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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 »

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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2024 User Meeting Highlights

Another successful ALS User Meeting was held August 12–14, bringing the ALS user community together under the sunny summer skies of Berkeley, California. Over 300 participants enjoyed an engaging program organized by the Users’ Executive Committee (UEC), led by User Meeting organizers Wendy Gu, Devin Grabner, Monsuru Ramoni, and Shan Wu. Read more »

A Promising Compound for Reversible Male Contraception

Researchers found that a small-molecule protein inhibitor—screened from billions of compounds and analyzed using structural insights from protein crystallography—reversibly suppresses male fertility in mice. The work addresses the pressing need for more contraceptive options that enable all individuals to control their own fertility. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

A New Way to “Squeeze” Infrared Wavelengths Down to Size

Researchers demonstrated a new way to confine, or “squeeze,” infrared light by coupling photons with phonons (lattice vibrations) within a certain type of thin film. The work heralds a new class of optical materials for controlling infrared light, with potential applications in photonics, sensors, and microelectronic heat management. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Window to Open in October

Applications for the next round of ALS Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowships are due November 1 for a start date of May 1, 2025. Fellows spend a year in residence at the ALS pursuing research projects in teams that include staff and the user community, and are exposed to current scientific challenges that can be tackled using advanced synchrotron radiation tools. Read more »

4f-Orbital Mixing Increases the Magnetic Susceptibility of Cp’3Eu

The ability to harness the 4f-orbital anisotropies and magnetic susceptibilities of lanthanide elements is key to their application in molecular magnetism, including as molecular qubits and single-molecule magnets. Here, 4f orbital mixing and its impact on the magnetic susceptibility of a trivalent Eu organometallic complex was analyzed experimentally. Read more »

Mechanism of an Economical Way to Produce Al–Ce Alloy

A time-resolved diffraction study conducted at the ALS revealed mechanistic insight into a multi-step chemical reaction for the economical production of aluminum–cerium alloy, a high-performance material with superior temperature stability. The results provide crucial information for the application of the method on an industrial scale. Read more »PPT-icon-35