News Releases
Chemistry
Chemistry
Roadrunner supercomputer puts research at a new scale
June 12 — Less than a week after Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Roadrunner supercomputer began operating at world-record petaflop/s data-processing speeds, Los Alamos researchers are already using the computer to mimic extremely complex neurological processes.
Detecting explosives with honeybees
November 27 — Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a method for training the common honey bee to detect the explosives used in bombs.
Making a safer bang for the buck - Los Alamos Research Team Identifies Replacements for Mercury and Lead in Primary Explosives
June 30 — Four ground-breaking families of environmentally friendly primary explosives under development at Los Alamos National Laboratory are featured this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
New gallium nitride film method beats the heat
February 21 — A team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have developed a method for growing crystalline gallium nitride films at lower temperatures than industry standards.
Tiny crystals promise big benefits for solar technologies
January 4 — Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have discovered that a phenomenon called carrier multiplication, in which semiconductor nanocrystals respond to photons by producing multiple electrons, is applicable to a broader array of materials that previously thought.
Scientists develop novel multi-color light-emitting diodes
May 17 — A team of University of California scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed the first completely inorganic, multi-color light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on colloidal quantum dots encapsulated in a gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor.
Study uncovers bacteria's worst enemy
April 14 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have found that the successful use of bacteria to remediate environmental contamination from nuclear waste and processing activities may depend more upon how resistant the bacteria are to chemicals than to how tolerant they are to radioactivity.
Airborne Los Alamos instruments test for toxins from fires
April 12 — A unique hazard-detecting plane, supported by scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory and operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was on duty to warn first responders and residents with information about potential chemical hazards during a recent Houston oil refinery disaster.
Researchers develop fingerprint detection technology
March 21 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a novel method for detecting fingerprints based on the chemical elements present in fingerprint residue. Known as micro-X-ray fluorescence, or MXRF, the technique has the potential to help expand the use of fingerprinting as a forensic investigation tool.
Scientists "PAD" their way to new metal-oxide film technology
December 14 — University of California scientists working with a researcher from Washington State University at Los Alamos National Laboratory's Superconductivity Technology Center have developed a novel method for creating high performance, inorganic metal-oxide films using polymer-assisted deposition, or PAD. The breakthrough could pave the way for a greater use of metal-oxide films into the electronics manufacturing industry.
Los Alamos wizardry to aid new Mars science laboratory
December 22 — Having analyzed Mars from afar via orbiting satellite, Los Alamos National Laboratory instruments will next be on their way to get out and play in the Martian dirt. Two of the eight instruments aboard NASA's planned Mars Science Laboratory rover, scheduled for launch in 2009, include Los Alamos technology.
Pumping energy to nanocrystals from a quantum well
June 10 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory with a colleague from Sandia National Laboratories have developed a new method for exciting light emission from nanocrystal quantum dots.
Scientists provide new understanding of manganites
June 3 — University of California researchers working at Los Alamos National Laboratory recently unveiled a new theory explaining the strange coexistence of metallic and insulating phases in the crystals of a mineral called perovskite manganite.
Squeezing more juice out of solar panels
April 28 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have experimentally demonstrated a phenomenon in which semiconductor nanocrystals respond to photons by producing multiple electrons. The innovation has potential applications in a new generation of solar cells that would produce as much as 35 percent more electrical output than current solar cells.
Los Alamos part of new Center for Chemical Hydrogen Storage
April 27 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have joined with scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to create a new national Center for Chemical Hydrogen Storage. The new center is a step toward the development of a "hydrogen economy" -- an economy based not on the fossil fuels we use today, but on clean, abundant hydrogen fuels.
Nanoscale spectrometry probes the nanoplasmonics of gold
September 22 — In experiments using a device dubbed the "nanoscale flashlight," a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have applied a new nanoscale spectroscopic technique to studies of the collective oscillations of electrons in individual gold nanoparticles and their assemblies. A deeper understanding of these oscillations and their interactions will not only provide a foundation for research in the new and emerging field of nanoplasmonics, but may have practical applications in the ultrasensitive detection of chemical and biological molecules.
Building a "nanoscale flashlight" to explore the nanoscale world
September 22 — In the nanoscale world, nanoparticles are measured in billionths of a meter, which often make them only a little bit larger than the size of atoms. Because these nanoparticles are typically smaller than the wavelengths of visible light––which varies from 700 nanometers for red light to 400 nanometers for violet light–– they are literally invisible to even the most powerful optical microscopes.
Los Alamos team develops rapid procedure for radioactivity in dirtybomb debris
September 10 —
One nightmare scenario: a terrorist dirty bomb is detonated in a major metropolitan area. Everyone's first question is "Who did it?"
One piece of the puzzle that would give law enforcement officials a head start in their search for potential suspects would be an accurate description of what radioactive materials are contained in the bomb debris. Standard isotope identification technology is relatively slow; the process can take 24 hours or more. Now a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists has developed a new quick screening methodology to identify isotopes in dirty bomb debris, a procedure that can yield initial data in as few as six hours.
Los Alamos at work -- science and technology initiatives for counteringnuclear and radiological threats
September 5 — In an American Chemical Society presentation on Sunday, Sept. 7 Los Alamos staff member Tammy Taylor will talk about some of the latest work being done at Los Alamos in the area of nuclear and radiological threat mitigation.
Soil's love affair with carbon viewed with millimeter resolution
May 29 — Promoting the love affair between farmlands and carbon while substantially reducing harmful carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could be facilitated through super-sharp analysis of tiny soil-core samples made possible by a portable, carbon-measuring laser system developed by a research team at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory
New facility will ensure steady supply of medical isotopes
September 11 — To ensure that U.S. researchers have a steady supply of medical isotopes, the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory is building a new Isotope Production Facility to replace an existing facility. Construction of the $16.5 million IPF began in February, and the project should be completed in June 2002.
Green chemistry initiatives bearing fruit
March 24 — Recent initiatives by a consortium managed by the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory have helped increase education, awareness and funding in green chemistry research worldwide.
Sattelberger selected new Lab division director
October 8 — Al Sattelberger of the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory has been named director for Los Alamos' Chemical Science and Technology Division.
Polymer filtration offers mining pollution solution
May 4 — Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist have developed a novel technology capable of removing toxic metal contaminants from acidic mine runoff. The technology provides a potential remedy for some of the world's most challenging environmental problems.
Laser probes planetary surfaces
March 18 — Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a device that can analyze soils and rocks from a distance using a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technology.
New high-purity plutonium sources produced at Los Alamos
March 21 — For the first time since 1987, new high-purity plutonium sources for use as primary analytical chemistry standards have been produced at Los Alamos National Laboratory using a new extrusion method developed at the Laboratory.
Laboratory flips the mercury 'off' switch
March 21 — Mercury, that silvery liquid metal ubiquitous in switches, pressure gauges and thermometers, is an environmental bad-boy and toxic to humans through inhalation, skin contact and ingestion. It is easily spilled and can go unnoticed in aging lab equipment.
Laboratory honors Year 2002 innovators
February 28 — Outstanding work by researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory who received patents in 2002 has been honored with Laboratory Patent and Licensing Awards.
Los Alamos creates technology maturation fund
February 25 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has announced the first five awards in a new technology maturation funding program. The purpose of the funding is to give Laboratory inventions a boost in moving from the laboratory to the marketplace.
Online periodic table wins 2001 Sci/Tech Web Award
May 16 — ScientificAmerican.com, part of Scientific American Magazine, has named a chemistry Web site at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory one of the top 50 best Web resources in science and technology.
Cleaner chipmaking method uses carbon dioxide fluid
February 7 — Scientists at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a new technology application that could all but eliminate the use of hazardous corrosives and the production of wastewater in the fabrication of integrated circuits, or chips, for computers.
Los Alamos shows path to 'nanocrystal quantum dot' lasers
October 11 — Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have demonstrated that nanoscale semiconductor particles called "nanocrystal quantum dots" offer the necessary performance for efficient emission of laser light. The research appears in the Oct. 13 issue of Science.
MORE CHEMISTRY NEWS >>>
