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Argonne National Laboratory is a science and engineering research national laboratory operated by the University of Chicago Argonne LLC for the United States Department of Energy located in Lemont, Illinois, outside Chicago. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest. Argonne was initially formed to carry out Enrico Fermi's work on nuclear reactors as part of the Manhattan Project, and it was designated as the first national laboratory in the United States on July 1, 1946. In the post-war era the lab focused primarily on non-weapon related nuclear physics, designing and building the first power-producing nuclear reactors, helping design the reactors used by the USA's nuclear navy, and a wide variety of similar projects. In 1994, the lab's nuclear mission ended, and today it maintains a broad portfolio in basic science research, energy storage and renewable energy, environmental sustainability, supercomputing, and national security.

Resurrecting niobium for quantum science

“For years, niobium was considered an underperformer when it came to superconducting qubits. Now scientists supported by Q-NEXT have found a way to engineer a high-performing niobium-based qubit and so take advantage of niobium’s superior qualities. When it …

Major milestone achieved in new quantum computing architecture

“Breakthrough realized for retaining quantum information in a single-electron quantum bit Argonne and partners attained a major milestone toward quantum computing based on single-electron qubits: nearly a thousand-fold increase in coherence time and a first demonstration of scale-up. Coherence stands …

Extracting a clean fuel from water

“A plentiful supply of clean energy is lurking in plain sight. It is the hydrogen we can extract from water (H2O) using renewable energy. Scientists are seeking low-cost methods for producing clean hydrogen from water to replace fossil fuels, as …

An electric vehicle battery for all seasons

“Many owners of electric vehicles worry about how effective their battery will be in very cold weather. Now a new battery chemistry may have solved that problem. In current lithium-ion batteries, the main problem lies in the liquid electrolyte. This …

Argonne’s self-driving lab accelerates the discovery process for materials with multiple applications

“Autonomous discovery lab leading the way in transforming scientific research on sustainable and bio-inspired microelectronics. Researchers have a new scientific tool called Polybot, combining the power of artificial intelligence with robotics. Potential applications include speeding up the discovery of wearable …

How Argonne is pushing the boundaries of quantum technology research

“Quantum mechanics holds the potential to revolutionize computing, communication and sensing. Argonne National Laboratory is leading the way. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory is making exciting advances in quantum information science (QIS). QIS explores …

Ultrasmall swirling magnetic vortices detected in iron-containing material

“A multi-institutional team discovered surprising properties in a magnetic material. This discovery could be applicable to information storage, such as computer memory and high-efficiency microelectronics. Microelectronics forms the foundation of much modern technology today, including smartphones, laptops and even supercomputers …

An innovative twist on quantum bits: Tubular nanomaterial of carbon makes ideal home for spinning quantum bits

“Scientists find that a tubular nanomaterial of carbon makes for ideal host to keep quantum bits spinning in place for use in quantum information technologies. Scientists are vigorously competing to transform the counterintuitive discoveries about the quantum realm from a …

Lithium-sulfur batteries are one step closer to powering the future

“With a new design, lithium-sulfur batteries could reach their full potential. Batteries are everywhere in daily life, from cell phones and smart watches to the increasing number of electric vehicles. Most of these devices use well-known batteries”>lithium-ion battery technology …

Designing better battery electrolytes

“Looking at the future of battery materials. Designing a battery is a three-part process. You need a positive electrode, you need a negative electrode, and — importantly — you need an electrolyte that works with both electrodes. An electrolyte is the battery …