Feature Articles

Argonne researchers have invented a cathode material that replaces lithium with sodium ions and would be significantly cheaper. Sodium is far more naturally abundant and easily mined than lithium and is thus an attractive option for electric vehicles. 

Some of the ORNL AGU23 attendees share their thoughts on this year’s meeting and how they’re looking at the future of geophysical sciences in their areas.

Chelsea Chen, a polymer physicist at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is studying ion transport in solid electrolytes that could help electric vehicle battery charges last longer. “The challenge with current EVs is to further increase driving range, and that means higher energy density,” said Chen. “This requires revolutionary design of the battery chemistry.”

A modeling analysis led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory gives the first detailed look at how geothermal energy can relieve the electric power system and reduce carbon emissions if widely implemented across the United States within the next few decades.

To celebrate Black History Month, Argonne is pleased to highlight six employees and one up-and-coming high school STEM student who exemplify how a diverse team drives our science mission forward.

Just as a medication bottle might be opened and the tamper seals carefully reattached by a bad guy, the International Atomic Energy Agency is concerned its tamper-indicating devices could be bypassed and repaired or counterfeited. A possible solution? Engineers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a groundbreaking prototype using “bruising” materials. Their innovation doesn’t just detect tampering; the new device boldly displays the evidence, like battle scars.

At the Colorado School of Mines, Distinguished Professor in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Amy J. Clarke studies metals manufacturing. She observes how microscopic structures form and how processing conditions can be modified to affect solidification and defect development.

Past attendees of the annual Argonne Training Program on Extreme-Scale Computing are thriving in careers across the field of high performance computing.

Researchers at the Statewide California Earthquake Center, or SCEC, are unraveling the mysteries of earthquakes by using physics-based computational models running on high-performance computing systems at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The team’s findings will provide a better understanding of seismic hazards in the Golden State. 

Argonne scientists demonstrate potential of opposed-piston engine powered by zero-carbon hydrogen