https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Ames National Laboratory Scientists at Ames National Laboratory, in collaboration with Indranil Das's group at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (India), have found a surprising electronic feature in transitional metal-based compounds that could pave the way for a new class of spintronic materials for computing and memory technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-rare-hall-effect-reveals-pathways.html Condensed Matter Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:48:38 EST news685702081 Scientists at the U. S. Department of Energy Ames National Laboratory and Iowa State University have discovered an unexpected "quantum echo" in a superconducting material. This discovery provides insight into quantum behaviors that could be used for next-generation quantum sensing and computing technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-scientists-quantum-echo-superconducting-materials.html Condensed Matter Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:08:57 EDT news671782131 Imagine if we could take the energy of the sun, put it in a container, and use it to provide green, sustainable power for the world. Creating commercial fusion power plants would essentially make this idea a reality. However, there are several scientific challenges to overcome before we can successfully harness fusion power in this way. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-material-commercial-fusion-power-reality.html Plasma Physics Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:30:01 EST news653761644 A team of researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Ames National Laboratory developed a magnetocaloric heat pump that matches current vapor-compression heat pumps for weight, cost, and performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-12-magnetocaloric-paves-sustainable-cooling-technology.html Engineering Thu, 05 Dec 2024 16:30:03 EST news652638601 A team of researchers, led by scientist Lin Zhou of Ames National Laboratory, has made important progress towards understanding the role of surface oxides in improving quantum computing circuits performance. Surface oxides are a primary cause of decoherence, or loss of quantum properties in quantum circuits. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-scientists-gain-insight-material-defects.html Condensed Matter Fri, 25 Oct 2024 10:30:03 EDT news649071001 Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, in cell phones, computers, electric vehicles, and even toys, to name only a few places. They have become an integral part of our everyday lives. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-08-lithium-ion-battery-recycling-method.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 27 Aug 2024 11:04:21 EDT news643975455 New findings about chitinases, enzymes found naturally in plants, could allow farmers to address fungal infections sooner and more efficiently. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-common-enzyme-crop.html Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:39:04 EDT news639142741 Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Ames National Laboratory have discovered an unexpected chiral excitation in the kagome layered topological magnet TbMn6Sn6. This chiral excitation can be viewed as a localized magnetic swirl or vortex. The team also confirmed the existence of localized flat band magnons, a novel excitation associated with frustrated kagome lattice geometry. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-unexpected-kagome-layered-material.html Condensed Matter Mon, 24 Jun 2024 07:53:03 EDT news638434381 What if we could help the global plastic waste problem and the transportation industry with the same technology? https://phys.org/news/2024-05-tackles-pollution-dual-fronts-plastic.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 02 May 2024 16:59:03 EDT news633887941 When people think of chemistry, the image that typically comes to mind is a variety of colored liquids in beakers, flasks, and test tubes in a lab. But in actual practice, chemistry can involve materials in all states: liquids, gases, and even solids. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-04-scientists-lithium-kind-chemistry.html Energy & Green Tech Sat, 27 Apr 2024 08:18:03 EDT news633424677 Scientists from Ames National Laboratory have identified the first unconventional superconductor with a chemical composition also found in nature. Miassite is one of only four minerals found in nature that act as a superconductor when grown in the lab. The team's investigation of miassite revealed that it is an unconventional superconductor with properties similar to high-temperature superconductors. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-scientists-reveal-unconventional-superconductor-mineral.html Superconductivity Wed, 13 Mar 2024 11:03:50 EDT news629546571 A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has provided new data and analysis on infinite-layer nickelates. This material is a recently discovered class of unconventional superconductors. The results provide new insights into how these superconductors work and how they differ from other superconductors. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-scientists-class-unconventional-superconductors.html Superconductivity Wed, 07 Feb 2024 10:16:36 EST news626523393 An international team of researchers including a team from the Center for the Advancement of Topological Semimetals (CATS), an Energy Frontier Research Center under the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science led by Ames National Laboratory, experimentally demonstrated a new type of nonlinear Hall effect. This Hall effect is driven by the quantum metric, which defines the distances between electronic wavefunctions inside a crystal. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-theoretical-illuminates-nonlinear-hall-effect.html Condensed Matter Mon, 30 Oct 2023 12:34:03 EDT news617888041 A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory has developed a new machine learning model for discovering critical-element-free permanent magnet materials. The model predicts the Curie temperature of new material combinations. It is an important first step in using artificial intelligence to predict new permanent magnet materials. This model adds to the team's recently developed capability for discovering thermodynamically stable rare earth materials. The work is published in Chemistry of Materials. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ai-magnetic-materials-critical-elements.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 05 Sep 2023 15:55:03 EDT news613148102 A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory and Texas A&M University developed a new way to predict metal ductility. This quantum-mechanics-based approach fills a need for an inexpensive, efficient, high-throughput way to predict ductility. The team demonstrated its effectiveness on refractory multi-principal-element alloys. These are materials of interest for use in high-temperature conditions, however, they frequently lack necessary ductility for potential applications in aerospace, fusion reactors, and land-based turbines. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-unique-quantum-mechanical-approach-metal.html Condensed Matter Mon, 14 Aug 2023 12:19:26 EDT news611234357 In an effort to discover new 2D materials, a team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory determined the structure of boron monoxide. This compound was first discovered in the 1940s and maintained research interest throughout the years. Scientists were, however, unable to determine the structure of the material due to technological limitations of the time. Using new NMR methods and previously unavailable analytical tools, the team from Ames Lab finally solved the structure of this deceptively simple material. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-elusive-boron-monoxide-years.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 18 Jul 2023 09:42:02 EDT news608892115 A team from Ames National Laboratory conducted an in-depth investigation of the magnetism of TbMn6Sn6, a Kagome layered topological magnet. They were surprised to find that the magnetic spin reorientation in TbMn6Sn6 occurs by generating increasing numbers of magnetically isotropic ions as the temperature increases. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-discovery-magnetic-interactions-kagome-layered.html Condensed Matter Mon, 10 Jul 2023 12:26:30 EDT news608210788 Researchers use a new tool to help improve a key component in commercially produced quantum computing circuits. The team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Ames National Laboratory in partnership with the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS), a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center led by Fermilab, used the terahertz SNOM microscope, originally developed at Ames Lab, to investigate the interface and connectivity of a nano Josephson Junction (JJ). https://phys.org/news/2023-07-tool-quantum-circuit-component.html Superconductivity Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:16:42 EDT news607778199 Scientists from the Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory made an intriguing discovery while conducting experiments to characterize magnetism in a material known as a dilute magnetic topological insulator where magnetic defects are introduced. Despite this material's ferromagnetism, the team discovered strong antiferromagnetic interactions between some pairs of magnetic defects that play a key role in several families of magnetic topological insulators. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-scientists-discovery-magnetic-defects-topological.html Condensed Matter Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:40:54 EDT news605533251 A team of scientists from the Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory have developed a way to collect terahertz imaging data on materials under extreme magnetic and cryogenic conditions. They accomplished their work with a new scanning probe microscope. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-ultralow-temperature-terahertz-microscope-capabilities.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 12 May 2023 13:55:01 EDT news603118499 A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory demonstrated a way to advance the role of quantum computing in materials research with an adaptive algorithm for simulating materials. Quantum computers have potential capabilities far beyond today's computers, and using an adaptive algorithm allows them to produce solutions quickly and accurately. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-scientists-important-quantum-advance-materials.html Condensed Matter Mon, 01 May 2023 10:22:03 EDT news602155321 A new type of catalyst breaks down polyolefin plastics into new, useful products. This project is part of a new strategy to reduce the amount of plastic waste and its impact on our environment, as well as recover value that is lost when plastics are thrown away. The catalyst was developed by a team from the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastic (iCOUP), a U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Frontier Research Center. The effort was led by Aaron Sadow, the director of iCOUP, scientist at Ames National Laboratory, and professor at Iowa State University; Andreas Heyden, professor at the University of South Carolina; and Wenyu Huang, scientist at Ames Lab and professor at Iowa State. The new catalyst is made only of earth-abundant materials, which they demonstrated can break carbon-carbon (CC) bonds in aliphatic hydrocarbons. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-zirconia-based-catalyst-plastics-upcycling-sustainable.html Materials Science Thu, 23 Feb 2023 02:56:37 EST news596343390 Researchers created a new catalyst that transforms hydrocarbons into chemicals and materials that are higher value, easier to recycle, and biodegrade in the environment. This catalyst transforms materials such as motor oil, plastics in single-use grocery bags, water or milk bottles, and their caps, and even natural gas. It was developed by a team of scientists led by Aaron Sadow, a scientist at Ames National Laboratory, director of the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastic (iCOUP), and professor of chemistry at Iowa State University. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-newly-catalyst-single-use-plastics-easier.html Polymers Mon, 20 Feb 2023 16:24:04 EST news596132642 A new hybrid catalyst converts carbon dioxide into ethylene in one pot. The catalyst was developed by scientists from Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University, University of Virginia, and Columbia University. This catalyst supports the world net-zero carbon initiative by using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a feedstock for efficient ethylene production powered by electricity. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-hybrid-catalyst-decarbonization-ethylene-production.html Materials Science Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:34:03 EST news593688842 A team of scientists from the Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory has developed a new characterization tool that allowed them to gain unique insight into a possible alternative material for solar cells. Under the leadership of Jigang Wang, senior scientist from Ames Lab, the team developed a microscope that uses terahertz waves to collect data on material samples. The team then used their microscope to explore methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite, a material that could potentially replace silicon in solar cells. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-discoveries-solar-cell-material-microscope.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 15 Nov 2022 15:31:02 EST news587748661 Researchers from the Department of Energy's Critical Materials Institute (CMI) and Ames National Laboratory have improved the properties of a rare-earth-free permanent magnet material and demonstrated the process can be upscaled for manufacturing. The researchers developed a new method of manufacturing manganese bismuth (MnBi) magnets based on microstructure engineering. This process is a step towards making compact, energy-efficient motors without the use of rare earths. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-rare-earth-free-magnets-microstructure.html Materials Science Wed, 09 Nov 2022 05:09:09 EST news587192943 Research into the synthesis of new materials could lead to more sustainable and environmentally friendly items such as solar panels and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Scientists from Ames National Laboratory and Iowa State University have developed a colloidal synthesis method for alkaline earth chalcogenides. This method allows them to control the size of the nanocrystals in the material. They were also able to study the surface chemistry of the nanocrystals and assess the purity and optical properties of the materials involved. Their research is discussed in the paper "Alkaline-Earth Chalcogenide Nanocrystals: Solution-Phase Synthesis, Surface Chemistry, and Stability," published in ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-fundamental-optical-materials.html Nanomaterials Tue, 20 Sep 2022 16:37:47 EDT news582910663 Newly discovered magnetic interactions in the Kagome layered topological magnet TbMn6Sn6 could be the key to customizing how electrons flow through these materials. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an in-depth investigation of TbMn6Sn6 to better understand the material and its magnetic characteristics. These results could impact future technology advancements in fields such as quantum computing, magnetic storage media, and high-precision sensors. https://phys.org/news/2022-08-newly-magnetic-interactions-ways-electron.html Condensed Matter Thu, 18 Aug 2022 17:51:02 EDT news580063861 An ancient metal used for its microbial properties is the basis for a materials-based solution to disinfection. A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University, and University at Buffalo developed an antimicrobial spray that deposits a layer of copper nanowires onto high-touch surfaces in public spaces. The spray contains copper nanowires (CuNWs) or copper-zinc nanowires (CuZnNWs) and can form an antimicrobial coating on a variety of surfaces. This research was initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the findings have wider-reaching applications. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-scientists-copper-nanowires-combat-diseases.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 27 Jul 2022 16:41:23 EDT news578158722 A recently developed catalyst for breaking down plastics continues to advance plastic upcycling processes. In 2020, a team of researchers led by Ames Laboratory scientists developed the first processive inorganic catalyst to deconstruct polyolefin plastics into molecules that can be used to create more valuable products. Now, the team has developed and validated a strategy to speed up the transformation without sacrificing desirable products. https://phys.org/news/2022-05-unique-catalyst-paves-plastic-upcycling.html Materials Science Thu, 26 May 2022 09:26:18 EDT news572775975