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How Berkelium Stands Out in a Heavy Metal Crowd

Using several spectroscopic techniques, scientists found that the element berkelium breaks form with its heavy-element peers by taking on an extra positive charge when bound to a synthetic organic molecule. This property could help scientists develop better methods for handling and purifying nuclear materials. Read more »

Could This Enzyme Help Turn Biofuel Waste into Something Useful?

A protein used by common soil bacteria is providing new clues in the effort to convert aryl compounds, a common waste product from industrial and agricultural practices, into something of value. This Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) study, which involved ALS Beamline 8.2.2, targets LigM for its role in breaking down aromatic pollutants. Read more »

Ancient Ocean Temperatures Recorded in Mother-of-Pearl

Researchers have shown that the thickness of the nacre, or mother-of-pearl, that lines the insides of mollusk shells can be used to estimate ocean temperatures as far back as the early Jurassic period. X-ray studies of modern and ancient shells help establish the method’s feasibility. Read more »

Mapping Catalytic Reactions on Single Nanoparticles

A new study confirms that structural defects and jagged surfaces at the edges of platinum and gold nanoparticles are key hot spots for chemical reactivity. The experiments should help researchers customize the structural properties of catalysts to make them more effective in fostering chemical reactions. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

ARPES Overturns V2O3 Metal-to-Insulator Theory

Researchers report on angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements performed on the transition-metal oxide V2O3. The results overturn a decade-old theory about metal-to-insulator transitions in this material and provide a spectroscopic benchmark test for future models. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

NCAA Drives Formation of Designed Proteins

A noncanonical amino-acid (NCAA) complex has been found to drive the self-assembly of a computationally designed protein. Bpy-ala, which is “noncanonical” because it’s not among the 20 amino acids that occur naturally, has useful properties that could be used to generate novel photoactive proteins. Read more »

Ptychography of a Bacterium’s Inner Compass

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) synthesize chains of magnetic nanocrystals (magnetosomes) that interact with the Earth’s magnetic field like an inner compass needle, simplifying their search for optimum environments. Ptychographic spectra of magnetosomes from a marine MTB provides insight into how these inner compasses form. Read more »

For Better Batteries, Open the Voltage Window

Electrochemical (battery) cells with aqueous electrolytes can be safe, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly, but they are limited by a narrow voltage window. X-ray absorption spectroscopy helps explain why an aqueous Na-ion system with Mn5O8 electrodes has a large voltage window and performs comparably to Li-ion batteries. Read more »

Testing the Limits of Superhard Rhenium/Tungsten Diboride

Superhard materials such as metal borides are in demand as structural and engineering compounds and for next-generation cutting tools. Researchers have now synthesized a “solid solution” of two different metal borides, demonstrating the accuracy of theoretical predictions and opening the door to more targeted tuning of desirable characteristics. Read more »