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Summer 2020 Shutdown Recap

With all the changes due to COVID-19, it is no surprise that this summer’s ALS shutdown was also affected. It began later (August instead of July) and was shorter than originally scheduled (about six weeks instead of three months). Nevertheless a number of smaller activities, many in preparation for the ALS Upgrade (ALS-U), were accomplished. Read more »

ALS Beam Status App

Ed Rim, ALS accelerator and floor operator, has written an app for you to access the ALS beam status from your iOS device (iPhones and iPads). We have step-by-step instructions for downloading the app. Read more »

ALS User’s Congressional Testimony

As a user facility, the ALS team isn’t just our staff, but also our users around the world. Carnegie Mellon physics PhD student and ALS user Ryan Muzzio shared with Congress the impacts COVID has had on his research. Click on his name to read his words and play the video to view his testimony. Read more »

Sophie Morley, Research Scientist

Sophie Morley became an ALS staff member this July but started coming to the ALS as a user in 2012. Sophie likes to surf and mountain bike, but read more to find out what she really considers to be her playground. Read more »

Understanding Electronic Structure in MXenes, One Atomic Layer at a Time

MXenes are 2D materials that can host a rich array of distinct chemical compositions that can be tuned for a broad range of applications, from energy storage to water purification. Site-specific x-ray absorption spectroscopy helped identify the unique roles of surface and subsurface transition-metal atoms in Ti-based MXenes. Read more »

A Probe of Light-Harvesting Efficiency at the Nanoscale

Using time-resolved experiments at the ALS, researchers found a way to count electrons moving back and forth across a model interface for photoelectrochemical cells. The findings provide real-time, nanoscale insight into the efficiency of nanomaterial catalysts that help turn sunlight and water into fuel through artificial photosynthesis. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

Characterization of EUV Optics using Intrinsic Mask Roughness

Researchers developed an in situ computational technique for measuring aberrations in EUV optics, taking advantage of the surface roughness of photomasks used to transfer circuit patterns onto chips. The technique will prove increasingly valuable in the characterization of coherent light sources and beamline optical systems. Read more »

The Flat Band in Magic-Angle Graphene Visualized

Researchers visualized flat band structures associated with exotic electronic phases in stacked graphene layers offset from each other by a “magic angle.” The work corroborates theoretical predictions and has significant implications for phenomena of technological and fundamental interest, such as topological phases and superconductivity. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

Site-dependent selectivity in oxidation reactions on single Pt nanoparticles

Heterogeneous catalysis is a surface-controlled phenomenon in which different surface sites often show variations in reactivity, posing a major complication for the chemical industry. Here, site-dependent selectivity in oxidation reactions on Pt nanoparticles was identified by conducting IR nanospectroscopy measurements while using allyl-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbenes (allyl-NHCs) as probe molecules. Read more »