http://www.pnnl.gov/science/ Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss suraiya.farukhi@pnnl.gov christine.sharp@pnnl.gov http://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1378Results: A new catalyst is faster when it and its surrounding acid have the same proton affinity or pKa, according to scientists at the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center, at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The catalyst drives turning electrons and protons into a bond between two hydrogen atoms, storing the energy. Making the catalyst faster is vital to designing technologies that can store electrons created by wind turbines. The team's experimental and computational studies focused on the acid that supplies the reaction's protons. When the acid and the catalyst had the same pKa, the speed jumped from 2,400 and 27,000 hydrogen molecules a second to 4,100 to 96,000. ]]>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1323Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1328Results: In extreme cold, carbon dioxide huddles near charged oxygen atom outcroppings on the surface of oft-studied titanium dioxide; the carbon dioxide lacks the energy to reach a more protected spot, according to scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. When heated, the carbon dioxide slides into a more substantial, reactive oxygen vacancy, holes left by missing oxygen atoms. The team tracked the carbon dioxide with a scanning tunneling microscope tip that provided atomic-resolution images. ]]>Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1371Results: Whether gas trapped under a frozen water layer flows through cracks or bursts out depends on the layer's depth and temperature, according to scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The water isn't crystalline ice; it is amorphous solid water, which is disordered and often described as a "frozen" liquid. The team proved that in some cases, gases trapped under amorphous water films are released via fissures that form during crystallization. For thicker trapped gas layers, the gas can escape abruptly before crystallization. This work graced a cover of The Journal of Chemical Physics. ]]>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1366the stories of these, and many more, women in STEM can inspire others as they think about the future. Only 24% of the STEM workforce is female, an alarming gap as over 51% of the workforce overall is female." ]]>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1360Transformations from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory shows the role of catalysts in making wind, solar and other sustainable energy sources a major part of the nation's energy landscape. In this issue, Dan DuBois shares the three principles involved in creating electrocatalysts, which drive the interconversion of electricity to energy stored in chemical bonds. Learn about this research and much more at the American Chemical Society symposium being held in his honor. The event is being organized by Aaron Appel, Monte Helm, and Jenny Yang. Our applied and fundamental scientists talk about the power of theory or computational chemistry to break chemistry bottlenecks and settle basic energy questions. And, don't miss our latest video - discover the world of electrocatalysts in 90 seconds. ]]>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1348Results: For the first time, scientists measured the chemical diffusivity and viscosity of atmospheric organic particles, thanks to a new approach from scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Washington, and Imre Consulting. The team doped atmospherically important organic nanoparticles, known as secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), with tracer molecules and measured their diffusion rate as they slowly worked their way out of the particles. Knowing the diffusion rate, the scientists calculated the particle's viscosity. ]]>Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1341Dr. Nigel Browning at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on being selected a Fellow of the Microscopy Society of America. Browning received this honor for his advances in scanning transmission electron microscopy, and for developing spatial, temporal and spectroscopic techniques to better understand foundational issues in physical and life sciences. Browning has been pushing the limits of electron microscopy and spectroscopy since the early 1990s, when he applied the new technology to determine the composition of individual planes of atoms, an unexpected feat, given the state of the field at that time. ]]>Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1338Dan DuBois at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The symposium honors DuBois' contributions, including his inorganic chemistry work  and his latest award, the American Chemical Society's Award in Inorganic Chemistry. DuBois is known for his unique approach to designing catalysts, inorganic molecular complexes that speed reactions. He answered fundamental questions and used that knowledge to rationally design better catalysts; his scientific and review articles are frequently cited. He also takes the time to inspire others and mentor future scientists. ]]>Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=1337Dr. Wendy Shaw at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in her invited review article. The outer coordination sphere is the complex structure that wraps around the catalyst's central active site and controls the activity, selectivity and specificity of the catalyst. Shaw's Catalysis Reviews article focuses on bottom-up design research. In this approach, aspects of the outer coordination sphere are added as needed. ]]>Sun, 24 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PST