Helping companies improve energy efficiency through high performance computing

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory with $600,000 in federal funding to work on two new projects that will advance cutting edge manufacturing and clean energy technologies.

Powered by artificial intelligence, Argonne technology eyes bird activity at solar facilities

The World Health Organization says monkeypox is a global health emergency. Scientists use ultrabright X-ray beams and diffraction imagery to understand how poxviruses behave. This can accelerate development of critical vaccines and treatments for monkeypox and other poxviruses.

Secrets from space: Advanced Photon Source helps illuminate the journey of a 4 billion-year-old asteroid

An international collaboration of scientists has published results of their studies into the makeup and history of asteroid 163173 Ryugu. These results tell us more about the formation of our solar system and the history of this nearby neighbor.

New cathode design solves major barrier to better lithium-ion batteries

New method for preparing cathode materials eliminates stumbling block to better lithium-ion batteries. New structure for cathode particles could lead to new generation of longer-lasting and safer batteries able to power vehicles for longer driving ranges.

Machine learning program for games inspires development of groundbreaking scientific tool

Scientists have developed a groundbreaking AI-based algorithm for modeling the properties of materials at the atomic and molecular scale. It should greatly speed up materials discovery.

Lowering the temperature on a hot topic: a climate change primer

Earth Day presents a good opportunity to help clear up some essential questions about climate change; what it is, what is responsible and how we know it’s real.

Preparing for exascale: Argonne’s Aurora supercomputer to drive brain map construction

Argonne researchers are mapping the complex tangle of the brain’s connections — a connectome — by developing applications that will find their stride in the advent of exascale computing.

Space odyssey: Argonne scientists among the first to study asteroid fragments

Argonne scientists at the Advanced Photon Source are among the first to study tiny fragments of near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu, collected by a Japanese space mission. These fragments could tell us long-hidden secrets about how our planet and solar system were formed.

Just by changing its shape, Argonne scientists show they can alter material properties

Argonne scientists have observed that when the shape of a thin film of metal oxide known as titania is confined at the mesoscale, its conductivity increases. This finding demonstrates that nanoscale confinement is a way to control quantum effects.

Pivotal discovery of nanomaterial for LEDs

Perovskite nanocrystals have been prime candidates as a new material for LEDs but have proved unstable on testing. Scientists have discovered a method for stabilizing them, which have applications for consumer electronics, detectors and medical imaging.

Bringing discoveries to light: X-ray science at Argonne

The Advanced Photon Source allows an intricate view of everything from proteins to nuclear fuel. With a planned upgrade, it will become even more powerful.

Automatically Steering Experiments Toward Scientific Discovery

Scientists at Brookhaven and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories have been developing an automated experimental setup of data collection, analysis, and decision making.

Scientists repurpose cancer and seizure medications to aid in the fight against COVID-19

Two teams of researchers using the Advanced Photon Source identified existing drugs — one used to treat cancer, the other an anti-seizure medication — that may work as treatments for COVID-19.

Liquid-like motion in crystals could explain their promising behavior in solar cells

Scientists studied the inner workings of a solar cell material using X-ray and neutron scattering. The study revealed that liquid-like motion in the material may be responsible for their high efficiency in producing electric currents from solar energy.

Unlocking the secrets of Earth’s early atmosphere

Research partly conducted at the Advanced Photon Source helped scientists discover the composition of Earth’s first atmosphere. What they found raises questions about the origin of life on Earth.

Preparing for exascale: Aurora supercomputer to help scientists visualize the spread of cancer

In advance of Argonne’s Aurora exascale supercomputer, Duke University assistant professor Amanda Randles is leading a new study to analyze cancer metastasis using HARVEY, a code that simulates blood vessels within the human body.

Tiny raindrops pose big challenges: Argonne researchers improve climate models, prediction of climate change

Drizzle in marine clouds is a key parameter for achieving more accurate climate predictions. Argonne developed novel techniques to retrieve drizzle properties and will expand its research to the aerosol impact on clouds and precipitation.

Sneak preview: New platform allows scientists to explore research environments virtually

The Department of Energy pledged $1.68 million to Argonne National Laboratory over three years so it can create a virtual platform or digital twin that will allow experimentalists to explore their proposed studies prior to visiting the labs.

Seeing schizophrenia: X-rays shed light on neural differences, point toward treatment

An international research team used the ultrabright X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source to examine neurons in the brains of schizophrenia patients. What they learned may help neurologists treat this harmful brain disorder.

How Argonne is working to power a clean energy revolution

A growing global population will need energy from a range of sources. Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have been pioneering solutions for 75 years.

Worth their salt: New battery anodes use salt for energy, stability

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of California San Diego have discovered that a material that looks geometrically similar to rock salt could be an interesting candidate for lithium battery anodes that would be used in fast charging applications.

Inside the battery in 3D: Powerful X-rays watch solid state batteries charging and discharging

Using high-speed X-ray tomography, researchers captured images of solid-state batteries in operation and gained new insights that may improve their efficiency.

National laboratories’ magnet designers look to the future of light sources with new prototype

After more than 15 years of work, scientists at three DOE national laboratories have succeeded in creating and testing an advanced, more powerful superconducting magnet made of niobium and tin for use in the next generation of light sources.

Mira’s Last Journey: exploring the dark universe

Scientists used a supercomputer to perform one of the five largest cosmological simulations ever — the Last Journey. This simulation will provide crucial data for sky maps to aid leading cosmological experiments.

Better together: Scientists discover far-reaching applications of nanoparticles made of multiple elements

As catalysts for fuel cells, batteries and processes for carbon dioxide reduction, alloy nanoparticles that are made up of five or more elements are shown to be more stable and durable than single-element nanoparticles.

The high-tech evolution of scientific computing: A slight return

To leverage emerging computing capabilities and prepare for future exascale systems, the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is expanding its scope beyond traditional simulation-based research to include data science and machine learning approaches.

High-precision electrochemistry: The new gold standard in fuel cell catalyst development

As part of an international collaboration, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have made a pivotal discovery that could extend the lifetime of fuel cells that power electric vehicles by eliminating the dissolution of platinum catalysts.

Redesigning lithium-ion battery anodes for better performance

In a new study, a team led by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory has made discoveries concerning a potential new, higher-capacity anode material, which would allow lithium-ion batteries to have a higher overall energy capacity.

Advanced Photon Source Upgrade will transform the world of scientific research

It’s been almost 25 years since the APS first saw light. An $815 million upgrade is currently underway with an anticipated first light in 2023. The APS Upgrade will provide the scientific community with unprecedented new research opportunities.

Exemplary Student Research Program inspires our next generation of researchers

Every year, the Exemplary Student Research Program welcomes students from Chicagoland high schools to complete research projects at Argonne’s scientific facilities. The program inspires and trains the next generation of researchers.

Theoretical breakthrough shows quantum fluids rotate by corkscrew mechanism

Scientists performed simulations of merging rotating superfluids, revealing a peculiar corkscrew-shaped mechanism that drives the fluids into rotation without the need for viscosity.