The most expensive component of a battery, the cathode, requires rare transition metals like cobalt. Previous attempts to replace cobalt with inexpensive and non-toxic manganese delivered insufficient performance. Now, researchers have optimized the composition of high-energy-density, high-capacity manganese-based cathodes. Read more »
2018 Shutdown Recap
Users have returned to the ALS after a six-week summer shutdown. Among the many small and large changes, we performed a major upgrade of the HVAC system that will stabilize the temperature throughout the experimental hall. None of the changes will affect the delivery of light. Read more »
Oxygen Vacancies Matter in the LaNiO3 Metal–Insulator Transition
Electronic structure measurements using x-ray absorption spectroscopy suggest that oxygen vacancies contribute to the metal–insulator transition in ultrathin films of LaNiO3. The results give scientists another “knob” to turn to tune this important transition, which could be useful for making advanced electronic devices. Read more »
Infrared Beams Show Cell Types in a Different Light
By shining highly focused infrared light on living cells, scientists hope to unmask individual cell identities and to diagnose whether the cells are diseased or healthy. Their focus is on developing a rapid, noninvasive way to easily identify cell types and features within living cells, to aid in biological and medical research. Read more »
Jeff Neaton, Energy Sciences Associate Laboratory Director
Jeff Neaton is the Energy Sciences Associate Laboratory Director. He joined Berkeley Lab as a postdoc at the Molecular Foundry in 2003 before becoming a staff scientist. While maintaining his research program, he has also taken on many leadership responsibilities at the Lab. Read more »
3D Localization of Nanoscale Battery Reactions
A new tool lets researchers pinpoint the locations of chemical reactions happening inside batteries in three dimensions at the nanoscale level. Combining ptychography, tomography, and spectroscopy, Nanosurveyor 1 is a multidimensional tool providing novel insight into the design of next-generation batteries and devices. Read more »
