Seminars

Tamara Alliston, PhD, is a Professor in the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery where she leads the Laboratory of Skeletal Mechanobiology. With a focus on TGFβ signaling, her laboratory investigates the interaction between physical and biochemical signals in the control of skeletal cell differentiation and the role of these pathways in skeletal development and disease. Supported by the NIH, NSF, and DOD, her group employs approaches from molecular and cell biology, materials science, and engineering to identify mechanisms of skeletal disease in order to advance the development of new therapeutic strategies. She is Director of the UCSF NIH P30 Skeletal Biology and Biomechanics Core, a standing member of the NIH Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration (SBSR) study section, and an Editorial Board member for the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and Bone. She has successfully organized a number of research conferences, such as the AAOS/ORS Workshop on Joint Crosstalk. She is the Chair of the 2020 Gordon Research Conference on Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering. Dr. Alliston’s honors include a Hulda Irene Duggan Arthritis Investigator Award, the ASBMR Harold M. Frost Young Investigator Award, the AIMM-ASBMR John Haddad Young Investigator Award, and the ORS Women’s Leadership Award.

The existing performance limitations of Li-ion batteries can be tracked to slow kinetics and irreversibilities in the chemical changes undergone by the electrode materials.Tools that provide insight into the onset and propagation of these transitions are critical for identifying the underpinnings of electrochemical function.This information must be generated at the nanoscale because reaction kinetics and irreversibilities at the level of individual particles determine macroscopic metrics and trigger architecture degradation, respectively.Synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy currently combines nanoscale spatial resolution with a suite of possible contrasts mechanisms, such as diffraction and spectroscopy.In this talk, I will discuss recent research geared toward the chemical imaging of electrochemical reactions in battery electrodes, focusing on single particles. While the focus will be on established Li-ion systems, examples of batteries based on Mg will also be discussed. I will highlight the new fundamental insight generated by the tools, including time-resolved phenomena using operando measurements. These measurements avoid relaxation of components from the kinetically controlled functional state to one that is more stable under open circuit conditions. The mechanisms of transformation will be related to their impact on material and architecture properties. I will also provide a glimpse into the future by showing how emerging synchrotron techniques can enhance the impact of X-ray microscopy in fundamental battery science.

Jordi Cabana is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to his appointment at UIC, he was a Research Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA), from 2008 until 2013. Prof. Cabana completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science at the Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (Spain) in 2004, and worked in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook University (USA) as a postdoctoral associate. He is generally interested in the electrochemistry of inorganic materials, with emphasis on redox and transport properties.

Describing materials based on their underlying topology has caused a paradigm shift in condensed matter physics in how we understand emergent phenomena. Controlling and engineering these exotic orders is key for next-generation electronics and topological quantum computers. In this talk, I will discuss how the interplay of real and reciprocal space topological order can provide tunable topological phases in a class of multiferroics called the hexagonal manganites[1,2]. Using first-principles calculations and Landau theory, I will describe how the multiferroic orders in these compounds give rise to tunable topological defects and nodal-line semimetals[3,4]. Finally I will discuss how the ultrafast control of topological phases can be achieved by the targeted probing of symmetry-breaking phonons[5].

References

[1] S.M. Griffin, M. Lilienblum, K.T. Delaney, Y. Kumagai, M. Fiebig and N.A. Spaldin.Phys. Rev. X 2 (4), 041022 (2012)
[2] F.T. Huang, X. Wang, S.M. Griffin, Y. Kumagai, O. Gindele, M.-W. Chu, Y. Horibe, N.A. Spaldin, S.-W. Cheong.Phys. Rev. Lett., 113 (26), 267602 (2014)
[3] Q.N. Meier, M. Lilienblum, S.M. Griffin, K. Conder, E. Pomjakushina, Z. Yan, E. Bourret, D. Meier, F. Lichtenberg, E.K.H. Salje, N.A. Spaldin, M. Fiebig and A. Cano. Phys. Rev. X, 7, 041014 (2017)
[4] S.F. Weber, S.M. Griffin and J.B. Neaton. arXiv:1902.10085 (2019)
[5] S.M. Griffin. To appear in J. Cond. Mat. Phys. (2019)

Griffin received her PhD from ETH Zürich in 2014. From 2015-18 she was an SNF postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab, becoming staff scientist in Materials Science Division and the Molecular Foundry in 2018. Griffin received the Swiss Physical Society Award for General Physics in 2017 and a Berkeley Lab Early Career LDRD in 2018. Griffin’s current research focuses on developing materials-specific theories, with input from ab initio calculations, to understand quantum materials including topological, multiferroic and superconducting phenomena. Applications of her work often lie at the boundary of high-energy physics and condensed matter physics. Griffin is also actively involved in promoting science in Africa, and since 2010 has lectured throughout the continent as part of the African School on Electronic Structure: Theory and Applications (ASESMA) and is a member of the executive committee for the upcoming APS US/Africa Initiative on Electronic Structure.

The Advanced Photon Source Upgrade (APS-U) project will increase the brightness of the current APS source by more than two orders of magnitude. The APS-U project includes the construction of new feature beamlines as well as enhancing existing ones with a significant improvement in brightness and coherent flux. The performance of these beamlines relies on the successful design and manufacture of state-of-the-art X-ray optics that preserve the beam wavefront and coherence. In this presentation, an overview will be given on optics simulation and characterization tools developed at the APS with their applications on beamline design and optics R&D activities.

The optical design of all APS-U feature beamlines follows an integrated approach, which combines different levels of simulations including analytical formulas, numerical ray-tracing or wavefront propagation, and mutual coherence propagation. Detailed design considerations will be presented for APS-U feature beamlines.

The APS optics group has been developing advanced coherence characterization and wavefront sensing techniques based on grating interferometry and speckle tracking. These techniques support many R&D activities at the APS and for the APS upgrade project, including the development of wavefront-preserving, adaptive and corrective optics.

Xianbo Shi is a physicist in the optics group at the Advanced Photon Source. He has many years of experience working in Synchrotron science and instrumentation. Xianbo received his Ph.D in Physical Chemistry at the City University of New York in 2010 on the study of supercritical fluids using VUV spectroscopy. His past research includes optical design of the x-ray powder diffraction beamline at NSLS-II (BNL, postdoc, 2010-2012) and design of high-luminosity X-ray emission spectrometers for ultra-fast X-ray emission spectroscopy (ESRF, junior scientist, 2012-2013). Currently, his research focuses on X-ray optics modeling and simulation, especially on the beamline optical design for the APS upgrade project. Xianbo is also an export on beam coherence and wavefront measurement techniques. His work on beamline optics simulation and characterization has been supporting a broad range of optics R&D activities at the APS and for the APS upgrade project.

Our group uses structural analyses as the foundation for engineering biology. Two different biological processes, the control of photoprotection by a modular carotenoid binding protein and spatial compartmentalization of bacterial metabolism will be used to as illustrations.

Photoprotective mechanisms play a crucial role in the ecophysiology of cyanobacteria which inhabit a range of environments where stresses like extreme temperature fluctuations, salinity and drought exacerbate the threat of photodamage. The soluble Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) and the Fluorescence Recovery Protein (FRP) function together as the on/off switch for photoprotection in cyanobacteria. The OCP is structurally modular, consisting of a sensor and an effector domain. The OCP is the only known photoactive protein that uses a carotenoid as the photoreceptor. By dissecting out the intramolecular structural determinants for light perception (e.g. pigment-protein interactions) and the intermolecular interactions that govern energy flow from the antenna in response to interaction with the OCP, we are learning mechanistic principles that can be used, for example, to develop light regulated switches for optogenetic applications.

Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) such as carboxysomes illustrate biological modularity at another scale, that of a multienzyme-containing proteinaceous organelle. Because carboxysomes and other BMCs function to organize reactions that require special conditions for optimization, including the sequestration of substrates, cofactors, or toxic intermediates and the protection of oxygen sensitive enzymes, they have received considerable attention as templates for synthetic nanoreactors in bioengineering. There are two central challenges to building bespoke protein-based nanoreactors (Apps for programming bacterial cells): the design and assembly of multi-enzyme cores and engineering of the shell proteins to serve as a selectively permeable barrier, the interface between the cytosol and the encapsulated reactions. Examples of progress in the bioengineering of BMC-based architectures for metabolic engineering and, more broadly, for the development of biomaterials will be discussed.

Cheryl Kerfeld is the Hannah Distinguished Professor of Structural Bioengineering at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Lab with appointments in the Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division and the Molecular Biophysics and Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division at Berkeley National Laboratory. The Kerfeld Group (www.kerfeldlab.org) is focused on structural synthetic biology. Specifically, we are experts in the structure, function and engineering of modular carotenoid-binding proteins that mediate cyanobacterial photoprotection and in self-assembling metabolic modules in bacteria, with the goal of repurposing these protein-based architectures into nanodevices and biomaterials for applications including catalysis, bioremediation, biomining, therapeutics.

Multifunctional quantum materials are important for realizing critical phenomena, manifesting novel switching behavior, and producing robust interface physics. The multifunctionality of topological two-dimensional (2D) materials is exemplified by WTe₂ which is a type-II Weyl semimetal with non-saturating magnetoresistance in its bulk, transforming into a superconductor under hydrostatic pressure, or transforming into a quantum spin hall insulator (QSHI) in its monolayer limit, which can then be tuned to a superconductor with electrostatic gating. In many of these transformations, the tuning of the carrier density and crystal structure has been shown to play an important role. I will discuss our progress in producing two non-monotonic changes in electronic structure of WTe₂ upon in-situ surface manipulation, realizing an interface field effect as a pathway for tuning behavior of 2D materials.

Inna Vishik received a B.S. in Physics from Stanford University in 2006, concurrent with a M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering. She received a PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford University in September 2013, under the supervision of Zhi-Xun Shen. She pursued postdoctoral research in the group of Nuh Gedik as a Pappalardo Fellow 2013-2016. Since summer 2016, she has been an assistant professor in the department of physics at University of California Davis.

Her research focuses on emergent electronic phenomena in quantum materials. Her lab develops and performs both angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and ultrafast optics experiments to ascertain electronic structure and dynamics related to these phenomena. She uses these measurements to gain insight into phase transitions and many-body interactions in unconventional superconductors and topological materials.

The problem of the phase transition in a spin glass, theoretically predicted over 40 years ago, is still not definitively resolved from the experimental point of view. We shall discuss a novel approach to this problem using coherent x-ray scattering and the technique of x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, where we have observed true dynamical critical behavior in the fluctuations of the spin glass order parameter in a classical spin glass. Possible similar future studies of other frustrated spin systems such as spin liquids and spin ices will be discussed.

Sunil K. Sinha is Distinguished Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego, now Emeritus Professor. He also has served as Group Leader in Neutron Scattering at Argonne National Laboratory, Group Leader of X-ray Scattering at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Senior Research Associate at Exxon Corporate Research Laboratories, and Associate Division Director at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source. He is a recipient of the Ernest O. Lawrence Award of the Department of Energy, the MRS Medal, the Arthur H. Compton Prize of the Advanced Photon Source, the Clifford Shull Prize of the NSSA, and the Roentgen Medal for X-ray Science. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the AAAS. His group’s research is concerned with studying the structure and dynamics of condensed matter using the techniques of x-ray and neutron scattering. Current research areas include novel magnetic materials, in particular magnetic films and multilayers, polymer films and interfaces in polymeric systems, and lipid membranes. Dr. Sinha received his Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge University.

As one of the most prominent technologies in human history, Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have significantly reshaped our life since their initial commercialization in early 1990s, while continuous improvements in materials and chemistries of their derivative descendants might dictate our energy future.

Unlike many scientific discoveries, LIB was not born at a single “Eureka” moment. Batteries (or any electrochemical device) are a system consisting of multiple components. For such a system to function, all components must be electrochemically synchronized. The lengthy history of LIB development witnessed such painful synchronization, which proceeded simultaneously with the development of intercalation science as well as its many individual components.

This talk aims to recount the history between the discovery of Li element to the commercialization of LIB in 1990s. As taught by Winston Churchill, “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Such historical retrospective brings us inspiration and insight into the future, because being able to scrutinize the antique literature with contemporary hindsight offers us the advantageous angle to witness how accidental discoveries, intentional breakthroughs, and deceiving misconceptions interplayed to generate the unique chemistries and materials for such a sophisticated electrochemical device.

Kang Xu, ARL Fellow, Leader of Aqueous Electrochemistry Team, Electrochemistry Branch, SEDD. 

• >30 years on electrolytes, responsible for numerous new electrolyte materials, concepts and mechanism. 
• Best known in the field for his two comprehensive reviews published in Chemical Reviews (2004, 2014).
• Over 230 publications (Citations >20,000, h-index 73). 
• Winner of multiple awards including 2017 International Battery Association Technology Award and 2018 Electrochemical Society Research Award.

The real-space observation of chemistry and magnetic structure using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) methods or synchrotron-based x-ray microscopy continues to have a tremendous impact on our understanding of nanoscale materials. However, although STM provides high spatial resolution, it typically lacks direct chemical contrast as well as the ability to quantify magnetic moments. On the other hand, x-ray microscopy can provide chemical as well as magnetic sensitivity, but the spatial resolution is inferior. In order to overcome these limitations, various groups have developed a new technique that combines synchrotron radiation with the high spatial resolution of STM [1-3]. The goal is to combine the spin sensitivity and chemical contrast of synchrotron x-rays with the locality of STM.

Recently, substantial progress was made on Argonne’s synchrotron x-ray scanning tunneling microscopy (SX-STM) project. In particular, we demonstrated the power of SX-STM for elemental characterization and topography of individual Ni and Co nano-islands with single atom height sensitivity [5], tested new probe tip concepts based on carbon nanotubes [6] and multilayer tips [7], and demonstrated x-ray imaging of nanoscale magnetic domains by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) contrast [7]. Further substantial advances are expected using the new low temperature (LT) SX-STM system, which has been developed over the last 3 years.

To fully exploit the special capabilities of the new microscope, XTIP, a dedicated beamline for the SX-STM technique has recently been inaugurated at the Advanced Photon Source. To meet the scientific objective of the nanoscience and nanomagnetism communities most effectively, the XTIP beamline offers full polarization over the 450-1800 eV energy range. The dedicated XTIP beamline will provide researchers access to a one-of-a-kind instrument. Among the potential breakthroughs are “designer” materials created from controlled assemblies of atoms and molecules, and the emergence of entirely new phenomena in chemistry and physics.

This work was performed at the Advanced Photon Source and the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

References

[1] A. Saito et al.: J. Synch. Rad. 13, 216 (2006).

[2] T. Okuda et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 105503 (2009).

[3] V. Rose, et al.: in Scanning Probe Microscopy of Functional Materials: Nanoscale Imaging and Spectroscopy, Springer, New York, 405-432 (2011).

[4] N. Shirato et al.: Nano Letters 14, 6499 (2014).

[5] H. Kersell et al.: Appl. Phys. Lett. 111, 103102 (2017).

[6] H. Yan et al.: J. Nanomaterials 2015, 492657 (2015).

[7] M. Cummings et al.: J. Appl. Phys. 121, 015305 (2017).

[8] A. DiLullo et al.: J. Synch. Rad. 23, 574 (2016).

Volker Rose is a physicist with Argonne National Laboratory as well as an Adjunct Professor of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Ohio University. He holds an advanced degree in physics and a doctoral degree from RWTH Aachen, Germany. Currently, his research focuses on the study of nanoscale materials by means of high-resolution x-ray microscopy techniques. He has published more than 70 journal articles and book chapters as well as given more than 70 invited talks at international conferences and higher institutions around the world. Volker’s work has been covered by media outlets including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Discover Magazine, Voice of America, and many more. Some of his research achievements and honors include a prestigious R&D 100 Award, a Department of Energy Early Career Research Program Award as well as a Pinnacle of Education Award by Chicago University.

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is a national scientific user facility at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). As part of its mission of scientific discovery an innovation in the environmental and biological sciences, EMSL looks to extend its integrated suite of capabilities through collaboration with other national user facilities such as the ALS. As we study the rhizosphere and other biosystems across multiple scales, the bright, tunable energy x-rays and high-resolution instruments of ALS allow for great scientific opportunities. Structural and chemical imaging bio/geochemical systems seem to be a sweet spot for collaboration. After a short introduction to key EMSL strategic science areas, I will present two projects where ALS capabilities provided unique insight.

In the first example, x-ray fluorescence spectromicroscopy and microtomography at the ALS were used to visualize and better understand phosphorous uptake in poplar trees. Endophyte-promoted phosphorous uptake was seen inside poplar roots, where the fixated phosphorous appeared to be in the form of an organic phosphate. Analysis of the tomography data showing increased root mass for the plants inoculated with the endophytes supported the picture of increased nutrient uptake in those plants. These results along with in-house proteomics characterization point to the biological relevance of the symbiosis between endophytes and the host plant.

In the second example, scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) combined with x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) helped us investigate soil mineral – soil organic matter (SOM) interactions in an alkaline soil from Washington state. Ca mineral–organic matter bridges were found to play a critical role in the stabilization/degradation of SOM and mineral. Micro- and nanoscale characterization of the chemical state of both Ca from the mineral and C from the organic matter was crucial for understanding such stabilization mechanisms as well as soil nutrient dynamics.

Tamas Varga is a materials scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, specifically at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology. His past work includes research on the synthesis and characterization of low and negative thermal expansion materials (GA Tech, Ph.D. Thesis, 2000-2005), thermochemistry of negative thermal expansion materials and polymer-derived ceramics (UC Davis, postdoc, 2005-2007), high-pressure synthesis and characterization of complex magnetic oxides, superconductors, and multiferroics (Argonne National Laboratory, postdoc, 2007-2009), and more recently the synthesis and characterization of novel multiferroic thin films (PNNL, 2010-2015). Currently, his research focuses on the application of x-ray imaging and spectroscopy methods to studies of biological, geological, and other materials and problems. He has published over 100 journal articles, 1 book chapter as well as given a number of invited talks at conferences and research institutions in the US. Varga has also been active in scientific editing, conference chairing, different proposal review panels in the materials science and synchrotron science areas, and mentoring the younger generation in science.

Near-field infrared nano-spectroscopy is a fusion of tip-based scanning probe techniques and Fourier transform spectroscopy that enables real space mapping of functional materials. Originally developed for use with narrow band infrared lasers, recent efforts have brought this method together with accelerator-based sources to yield significant advantages including broadband imaging. Crucially, the spatial resolution of a point scan is 20 × 20 nm² – thus beating the diffraction limit. Line scans can be carried out as well. The recent extension into the far infrared is enabling a number of new initiatives including (i) infrared nano-spectroscopy of ferroelastic domain walls in the hybrid improper ferroelectric Ca₃Ti₂O₇¹ and (ii) near-field infrared spectroscopy of single layer MnPS₃² – both of which will be discussed in this presentation. I will argue that uncovering real space spectral contrast is a transformative opportunity that will impact many areas of science.

References

¹ Infrared nano-spectroscopy of ferroelastic domain walls in hybrid improper ferroelectric Ca₃Ti₂O₇, K. A. Smith, E. A. Nowadnick, S. Fan, O. Khatib, S. L. Lim, N. C. Harms, S. Neal, J. K. Kirkland, M. C. Martin, C. J. Won, M. B. Raschke, S. -W. Cheong, C. J. Fennie, G. L. Carr, H. A. Bechtel, and J. L. Musfeldt, submitted, Nature Comm.

² Near-field infrared spectroscopy of single layer MnPS₃, S. N. Neal, H. -S. Kim, K. A. Smith, A. V. Haglund, D. G. Mandrus, H. A. Bechtel, G. L. Carr, K. Haule, D. H. Vanderbilt, and J. L. Musfeldt, submitted, Nature Comm.

Acknowledgments: Research at Tennessee is supported by the Materials Science Division, Basic Energy Sciences, U. S. Department of Energy (DE-FG02-01ER45885).

Professor Jan Musfeldt is a recognized expert in the chemistry and physics of quantum materials under external stimuli such as magnetic field, pressure, and in the limit of small size where confinement effects are apparent. Recent spectroscopic efforts include revealing the signature of ferroelastic domain walls in the hybrid improper ferroelectric Ca₃Ti₂O₇, unveiling the origin of high temperature magnetism in multiferroic (LuFeO₃)_m(LuFe₂O₄)_n superlattices, and uncovering the symmetry crossover as a function of layer thickness in the complex chalcogenide MnPS₃. During her career, Dr. Musfeldt has championed interdisciplinary education and is active in meeting and workshop organization as well as service to several different national laboratories.

With an alarming global population increase, there is a critical need for the development of multifunctional strong and tough lightweight materials for use in many societal applications. Natural systems have evolved efficient strategies, exemplified in the biological tissues of numerous animal and plant species, to synthesize and construct composites from a limited selection of available starting materials that often exhibit exceptional mechanical properties that are similar, and frequently superior to, mechanical properties exhibited by many engineering materials. Nature goes one step further, often producing materials with that display multi-functionality in order to provide organisms with a unique ecological advantage to ensure survival.

In this work, we investigate organisms that have adapted structures, which are not only strong and tough, but also demonstrate multifunctional features dependent on the underlying organic-inorganic components. We are utilizing additive manufacturing methods to help validate hypotheses based on our experimental observations as well as translate key mechanistic insights to scalable and manufacturable engineered products. Furthermore, we discuss strategies for synthesis of these bio-composites, by studying for example, the heavily crystallized radular teeth the chitons, a group of elongated mollusks that graze on hard substrates for algae.

From the investigation of synthesis-structure-property relationships in these unique organisms, we are now developing and fabricating cost-effective and environmentally friendly multifunctional engineering composites and biologically inspired nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage.

Prof. David Kisailus is the Associate Vice Chancellor of Research Facilities, the Winston Chung Endowed Chair of Energy Innovation and Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Program and the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of California at Riverside. Dr. Kisailus, a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and a UNESCO Chair in Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Saving and Storage, received his Ph.D. in Materials from the University of California at Santa Barbara, 2002; M.S. in Materials Science (University of Florida) and B.S. in Chemical Engineering (Drexel University). Dr. Kisailus was a post-doctoral researcher in Molecular Biology at UCSB and a Research Scientist at HRL Laboratories working on synthesis of materials for fuel cells and batteries. His “Biomimetic and Nanostructured Materials Laboratory” investigates fundamental synthesis – structure – property relationships in biological composites, with unique mechanical, thermal and optical properties, in order to develop multifunctional light-weight, tough and impact resistant materials as well as develop / utilize solution-based processes to synthesize nanoscale materials for energy-based applications. The ultimate goal is to be able to leverage lessons from Nature to develop next generation materials for energy conversion and storage as well as for environmental applications.

Crystalline biominerals cost energy but provide the diverse organism making them with scaffolding, shielding, locomotion, mastication, gravity and magnetic field sensing, etc. How these crystals are formed reveals how living organisms harness the laws of physics and chemistry for their evolutionary advantage, but also because it can teach us new synthesis strategies for materials with targeted properties. Recent synchrotron spectromicroscopy methods reveal one formation mechanism and one toughening mechanism:

1. Crystallization by particle attachment in diverse marine organisms, and its implications for changing ocean chemistry.
2. Slight mis-orientation of nanocrystals in human enamel makes our teeth endure decades of mastication without breaking.

Pupa Gilbert got her doctoral degree in Physics in 1987 in Rome, Italy. She was a staff scientist at the Italian CNR and the EPFL before coming to the US as a professor of physics at UW-Madison in 1999. She is a physicist with a burning passion for biology and materials science, and she studies natural biominerals, their structure, and formation mechanisms with the synchrotron spectromicroscopy methods she developed, and for which she won the 2018 Shirley award for outstanding scientific achievement at the ALS.

The boundary between the Earth’s metal core and oxide mantle plays an important role in thermal, mechanical and chemical evolution of planet. The thermodynamics of core and mantle materials at high pressure and temperature conditions govern which elements tend to be oxidized in the mantle and which tend to be reduced, forming the core. In this talk, I will show how synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction methods can be used to help determine phase stability and measure thermoelastic properties of metals, oxides, and carbonates at the extreme conditions relevant to the interior of the planet. The goal is to extend the electrochemical series to extreme conditions of planetary interiors.

Professor Kavner’s love for geosciences developed during summers spent camping, hiking, and canoeing throughout the northeast. She studied materials science and engineering at Northwestern University (B.S. 1989) and at UC Berkeley (M.S.E 1993). At that point she discovered the great materials science problems posed by Earth science, and switched fields, to Geophysics at UC Berkeley (Ph.D. 1997). She has been collecting data at various synchrotron sources since encountering her first empty hutch in 1995. After postdoctoral stints at Princeton and Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, she has been a faculty member at UCLA since 2002.

It is important to acquire detailed molecular information on hydrogen bonding, which determines the properties of liquid water and the outcome of many biochemical processes. Quantum chemical calculations and x-ray spectroscopy form naturally complementary techniques for investigation of hydrogen bonding and the influence on the electronic structure. Different levels of theoretical analysis will be discussed in the presentation. The work benefits greatly from experiments at Beamline 8.0.1 at ALS, where x-ray emission measurements of liquid water and aqueous solutions have been performed and have been analysed in terms of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and spectrum simulations.

https://als.lbl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/actrep2005.pdf

https://als.lbl.gov/exploring-structure-aqueous-solutions-salsa/

The recent development of ultrahigh-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) has, in combination with quantum mechanical simulations, allowed us to analyze highly excited vibrational quanta in liquid water, giving a clue as to how hydrogen bonding influences the long-range region of O-H potentials in the liquid. In addition, we have shown that high-level quantum chemical calculations can be used for modeling RIXS of valence-excited species and simulating excited state dynamics, which allows us to assist in the interpretation of time-resolved x-ray spectra to determine the pathways of photo-induced processes.

Michael Odelius is a professor in theoretical chemical physics at Stockholm University. He received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry at Stockholm University in 1994 working on simulations on nuclear spin relaxation, measured with radio waves. His interest has now turned to the other end of the electromagnetic spectrum, and he is working on simulations of X-ray spectra and of ultra-fast chemical processes. He was a post-doctoral researcher in the group of Michele Parrinello the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart and in the group of Jürg Hutter at the University of Zurich. Combining ab initio molecular dynamics and multi-configurational quantum chemical calculations, he studies the interplay between electronic structure, inter-molecular interactions and dynamics in hydrogen bonded liquids and in photo-induced processes.

The extreme surface sensitivity of two-dimensional (2D) materials provides an unprecedented opportunity to engineer the physical properties of these materials via changes to their surroundings, including substrate, adsorbates, defects, etc. In addition, 2D materials can be mechanically assembled layer-by-layer to form vertical or lateral heterostructures, making it possible to create new material properties merely by the choice of the constituting 2D layers and the relative twist angle between them. In this talk, I will discuss our recent transport [1] and photoemission [2] results that shed light on the intricate relationship between controlled external perturbations, substrate, and electronic properties of 2D materials. I will show that the decoration of the 2D materials with adatoms, such as sub-lattice selective atomic hydrogenation of graphene and alkali metal doping of single layer WS2 can be utilized to tailor electronic properties and induce novel quantum phenomena in 2D landscape.

[1] Katoch et. al., Physical Review Letters 121, 136801 (2018).

[2] Katoch et. al., Nature Physics 14, 355-359 (2018).

Jyoti Katoch grew up in Chandigarh, India and received her Ph.D. in physics from University of Central Florida in 2014. She held a postdoctoral appointment at the Ohio State University from 2014-2016 and as research scientist from 2016-2018. She recently joined the physics department at the Carnegie Mellon University as an assistant professor in fall 2018.

In situ and operando studies in thin film technologies are crucial ingredients for elucidationg the nanostructural evolution during fabrication and operation of thin film devices, as the nanostructure governs the macroscopic properties. Hence, grazing incidence small-angle (and wide angle) X-ray scattering has developed into a vital advanced method in this field. To sketch this development, I present highlight examples from coating technologies, namely spray-coating and physical vapor deposition [1,2], both of which are heavily used in thin film technology and roll-to-roll coating. In combination with biomaterials, new routes for organic electronics become possible [3]. Challenges involved are the high data rates during the in situ experiments [4], which necessitate novel and fast approached for data analysis [5]. Finally, as a very recent development, I will introduce the use of GISAXS in elucidating the nanostructure of flexible electronics [6].

[1] S. V. Roth: “A deep look into the spray coating process in real-time—the crucial role of x-rays”, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 28, 403003 (2016)

[2] M. Schwartzkopf and S. V. Roth: “Investigating Polymer–Metal Interfaces by Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering from Gradients to Real-Time Studies”, Nanomaterials 6, 239 (2016)

[3] W. Ohm, A. Rothkirch, P. Pandit, V. Körstgens, P. Müller- Buschbaum, R. Rojas, S. Yu, C. J. Brett, D. L. Söderberg, S. V. Roth: “Morphological properties of air-brush spray deposited enzymatic cellulose thin films”, J. Coat. Technol. Res. 15, 759 (2018)

[4] M. Schwartzkopf, A. Hinz, O. Polonskyi, T. Strunskus, F. C. Löhrer, V. Körstgens, P. Müller-Buschbaum, F. Faupel, and S. V. Roth: “Role of sputter deposition rate in tailoring nanogranular gold structures on polymer surfaces”, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 9, 5629 (2017)

[5] G. Benecke, W. Wagermaier, C. Li, M. Schwartzkopf, G. Flucke, R. Hoerth, I. Zizak, M. Burghammer, E. Metwalli, P. Müller-Buschbaum, M. Trebbin, S. Förster, O. Paris, S. V. Roth, and P. Fratzl: “A customizable software for fast reduction and analysis of large X-ray scattering data sets: applications of the new DPDAK package to small-angle X-ray scattering and grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering”, J. Appl. Cryst. 47, 1797 (2014)

Dr. Stephan Volkher Roth is adjunct professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, and beamline manager of the Micro- and Nanofocus-X-ray scattering beamline P03 including the surface science labs attached at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg, Germany. He studied physics in Bonn, and obtained his PhD at Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich, Germany, in 2001 (Prof. Dr. Petry) in neutron scattering. After his Postdoc at ESRF in Grenoble, France, he moved to DESY, Hamburg in 2004, where he became staff scientist in 2006. His research interests are sustainable biomaterials, nanoparticle formation, hybrid nanostructures, and metal-polymer nanostructures. He focuses on the investigation of coating technology for thin film fabrication using real-time X-ray methods with the aim of correlating the nanostructural evolution in thin films with their optical and electronic functionality. He has an H-index of 38 and authored and co-authored more than 220 peer-reviewed publications.

Creating, manipulating, and detecting coherent, entangled quantum states and isolating quantum systems from decoherence are at the heart of future quantum information science technologies. In this talk the new QUINTESSENCE project at the Molecular Foundry is presented. We aim to set up a quantum information instrument that opens the door for novel techniques that combine electron microscopy, surface analysis, and matter-wave interferometry. We will develop the first spin-polarized low-energy electron microscope with a helium temperature sample stage. We will construct a matter-wave interferometer with an electron biprism to directly map decoherence processes resulting from long-distance charge-surface interactions. Finally, we will develop a superconducting field-emission electron source with an ultra-low energy spread and therefore greatly increased coherence. This source has the potential to produce entangled free electron pairs with opposed spin and initial momentum, enabling research in quantum information science, Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen physics, as well as new modes of low-energy electron microscopy and decoherence mapping.
The talk will describe the current status of these experiments and present decoherence measurements in an electron biprism interferometer. Recent results also demonstrate that such a device can be used for signal transmission by a nontrivial quantum matter wave modulation that does not shift the transverse phase or position of the electron beam. This was achieved by using a Wien Filter to switch the fringe contrast between maximum and minimum. The origin of this binary encoding is a longitudinal shift between the separated matter wave packets that is longer than the longitudinal coherence length. The information is read out by a dynamic contrast analysis in a delay line detector.

Dr. Alexander Stibor studied Physics in Austria (Graz, Vienna) and in The Netherlands (Groningen). He finished his Doctorate thesis with the title: Optical Methods for Macromolecule Interferometry in 2005 at the University of Vienna, Austria, in the group of Prof. Arndt and Prof. Zeilinger. Then he moved to the University of Tübingen, Germany, to work as a postdoc (Marie Curie ER Fellowship) in the groups of Prof. Zimmermann and Prof. Fortágh on detection methods for ultracold quantum gases in magnetic microchip traps. In 2010, Dr. Stibor got the Emmy Noether Research Grant from the German Research Association (DFG) which allowed him to establish his own group Quantum Electron and Ion Interferometry at the University of Tübingen. The research focus is on matter wave experiments with electrons and ions including decoherence measurements, sensor technology and the development of novel coherent beam sources. In 2016, Dr. Stibor got the opportunity to be a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, USA, in the Atom Science group of Prof. Kasevich to create novel laser pulsed nanotip electron beam sources for quantum microscopy. Since April 2018, he has held a Physicist Project Scientist position at Berkeley Lab at the Molecular Foundry. Dr. Stibor and his colleagues (Dr. Schmid, Dr. Ogletree, and others) wrote the project proposalQUINTESSENCE which was recently funded by the DOI in the framework of the QIS initiative. Thereby, novel superconducting entangled electron beam sources and surface probing techniques by decoherence analysis are developed in connection with a new cryo-stage cooled low energy electron microscope.

As evidenced by numerous experimental and theoretical studies, application of high pressure can dramatically modify the atomic arrangement and electronic structures of both elements and compounds. However, the great majority of research has been focused on the effect of pressure on compounds with constant stoichiometries (typically those stable under ambient conditions). Recent experimental studies and theoretical predictions, using advanced search algorithms, suggest that the more stable stoichiometry at elevated pressures, and thus the chemical properties of elements, is not a priory the same as that at ambient pressure. Indeed, thermodynamically stable compounds with novel compositions were theoretically predicted and experimentally verified even in relatively simple chemical systems including: Na-Cl, C-N, Na-H Cs-N, H-N, Na-He, Xe-Fe, Ar-Ni. These materials are stable due to the formation of novel chemical bonds that are absent, or even forbidden, at ambient conditions.

By varying the stoichiometry one can design novel materials with enhanced properties (e.g. high energy density, hardness, superconductivity etc.), that are metastable at ambient conditions and synthesized at thermodynamic conditions less extreme than those required for known stoichiometries. Moreover, current outstanding questions, in geo- and planetary science (e.g. the xenon paradox) could be addressed based on the stability of surprising stoichiometries that challenge our traditional “textbook” picture. In this talk, I will present recent results and highlight the need of close synergy between experimental and theoretical efforts to understand the novel chemical properties of elements under high-pressure conditions in the challenging and complex field of variable stoichiometry under pressure. Finally, possible new routes for the synthesis of novel materials will be discussed.

This work was performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Dr. Elissaios Stavrou received his Ph.D. from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Currently he is a staff scientist in the Materials Science Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Prior to joining LLNL in 2014, he worked as a postdoc on high-pressure phase transitions, lattice dynamics, and synthesis of novel compounds at the Max Planck Institute for solid state research and at the Geophysical Laboratory/Carnegie institution of Washington. His main research interests focus on the equation of state of energetic materials and the synthesis of novel compounds under extreme thermodynamic conditions.

Fluctuations, Brownian motion or thermal noise is where materials store thermal energy. Fluctuations are what keeps materials in equilibrium or allows them to change in response to external changing conditions. X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) is a technique that uses the coherence properties of x-rays to give detailed information about structural fluctuations and their dynamics at nanometer length scales, both in equilibrium and non-equilibrium systems. After discussing the basis of the technique, this talk will discuss three aspects of XPCS. First, some of the interesting results obtained to date; second, the current status and limitations of XPCS; and finally, the exciting new capabilities opened up by new sources such as the APS Upgrade and x-ray free-electron lasers.

Mark Sutton is a Professor Emeritus at McGill University. He has more than 35 years of experience using synchrotrons. He has been involved with the design and construction of Beamline X20 at the National Synchrotron Light Source and Sector 8 at the Advanced Photon Source. His studies concentrate on equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics of systems of interest to materials science. Most recently, he has been employing the ability to perform x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy using coherent x-ray beams. This technique exploits the unique properties of the coherent radiation from undulators at third-generation synchrotron sources, as well as recent developments in x-ray optics and detector technology. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Canadian Association of Physics. He has been awarded the Compton Medal from the Advanced Photon Source and the Brockhouse Medal and the Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Physics from the Canadian Association of Physicists.

Cataracts, named for the lens opacity, remain the leading cause of human blindness in the world. The lens, mainly consisting of a bulk of elongated fibers, is like a liquid crystal to provide a focused imaging of our vision. However, the principle and maintenance of lens transparency throughout our life remain poorly understood. Cataract risk factors include aging, predisposed genetic factors, and radiation damage. I will talk about how lens transparency and cataractogenesis are influenced by lens architecture, fiber cell morphogenesis, and metabolism, and will discuss the molecular and cellular regulations of lens elongating fibers and different genetic variances of cytoskeleton and cell junctions that coordinately control lens development and transparency. I will also share a recent achievement of the generation of a bio-artificial lens by using a novel lensgineering technology in discovering new reagents in vitro for controlling lens formation. Finally, I will address the challenges for understanding the principles of lens transparency and optic properties and for developing nonsurgical approaches to suppress the cataract formation.

Dr. Xiaohua Gong is currently a full professor of Optometry and Vision Science, Stem Cell Center, UC Berkeley-UCSF. He performed his graduate studies in Bioengineering in UC Berkeley, USA. He is also an affiliated professor at Tsinghua Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, China. He received a BA from the school of pharmacy, Fudan University and MS from the department of biochemistry and molecular genetics at Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, China; and PhD from the department of cell biology at The Scripps Research Institute, and a Postdoctoral fellowship in School of Medicine at UC San Diego, USA.

Dr. Gong’s research aims to study molecular and cellular mechanisms of eye development and diseases, especially cataracts and retinal degenerations, by using multidisciplinary techniques from the fields of genetics, molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and physiology. Dr. Gong has been granted five NIH research grants since 2000 and one East Bay Community Foundation grant and a NIH/NEI core grant for vision research. He has more than 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Gong is a permanent member of the NIH Peer Review Committee—BVS study section, a permanent member of the Biology & Medicine Panel of the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong, and an editorial board member for JBC, served as a reviewer for many academic journals including PNAS, Development, JBC, J of Cell Science, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS), Experimental Eye Research, Mechanisms of Development, etc. He is a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, a member of the American Society for Cell Biology. At UC Berkeley, Dr. Gong is a member of the graduate advisory committee in the Vision Science program, a member of thesis committee of Ph.D. candidates, a member of qualifying exam committee of Ph.D. graduate students, and a member of the admission committee for the UCSF/UCB Bioengineering graduate program.

Computing is at a momentous point, as devices approach the 10-nm dimension even as new breakthrough AI/QC architectures evolve. In this talk, I will outline the framework that combines energy/dimension scaling (Moore’s law), computer error rates (Shannon computing), and modern AI architectures. I also outline how the next room-temperature computing device can be made from quantum materials exploiting the correlated electron phenomenon.

We describe a quantum materials-centric approach to enable the compute device layer for beyond the CMOS era. I will outline a number of pathways for computing devices that utilize quantum materials. In particular, I will describe the concept device (named Magneto-electric Spin Orbit Logic) used by Intel to drive high functionality materials in magneto-electrics and topological materials. In particular, the path to computing at aJ/bit (~30X more energy efficient than advanced CMOS) with 10-20X relaxation of the interconnect requirements will be described.

In the second half, I will describe the connection between AI computing and memory, identifying the key bottlenecks for reaching 1000 TOPS/W (a 100X leap over today’s GPUs/ASICs). Quantum materials, especially next-generation ferro-electrics and magnetics, can mitigate this memory wall. I will also describe the experimental methods to scale switching voltages to 100 mV (5X below advanced CMOS) using logic and SOTMRAM. Finally, a systems approach to modern computing comprehending spin/quantum circuit (the first industrially used Spin SPICE to design spin/quantum logic devices) and stochasticity that allows a holistic compute scaling will be described.

Sasikanth Manipatruni is working on building the next room-temperature transistor with quantum materials. He was the founding research director of Intel-FEINMAN center (Functional Electronics Integration and Manufacturing) and also senior counsel to the CTO of the Intel AI group. He received his PhD from Cornell, working with Prof. Michal Lipson in silicon photonics where he demonstrated ultra-fast silicon electro-optic switches, opto-mechanical non-reciprocity, and synchronization of opto-mechnical systems. At Intel, he developed materials and devices for beyond-CMOS memory/logic and built the first industrially adopted spintronic/quantum SPICE tool. He was awarded the IEEE/ACM Under-40 Innovators Award at DAC 2017, 2016 Mahboob Khan Outstanding Liaison Award, 2016 C-SPIN Outstanding Industry Liaison, and serves on several industry panels for research selection. His work is cited ~3600 times, and he holds ~200 granted/applied patents in spin/photonics/MEMS/CAD/AI/QC. He coaches middle and high school students for USA-PHO physics Olympiads.