Researchers confirmed that a radially graded, low-nickel cathode sustains reversible oxygen redox across repeated cycling, enabling high capacity with minimal degradation. This cathode could cut nickel usage in electric vehicle batteries, lowering supply risk and financial and environmental costs, while preserving energy density and lifespan. Read more »
Science Highlights
Hidden State Precedes Superconductivity in Kagome Metal
Experiments at the ALS revealed a hidden electronic phase that breaks time-reversal symmetry before a charge-density wave forms in a kagome metal. Because hidden electronic order can compete with or shape superconductivity, this finding helps guide the search for high-temperature, unconventional superconducting materials. Read more »
Scientists Uncover How Calcite Repairs Cracks in Its Structure
Researchers uncovered how calcite repairs cracks in its structure over time. These findings could improve reservoir management for extracting resources such as geothermal energy from the Earth. Read more »
Microscopy Reveals How Early Human Diets Led to Tougher Teeth
Microscopy at the ALS revealed that nanocrystal misorientation in tooth enamel tracked major dietary shifts in primates, contributing to enamel’s resilience. These structural details provide a blueprint for developing tougher, crack-resistant bioinspired materials, next-generation structural ceramics, and coatings. Read more »
Burning Questions: How Heat Shield Materials Evolve Under Extreme Heat
Superlight ablator materials are critical for protecting spacecraft under the extreme heat of atmospheric reentry. Researchers combined in situ X-ray microcomputed tomography at the ALS with super-resolution techniques to characterize the microstructural evolution of these materials during heating. Read more »
Revealing the Electronic Signature of Unusual Magnetism
Experiments at the ALS showed how magnetic Co atoms sandwiched between TaS2 layers reshape the material’s electronic structure. Understanding how unusual magnetic order influences electron movements in new quantum material CoxTaS2 could guide its use in advanced quantum technologies based on spintronics and valleytronics. Read more »
X-Ray Magnetometer Advances Characterization of Magnetic Nanofilms
Using X-ray interferometry at the ALS, researchers characterized key optical and functional properties of magnetic materials with high sensitivity. This novel magnetometer scheme could accelerate discovery of magnetic thin film materials with broad applications across modern technology. Read more »
Multiscale X-Ray Measurements Reveal How Stretchable Polymer Semiconductors Dissipate Stress
Using multimodal, in situ measurements at the ALS, researchers uncovered a two-stage process for how stretchable polymer semiconductors adapt their structure during stretching. The findings establish a multiscale design framework for conjugated polymers used in stretchable electronic devices. Read more »
A New Framework for Designing Synthetic Enzymes
Researchers engineered protein-like polymers that replicate complex enzyme functions. This work, which was verified using X-ray characterization techniques at the ALS, offers a cost-effective, scalable approach that paves the way for functional materials in biomedicine, energy, and manufacturing. Read more »
How Wildfires Transform Soil Chemistry
X-ray microscopy tools at the ALS and SSRL mapped the chemical changes inside wildfire ash particles, revealing that pyrogenic iron and manganese gradually disappeared as the soil recovered. These findings shed light on how wildfires drive transient mineral formation that impacts micronutrient cycling and soil resilience, with implications for landscape recovery strategies. Read more »
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