Every country or region has its own unique electricity system. But no matter where you are in the world, energy decision makers are faced with a similar challenge: how best to plan for current and future energy needs. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are developing tools that help governments […]
Students Team with Argonne Scientists and Engineers to Learn about STEM Careers
More than 100 eighth-grade girls from area schools attend IGED to learn about math, science and technology. Destiny McNair, of Joliet, is like many eighth graders. The 14-year-old Troy Middle School student is thinking about her future and a career that includes teamwork. She got a taste of that teamwork during the 17th annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED) on […]
Stronger, Lighter, Greener
A new magnet technology invented at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory could help drive the nation’s transition from gas-powered vehicles to electric and hybrid power more rapidly, at lower cost and in a more environmentally friendly way. Called HyMag, the invention can benefit virtually any technology that draws power from electric motors […]
Scientists Move Quantum Optic Networks a Step Closer to Reality
A crucial step has been achieved in understanding quantum optical behavior of semiconductor nanomaterials. Scientists have moved quantum optic networks a step closer to reality. The ability to precisely control the interactions of light and matter at the nanoscale could help such a network transmit larger amounts of data more quickly and securely than an […]
The High-Tech Evolution of Scientific Computing
To leverage emerging computing capabilities and prepare for future exascale systems, Argonne is expanding its scope beyond traditional simulation-based research to include data science and machine learning approaches. Science has always relied on a combination of approaches to derive an answer or develop a theory. The seeds for Darwin’s theory of natural selection grew under […]
Robots and Remote Systems to the Rescue
This summer, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory educated a group of college interns on how to use robotic systems to advance manufacturing. Until this past summer, the closest Syed Saahir Ahmed, a senior at Penn State University, got to working with robots was through a student club. There, he designed simple machines […]
Argonne and Capstone Receive Funding to Advance Thermal Energy Storage Technology
Thermal energy storage systems to capture and store waste heat for later use when operating a manufacturing facility or large building could reduce costs for combined heat and power systems. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Capstone Turbine Corp. have received $380,000 from the DOE Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) to refine […]
Battery Mainstay Headed for High-Tech Makeover
The complex interactions inside a lead battery while it charges and discharges remain mysterious, even 159 years after the technology’s invention. But now the lead battery is headed for a high-tech makeover that will make this sustainable mainstay product more appealing to the automotive industry and the power grid. Under the terms of a new […]
Battery Testing and Prototyping Facility Grows to Meet Demand for Next-Generation Technologies
Argonne recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the expanded Cell Analysis, Modeling and Prototyping (CAMP) facility. Many of the innovations eyed for advances in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, utilities and advanced manufacturing hinge on the development of next-generation battery technologies. To feed that growing need and potentially accelerate innovation, the nation’s first and top-tier battery […]
Battery Technology Takes Flight
As part of a new program, Argonne’s researchers are evaluating what it takes to power drones with batteries. Not all batteries are created equal. State-of-the-art battery technology for cell phones, for instance, looks a lot different from batteries for electric cars. Similarly, land-based electric vehicle battery technology differs in key respects from batteries that are […]