Feature Articles

Ames Laboratory

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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Jan-2026 08:11 ET (23-Jan-2026 13:11 GMT/UTC)

Researchers address material challenges to make commercial fusion power a reality

DOE/Ames National Laboratory

Researchers from the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Ames National Laboratory and Iowa State University are leading efforts to overcome materials challenges that could make commercial fusion power a reality.

Ames National Laboratory to test new electrical transmission line that could improve grid resiliency

DOE/Ames National Laboratory

Material scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory are moving into the field-testing stage of a new type of high voltage overhead power conductor (cable).

New process tackles pollution on two fronts: plastic waste and fuel emissions

DOE/Ames National Laboratory

A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory recently developed a chemical conversion process that makes diesel out of plastic waste.

Scientists are shaking up lithium extraction with a different kind of chemistry

DOE/Ames National Laboratory

Scientists at the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub, led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory have developed a new process, mechanochemical extraction of lithium at low temperatures, or MELLT, to increase and diversify the supply of lithium in the United States.

Squeeze a little science onto your toothbrush

DOE/Ames National Laboratory

Ames National Laboratory partnered with the Colgate-Palmolive Company to improve stannous fluoride, an FDA approved ingredient that prevents tooth decay and plaque formation, and combats gum disease. SnF2 oxidizes over time when exposed to the air, so using unique NMR capabilities at Ames Lab, the team was able to collect oxidation data and information on what is happening among the ingredients on a molecular level.

Green rare-earth recycling goes commercial in the US

DOE/Ames National Laboratory

An innovative method of recycling rare earth elements from electronic waste has gone commercial. A team of researchers from the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), a U.S. Department of Energy Innovation Hub led by the Ames Laboratory, developed a novel way to extract rare earth elements (rare earths) from the high-powered magnets in electronic waste (e-waste).

One scientist’s trash is another’s treasure

DOE/Ames National Laboratory

While making materials samples to pursue their own research goals, scientists at Ames Laboratory discovered that an unwanted byproduct of their experiments was an extremely high-quality and difficult-to-obtain substance sought after by scientists researching layered materials.

Method for determining electron beam properties

DOE/Ames National Laboratory

Fermilab user and University of Chicago PhD candidate Ihar Lobach explains how his team used Fermilab's IOTA electron storage ring to glean insights that can be difficult to obtain on an electron beam and how this proof of principle could benefit the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade at Argonne National Laboratory.