research led by Sandia National ...

Reducing power plants' freshwater consumption with new silica filters

20-Oct-2017 - Power plants draw more freshwater than any other consumer in the United States, accounting for more than 50 percent of the nation's freshwater use at about 500 billion gallons daily. To help save this water, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a new silica filter for power ...

Beating the heat with nanoparticle films

04-Sep-2017 - It is a truth acknowledged throughout much of the world, that a car sitting in the sun on a summer's day must be sweltering. However, a partnership between Sandia National Laboratories and Santa Fe, New Mexico-based IR Dynamics may soon challenge that truth. Together they are turning nano-size ...

Clean water that's 'just right' with Sandia sensor solution

13-Jul-2017 - Water utilities have a Goldilocks problem: If they don't add enough chlorine, nasty bacteria that cause typhoid and cholera survive the purification process. Too much chlorine produces disinfection byproducts such as chloroform, which increase cancer risks. The amount of chlorine needs to be ...