The electron mobility and other unique features of graphene hold great promise for nanoscale electronics and photonics, but graphene has no bandgap. Now Berkeley Lab researchers have engineered a bandgap in bilayer graphene that can be precisely controlled from 0 to .25 electron volts at room temperature, making possible new kinds of nanotransistors and nanoscale optical devices in the infrared range. More>
In The News: Jatropha All Washed Up? ‘Dream’ Biofuel is Also Water Hog[Technology Review] A comprehensive new analysis of water use in biofuel crop production finds that jatropha, an oil-rich plant championed for its ability to grow in arid regions where food crops cannot, is the biggest water hog of them all. Chris Somerville, with Berkeley Lab’s Physical Bioscences Division and Energy Biosciences Institute Director, says he's not that surprised by the study's findings. "Jatropha is a wild species and probably has a terrible harvest index [ratio of yield to the total harvest] because no breeding has been done yet," he says. More>
The most recent issue of the Energy Biosciences Institute’s bimonthly newsletter, EBInsider, features articles on the EBI energy farm at the University of Illinois (an EBI partner along with Berkeley Lab), surface kinetics in cellulosic plant material, potential pests and pathogens of biofuel feedstock, and bacterial genomics for carbon storage potential. It also includes a profile of Anne Heinze Silvis, with the University of Illinois, who is studying engagement with and communication among biofuel stakeholders.
Employees should be aware that Berkeley High School’s graduation ceremony takes place tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Greek Theater. Those traveling to or from the Lab prior to that time will likely meet with heavy traffic in the area and should use alternate routes, if possible.
An article posted in yesterday’s edition of Today at Berkeley Lab on talks about Export Control Regulation didn’t include the e-mail link for registration. Go here to sign up for either the 10:30 a.m. or 2 p.m. session, or call x7026.
Today at Berkeley Lab is produced by Public Affairs' Communications Department
