Connecticut

Researchers at the University of Connecticut, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and Berkeley Lab are collaborating on a new technique to study materials’ molecular structures through X-ray crystallography. Normally, crystallography requires purified samples of the molecule of interest, coaxed into a crystal form. But most molecules form powders composed of jumbled granules, not picture-ready crystals. A new computer algorithm and state-of-the-art laser adapts X-ray crystallography for the many compounds in powder form that scientists seek to study. The research will help identify better materials for quantum computing, sensors, and energy storage.

Connecticut-based Revert Technologies, a company supported by Berkeley Lab’s Cradle to Commerce program, uses a plug load management system to automatically turn off and on unused and underutilized appliances, like computers, screens, and office, school, and gym equipment that sit idle overnight. Their smart plug has been expanded to include demand response that relies on intellectual property developed at Berkeley Lab and validated in the Lab’s FLEXLAB® testing facility. By addressing the issue of energy waste from idle electronics, this technology can save 300 TWh of electricity annually in North America, benefiting both commercial electricity payers and utility companies.