News

Neutrons probed two mechanisms proposed to explain what happens when hydrogen gas flows over a cerium oxide (CeO2) catalyst that has been heated in an experimental chamber to different temperatures to change its oxidation state. The first mechanism sugges

Neutron spectroscopy reveals common ‘oxygen sponge’ catalyst soaks up hydrogen too

November 7, 2017

Having the right tool for the job enabled scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and their collaborators to discover that a workhorse catalyst of vehicle exhaust systems—an “oxygen sponge” that can soak up oxygen from air an

How perovskite catalysts are made and treated changes their surface compositions and ultimate product yields. If certain perovskite catalysts of the formula ABO3 are heat-treated, the catalyst’s surface terminates predominantly with A (a rare-earth metal

Researchers customize catalysts to boost product yields, decrease chemical separation costs

October 18, 2017

For some crystalline catalysts, what you see on the surface is not always what you get in the bulk, according to two studies led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The investigators discovered that treating a complex

Materials – Cooking up biofuel

August 1, 2017

Using a novel, reusable carbon material derived from old rubber tires, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory-led research team has developed a simple method to convert used cooking oil into biofuel.

Ben Doughty: Finding the right answers

June 26, 2017

No two scientists have the same story about how they ended up in their field. Some people seem to have been born scientists; others develop their love for it as budding minds full of curiosity.

Depicted at left, small nanoparticles stick to segments of polymer chain that are about the same size as the nanoparticles themselves; these interactions produce a polymer nanocomposite that is easier to process because nanoparticles move fast, quickly ma

Small nanoparticles have surprisingly big effects on polymer nanocomposites

March 8, 2017

Polymer nanocomposites mix particles billionths of a meter (nanometers, nm) in diameter with polymers, which are long molecular chains.

Crystallization method offers new option for carbon capture from ambient air

January 9, 2017

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have found a simple, reliable process to capture carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, offering a new option for carbon capture and storage strategies to combat global warming.

Materials