Argonne National Laboratory

MONTICELLO, Minnesota (AP) -- Silflower was among native plants that blanketed the vast North American prairie until settlers developed farms and cities. Nowadays confined largely to roadsides and ditches, the long-stemmed cousin of the sunflower may be poised for a comeback, thanks to solar energy.

Everyone who has ever been to the Grand Canyon can relate to having strong feelings from being close to one of nature's edges. Similarly, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have discovered that nanoparticles of gold act unusually when close to the edge of a one-atom thick sheet of carbon, called graphene. This could have big implications for the development of new sensors and quantum devices.

It's been a truth for a long time: if you want to study the movement and behavior of single atoms, electron microscopy can give you what X-rays can't. X-rays are good at penetrating into samples--they allow you to see what happens inside batteries as they charge and discharge, for example--but historically they have not been able to spatially image with the same precision electrons can.

For more than 25 years, the Advanced Photon Source's intense X-rays have enabled important breakthroughs. With a massive upgrade in the works, scientists will be able to see things at scale never seen before.

Scientists are using machine learning to speed up development of materials that can harness energy from sunlight.