On March 10, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $36 million for 11 projects seeking to increase deployment and use of nuclear power and limit the amount of waste produced from advanced nuclear reactors. Learn more about these projects and some of the arguments for and against increasing reliance on nuclear power.
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MAX phases are layered ceramic materials with both ceramic and metal-like properties, as well as good radiation tolerance, making them ideal candidates for use in next-generation nuclear power technologies. Two recent papers investigate the irradiation of Cr2AlC to determine its potential for this application.
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Tokamaks, a leading candidate for practical fusion reactors, are moving from using carbon to using tungsten to protect a tokamak’s walls—but plasma instabilities can erode tungsten. Scientists look to understand the physical mechanisms driving this erosion.
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Researchers have successfully converted radioactive waste into glass through vitrification at the Hanford Nuclear Site. The test is part of an overall plan to send low-activity waste directly to the vitrification facility via Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste system.
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Improved technique for scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy, novel cryogenic near-field optical microscope, and other materials stories that may be of interest for May 30, 2018.
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Making carbon nanotubes as usable as plastic, robotic assembly of the world’s smallest house, and other materials stories that may be of interest for May 23, 2018.
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New atomistic simulations by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and Oak Ridge National Lab are revealing that irradiated materials are even more disordered that previously thought—calling into question the safety of vitrified nuclear waste.
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Last week, the House Appropriations Committee presented the fiscal year 2015 Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill that keeps funding for the Department of Energy’s programs and research flat.
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In Japan, where the typical home lasts just three decades and is worth nothing after 15 years, it’s common that homeowners have nothing to show for their 30 years of mortgage payments.
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New data suggests that America’s efforts to make its energy cleaner and greener are actually impeding its ability to reduce harmful carbon emissions.
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