The ALS is back in user operation after more than two months of shutdown. By now, more than 80% of the Accumulator Ring (AR) has been installed, as well as both of its radio frequency (RF) cavities. A number of other tasks were also completed. Read more »
All News & Updates
Tracking Oxidation in “High-Entropy” Alloys with Multiple Principle Elements
For extreme applications such as nuclear fusion reactors and high-temperature jet engines, scientists are experimenting with “high-entropy” alloys that consist of many metals mixed together in equal proportions. In this work, researchers begin to unravel how these materials degrade under high-temperature oxidative environments. Read more »
Studying Interfacial Effects in Solid-Electrolyte Batteries
An ambient-pressure probe of a solid electrolyte revealed how surface electrochemical mechanisms lead to poor electrolyte performance and battery failure. The results can help scientists engineer better coatings and interfaces, which are essential for building safer and better-performing batteries, particularly for use in vehicles. Read more »
The Spatial Dynamics of Bone Remodeling During Lactation
To mobilize the minerals needed for milk production, osteocytes—the cells responsible for maintaining bone quality—facilitate the release of calcium and other minerals from the bone matrix surrounding them. In this study, researchers investigated how osteocytes balance the rapid release of calcium with maintaining bone integrity. Read more »
Protein Pioneer: Enabling Scientists to Design Novel Proteins for the Future
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper for the development of protein structure prediction and design. At the ALS, Baker leveraged high-throughput small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and protein crystallography capabilities to design novel proteins and pave a new pathway for science, technology, and the environment. Read more »
David Shapiro Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society
David Shapiro has been elected as a 2024 Fellow of the American Physical Society. The Council of Representatives recognizes him “for pioneering work in the development of the lensless diffractive imaging method, x-ray ptychography, and the scientific use of this imaging technique for important energy, chemical, materials, magnetic, physics, and biological uses.”
Manganese Cathodes Could Boost Lithium-ion Batteries
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are used in mobile devices, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. But supplies of nickel and cobalt, commonly used in the cathodes of these batteries, are limited. New research opens up a potential low-cost, safe alternative in manganese, the fifth most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust. Read more »
Electronic energy transfer ionization in naphthalene–CO2 clusters reveals excited states of dry ice
The interaction between CO2 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is of interest in astrochemically relevant ices, the transition to renewable energy, and the development of green chemistry. We investigate the VUV excitation of the naphthalene–CO2 complex and observe excited states of CO2 through a newly identified electronic energy transfer ionization mechanism. Read more »
COSMIC Scattering Team Receives 2024 Klaus Halbach Instrumentation Award
The 2024 Klaus Halbach Award for Innovative Instrumentation at the ALS was presented at the annual User Meeting to the COSMIC Scattering Team “for the development of x-ray imaging and x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy instrumentation for investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics of functional magnetic and quantum materials at ALS Beamline 7.0.1.1.” Read more »
Mel Sibony Receives 2024 Tim Renner User Services Award
In celebration of his work, the ALS Users’ Executive Committee presented Mel Sibony with the 2024 Tim Renner User Services Award “for outstanding support of the ALS user community through the development and maintenance of the 4D software system and database and computer hardware at the ALS.”
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