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Why Do Batteries Sometimes Catch Fire and Explode?

In order to better understand how a resting battery might undergo thermal runaway after fast charging, scientists are using a technique called “operando x-ray microtomography” to measure changes in the state of charge at the particle level inside a lithium-ion battery after it’s been charged. Read more »

2023 Summer Shutdown Recap

The ALS is back in user operations after a 12-week summer shutdown. Most of the shutdown work centered around ALS-U tasks, including installing a full arc sector of the accumulator ring. Read more »

Vote for New UEC Members: Term Starting in 2024

The Advanced Light Source Users’ Executive Committee (UEC) invites you to participate in the election of three new UEC members to represent the ALS community. The new members will take office for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2024. View candidate statements and submit your votes by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Read more »

Immune Response Spurs Growth of “Soft” Kidney Stones

Matrix stones are an unusual type of soft kidney stone closely associated with the presence of bacteria from unchecked urinary tract infections. Researchers conducted a comprehensive study of surgically extracted matrix stones, work that highlights how host defense mechanisms against microbes can simultaneously encourage harmful stone formation. Read more »

Dahlia An, User Safety Specialist

Dahlia An is new to the ALS but not to Berkeley Lab. Read about how she works with users and beamline scientists and how it connects to her past lives as a researcher and undergraduate student instructor. And, learn how her hobbies still allow her to experiment. Read more »

Internal Currents in Lithium Batteries after Fast Charging

In lithium batteries after fast charging, researchers measured the persistence of internal currents and found that large local currents continue even after charging has stopped. The work uses hard x-ray 3D imaging in a novel way and sheds light on the causes of thermal runaway and the catastrophic failure of lithium batteries at rest. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

Improving Carbon Retention in Grassland Soil from Point Reyes

Soil organic carbon directly influences the life-supporting services provided by soils, including the production of food and the regulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide. To better understand how minerals such as calcium affect carbon accumulation in soil, researchers studied soils collected from Point Reyes National Seashore. Read more »PPT-icon-35

HyMARC Aims to Hit Targets for Hydrogen Storage Using X-Ray Science

Understanding how materials absorb and release hydrogen is the focus of the Hydrogen Materials Advanced Research Consortium (HyMARC). At the ALS, the HyMARC Approved Program was recently renewed, underscoring the key role that soft x-ray techniques have played in addressing the challenges of hydrogen storage. Read more »

Spectroscopic investigation of a Co(0001) model catalyst during exposure to H2 and CO at near-ambient pressures

We have performed near-ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy on Co(0001) model catalysts during exposure to gases relevant to Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, i.e., CO and H2, at 0.25 mbar total pressure. At this pressure, CO seems to be more efficient at keeping the Co(0001) surface metallic than H2, which is the opposite behavior as reported in the literature for other pressure ranges. Read more »

2023 ALS User Meeting Returned On-Site to Focus on the Future

For the first time in four years, users, staff, and other members of the scientific community gathered in person for the ALS User Meeting. With a new ALS director in place, the 30th anniversary of first light a month away, and ALS-U construction well underway, the occasion was primed to discuss the long-term future of the facility. Read more »