ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory From CO2 to Methanol via Novel Nanocatalysts Researchers have found novel nanocatalysts that lower the barrier to converting carbon dioxide—an abundant greenhouse gas—into methanol—a key commodity used to produce numerous industrial chemicals and fuels. In one case, it worked almost 90 times fasterRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 358
ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory An Iridate with Fermi Arcs Researchers have discovered that “Fermi arcs,” which are much-debated features found in the electronic structure of high-temperature superconducting (HTSC) cuprates, can also be found in an iridate (iridium oxide) compound–strontium iridate. Read more… Contact: Yeongkwan Kim ALSRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 357
ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Skyrmion Behavior Revealed by Two X-Ray Studies Two research groups have recently published separate studies in which soft x-rays reveal how skyrmions—quasiparticles made up of spin vortices—react to external fields. Their work lays the foundation for understanding these fascinating constructs and eventuallyRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 356
ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Infrared Mapping Helps Optimize Catalytic Reactions A pathway to more effective and efficient synthesis of pharmaceuticals and other flow-reactor chemical products has been opened by a study in which, for the first time, the catalytic reactivity inside a microreactor was mapped inRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 355
ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Intriguing DNA Editor Has a Structural Trigger The molecular structures of two proteins from a family of genome-editing enzymes reveal how they target and cleave DNA. The results point the way to the rational design of new and improved versions of theRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 354
ALS Capabilities Reveal Multiple Functions of Ebola Virus Researchers at the ALS have demonstrated that a protein of Ebola virus, termedVP40, undergoes dramatic refolding rearrangements to achieve three entirely different structures for three entirely separate functions in the virus life cycle. Read more… Contact: Erica Saphire An Inside Look at a MOF in Action Researchers haveRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 353
Covalent Bonding in Actinide Sandwich Molecules STXM studies have revealed unexpected bonding interactions in two key organometallic actinide “sandwich” complexes, which are vital as industrial or bioinorganic catalysts and as precursors for nanomaterial synthesis. Differences in their covalent bonding could profoundly affect their chemical and physical properties. Read more… Contact: Stefan Minasian New ALSRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 352
Research Finds Vitamin D Deficiency Affects Bone Quality A team of researchers working at the ALS has found that vitamin D deficiency plays a significant role in the bone-aging process, reducing bone quality and increasing fracture susceptibility. Read more… Contact: Bjorn Busse Evidence for a Weak Iron Core at Earth’s Center High-pressure x-ray spectroscopyRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 351
Twist Solves Bilayer Graphene Mystery Researchers have discovered a new twist to the story of bilayer graphene, solving a mystery that has held back device development. In stacking graphene monolayers, subtle misalignments create an almost imperceptible twist between the layers that can have surprisingly strong effects on electronic properties. Read more… Contact: Aaron BostwickRead More Read more »
ALSNews Vol. 350
High-Pressure MOF Research Yields Structural Insights Metal-organic frameworks have shown promise in a variety of applications ranging from gas storage to ion exchange. Accurate structural knowledge is key to the understanding of the applicability of these materials; to learn more, researchers used ALS Beamline 11.3.1 to perform in situ, high-pressure, single-crystal x-ray diffraction. Read more…Read More Read more »