ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory An Atomic-Level Understanding of Copper-Based Catalysts Copper-based catalysts are widely used in chemical industries to convert water and carbon monoxide to hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methanol. There are theoretical models used to explain this reaction, but a complete understanding of the process hasRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory A New Universal Parameter for Superconductivity Scientists have been researching high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors for decades with the goal of finding materials that express superconducting capabilities at room temperature, which would be a requirement for practical and cost-effective applications. The newest materials to gainRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Aerosol Oxidation Speeds Up in Smoggy Air To better understand the effects of organic aerosols on climate, pollution, and health, researchers measured aerosol reaction rates at ALS Beamline 9.0.2. They discovered an unexpectedly large acceleration in aerosol oxidation in the presence of anthropogenicRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ALS Director’s Update: Reflections on Our Past, Present, and Future We entered the new year on a very positive note with the passage of a federal budget for fiscal year 2016 that will provide a modest increase in funding for ALS operations. OurRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Weyl Fermions Discovered After 85 Years Weyl fermions, elusive massless particles first theorized 85 years ago, have now been detected as emergent quasiparticles in synthetic crystals of the semimetal TaAs. The discovery could allow for the nearly free and efficient flow of electricity,Read More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory A Designed Protein Maps Brain Activity Scientists designed and validated via crystallographic studies a fluorescent protein that allows the permanent marking of active brain cells. The protein was then used to study live changes via fluorescence in the active nerve cells in brainsRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Signal Speed in Nanomagnetic Logic Chains A time-resolved x-ray imaging technique directly observes signal propagation dynamics in nanomagnetic logic (NML) chains. The technique can assess NML reliability on fast timescales and help optimize chain engineering for this promising ultralow-power computing architecture. Read more…Read More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Tracking the Elusive QOOH Radical For the first time, researchers directly observed QOOH molecules, a class of highly reactive molecules at the center of the web of ignition chemistry reactions. The data generated will improve the fidelity of combustion models used to createRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Spectroscopy of Supercapacitor Electrodes in Operando X-ray spectroscopy of graphene supercapacitor electrodes under operating conditions reveals changes in electronic structure and bonding. The research could lead to an improvement in the capacity and efficiency of electrical energy storage systems needed to meet theRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Peptoid Nanosheets Offer a Diversity of Functionalities Researchers at the ALS have recently observed peptoid nanosheets—two-dimensional biomimetic materials with customizable properties—as they self-assemble at an oil-water interface. This new development opens the door to designing peptoid nanosheets of increasing structural complexity and chemicalRead More Read more »