Bringing Innovative Science and Ideas to 2012 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting

(April 2012)

Congratulations to Dr. Jun Liu and several of his colleagues at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on their contributions to a very popular 2012 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting. With about 6000 people in attendance, the meeting was one of the largest in the society's history. The 5-day event provided the chance to discuss the latest materials research. The meeting featured more than 55 symposia, poster sessions, a scientific art show, exhibitions, tutorials, and workshops.

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New Metal Alloy Electrode Designed for Plus-Sized Ions

(April 2012)

Storing energy from wind farms and releasing that electricity on demand requires high-capacity, low-cost batteries; sodium-ion batteries could be part of the answer now, thanks to fundamental insights garnered by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Instead of force-fitting larger sodium ions into the battery electrodes built for much smaller lithium ions, the research team designed an electrode based on the ion's character, not its circumference.

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Two Scientific Articles on Graphene-Based Sensors Prove Popular in the Research Community

(March 2012)

When it comes to checking for trace levels of chemicals that could be the early warning signs of disease or chemical exposure, doctors and patients want to use as small of blood samples as possible. This drive for small samples is spurring the scientific community to examine graphene: durable, conductive, and easy-to-tailor two-dimensional carbon sheets.

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In the News: Graphene

(March 2012)

Vorbeck Materials, based in Jessup, Maryland, and its research partners, including PNNL and Princeton University, were recently featured in the Baltimore Sun. The article discusses the company's work using graphene to dramatically improve the performance of batteries, including those for electric vehicles.