The agreement enables collaborative research on the country’s most urgent national security and energy priorities, from water security, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing to AI-driven science and high-performance computing. University of Utah President Taylor Randall and NLR Director Jud Virden signed the MOU on  May 4 at the NLR facility in Golden, Colorado. The following day, DOE’s Assistant Secretary for Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation Audrey Robertson celebrated the agreement during the laboratory’s annual partner forum, a flagship gathering of energy leaders focused on critical minerals.

As researchers seek better batteries beyond today’s lithium-ion technology, black phosphorus is drawing growing attention as a high-capacity anode material for lithium-, sodium-, and potassium-ion storage. A new Science Bulletin review examines both the promise and the practical barriers of this material, from structural instability to interfacial degradation, and highlights emerging strategies to address them. The article provides a clear roadmap for developing more durable, scalable, and higher-energy battery anodes for future energy-storage systems.