Feature Stories

Award winning alloy can improve engine performance

A new award-winning alloy can improve the energy efficiency of powertrains, the motors that make things like cars, boats and other machinery “go.” Scientists developed powertrain parts made from a new type of aluminum-based alloy that performs well in harsh conditions and is lighter weight for gains in energy efficiency.

Squeeze a little science onto your toothbrush

Millions of people across the world do it before going to bed every night: brush their teeth with toothpaste. Most of them give little thought to the product, but there is a lot of minty-fresh science packed into that tube. So much so, in fact, that Ames National Laboratory has partnered with the Colgate-Palmolive Company to help them improve toothpaste's main active ingredient: fluoride.

CMI: Addressing the gap magnet problem

The Critical Materials Institute is addressing the gap magnet problem.

Materials matter: 75 years of research and development at Ames National Laboratory

In 2022, Ames National Laboratory celebrates a milestone – 75 years as a national laboratory dedicated to the pursuit of research in materials science. While the Department of Energy-led research institution’s reputation in this field is widely recognized today, it is less well understood just how revolutionary Ames Lab’s beginnings were.

Irwin Jensen examines uranium billets post production.

One scientist’s trash is another’s treasure: A laboratory’s “irritating” byproduct now supplies 2-D materials research

scientists discovered that an unwanted byproduct of their experiments was an extremely high-quality and difficult-to-obtain substance sought by others.

Energy Secretary takes virtual tour of Ames Laboratory

The 16th Secretary of Energy stopped in at Ames via Zoom in her ongoing tour of each of the national labs, speaking with scientists about the latest material science solutions, and touring facilities.

First author: undergraduate internship at Ames Laboratory jump-starts research career

Tyler Del Rose participated in the U.S. Department of Energy’s SULI program at Ames Laboratory while an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan.

Ames Lab 101: What is NMR?

This video feature explains one of Ames Laboratory's most powerful tools of scientific investigation and discovery: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Ames Laboratory History Profile: Samuel P. Massie

As part of Black History Month, we are profiling the career of Black chemist Samuel P. Massie, who contributed to Ames Project’s landmark accomplishments in purifying uranium for the Manhattan Project during WWII.

Ames Lab accelerates commercialization of CMI technologies through Innovation Partnerships Program

Ames Lab is using its public-private partnership strategy to tackle a perennial R&D challenge— the long and twisting road to deploying tech commercially.