Increasingly stringent standards for sulfur emissions from vehicles could be met with a new process being developed by researchers at ORNL and Petro Star in Alaska. Researchers are studying the amount of energy the bacteria require and whether the process will be economical compared to existing approaches. Preliminary efforts have been positive and researchers are seeking follow-on support. A deeper shade of purple . . . When scientists at ORNL talk about Deep Purple, they're not talking about the rock group.
Ozone can oxidize materials at room temperature with much higher reactivity than pure oxygen.
Collected high-purity ozone is purple in color with higher concentrations becoming deep purple. The smart surface can be formed, for example, on a single crystal of aluminum oxide by using an accelerator to implant vanadium and oxygen ions and create embedded vanadium dioxide precipitates. If intense light from a powerful laser were to strike the nanocomposite surface, the embedded vanadium dioxide particles would rapidly heat up, quickly transforming the window into a metallic mirror. Then, instead of letting the intense incoming light go through and damage delicate detectors on the other side, the smart window would reflect it back in the direction of its source, thereby shielding the internal optical components in a satellite or other surveillance system. Military personnel will use this information to assist in load planning for military vehicles being transported by planes and ships.