Science Highlights

In 2D quantum materials, chiral edge states are 1D conducting channels in which electrons travel only in one direction and electron collisions are strongly suppressed. This means chiral channels act like resistance-free conductors. Researchers have created chiral edge states in atomically thin devices made of three graphene layers, paving the way for more efficient future electronics.

For the first time since X-rays were discovered, researchers have successfully performed X-ray spectroscopy to identify the element of a single atom at a time. The achievement takes advantage of improvements to synchrotron X-ray light sources. Until now, the smallest usable sample was at least 10,000 atoms. Now, by combining synchrotron X-rays and quantum tunneling, the researchers detected the element and chemical state of a single atom of iron and terbium.

Researchers studied gene expression in plant/mycorrhizae symbioses by analyzing the roots of a model plant colonized by fungi and using a combination of techniques to measure gene activity in individual cells and visualize gene expression within two-dimensional sections of roots.

Using a polymer to make a strong yet springy thin film, scientists led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are speeding the arrival of next-generation solid-state batteries. This effort advances the development of electric vehicle power enabled by flexible, durable sheets of solid-state electrolytes.

When light shines on a semiconductor, it excites the electrons, leaving behind a “hole.” Electrons and these holes attract each other to form excitons, which can interact with other unpaired charges to alter the shape, direction, and/or frequency of a beam of light in the semiconductor. Researchers demonstrated that this response is unprecedently strong in a two-dimensional device made of three atomic layers of the semiconductor tungsten di-selenide.

A recent study shows that the superconducting edge currents in the topological material molybdenum telluride (MoTe2) can sustain large changes in the “glue” that keeps the superconducting electrons paired. To sustain these changes, the bulk and the edge of MoTe2 must behave differently. This surprise finding will help researchers create and control anyons and aid in the development of future energy-efficient electronics.

A newly developed process transforms large, irregular chunks of metal elements into uniform spherical particles that act like tiny ball bearings rolling past one another. This allows solid metals to be handled like a liquid. This process, the AMAZEMET rePowder® ultrasonic metal atomization process, works equally well for most metallic elements and their alloys.

Scientists have developed a way to detect tiny amounts of hard-to-detect explosives more than eight feet away.