Intentionally “squashing” colloidal quantum dots during chemical synthesis creates dots capable of stable, “blink-free” light emission that is fully comparable with the light produced by dots made with more complex processes. The squashed dots emit spectrally narrow light with a highly stable intensity and a non-fluctuating emission energy. New research at Los Alamos National Laboratory […]
‘Game Changing’ Space-Mission Power System Passes Tests With Flying Colors
A new nuclear power system that could enable long-duration crewed missions to the Moon, Mars and destinations beyond recently passed an extensive operating test in the Nevada desert, performing well under a variety of challenging conditions. “We threw everything we could at this reactor, in terms of nominal and off-normal[BA(1] operating scenarios and KRUSTY passed […]
Innovative Detectors Quickly Pinpoint Radiation Source
Innovative “lighthouse” detectors that use a sweeping beam to quickly pinpoint a radiation source in seconds are reducing radiation exposure for workers and opening up new areas for robotic monitoring to avoid potential hazards. “It’s easier to find a needle in a haystack if the haystack is small,” said Jonathan Dowell, a Los Alamos scientist […]
Study Reveals Exactly How Low-Cost Fuel Cell Catalysts Work
In order to reduce the cost of next-generation polymer electrolyte fuel cells for vehicles, researchers have been developing alternatives to the prohibitively expensive platinum and platinum-group metal (PGM) catalysts currently used in fuel cell electrodes. New work at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge national laboratories is resolving difficult fuel-cell performance questions, both in determining efficient […]
Cooling, Time in the Dark Preserve Perovskite Solar Power
A new study has found both the cause and a solution for the pesky tendency of perovskite solar cells to degrade in sunlight, a research breakthrough potentially removing one roadblock to commercialization for this promising technology. In a key finding, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have found those degraded devices exhibit self-healing powers when […]
Alternative Energy Key to a Greener Future
Los Alamos National Laboratory is leading a Department of Energy- Fuel Cells Technologies Office-funded project to enhance the performance and durability of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, while simultaneously reducing their cost. “The cost and durability of current PEM fuel cells is a major barrier to their commercial use for stationary or transportation power […]
Space-Based Measurements Support Clean Air Act Regulations
Air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from two coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners area of northwest New Mexico, the largest point source of pollution in America, were measured remotely by a Los Alamos National Laboratory team. Led by Laboratory senior scientist Manvendra Dubey, the study is the first to show that space-based techniques […]
Photovoltaic Solar-Panel Windows Could Be Next for Your House
A house window that doubles as a solar panel could be on the horizon, thanks to recent quantum-dot work by Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers in collaboration with scientists from University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB), Italy. Their project demonstrates that superior light-emitting properties of quantum dots can be applied in solar energy by helping more efficiently […]
Nanoscale engineering boosts performance of quantum dot light emitting diodes
Making the light at the end of the tunnel more efficient LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Oct. 25, 2013—Dramatic advances in the field of quantum dot light emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) could come from recent work by the Nanotechnology and Advanced Spectroscopy team at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Quantum dots are nano-sized semiconductor particles whose emission color can […]