Hidden Flow of Lithium Ions Points Way to Better Batteries January 29, 2019 - Experiments revealed that lithium ions unexpectedly flow along the surfaces of electrode particles, boosting the growth of lithium “hot spots” that shorten battery life. The results correct decades’ worth of assumptions and will help improve battery design, potentially leading to a new generation of lithium-ion batteries. Read more »
Locking Protein Structure to Close the Door on Cancer January 28, 2019 - While the SHP2 protein helps regulate cellular activity, mutations in its structure can lead to cancer. X-ray crystallography at the ALS and SSRL has revealed differences between normal and mutated SHP2, as well as how it binds to certain cancer drugs. These structural insights open the door to new types of cancer therapy. Read more »
Electric-Field Switching of Topological Phase January 24, 2019 - Researchers have successfully switched a topological insulator on and off by applying an electrical field. The work represents a major advancement toward the creation of a functioning topological transistor that would allow devices to operate more efficiently at lower power than conventional electronics. Read more »
A Two-Pronged Defense against Bacterial Self-Intoxication January 18, 2019 - Researchers solved the structure of a bacterial toxin bound to a neutralizing protein, revealing two distinct mechanisms for how the toxin-producing bacteria avoid poisoning themselves. The findings offer clues to the evolutionary origins of the potent toxins that enable bacterial pathogens to cause human diseases such as cholera and diphtheria. Read more »
Comparative morphology of cheliceral muscles using high‐resolution X‐ray microcomputed‐tomography in palpimanoid spiders January 17, 2019 - Spiders are important predators in terrestrial ecosystems, yet we know very little about their principal feeding structures—the chelicerae—an extremely important aspect of spider biology. Here, using micro‐Computed‐Tomography scanning techniques, researchers perform a comparative study to examine cheliceral muscle morphology in six different spider specimens. Read more »
Memristor Collaboration between ALS and Hewlett Packard Labs Propels Theory to Application December 11, 2018 - The development of an idea into a commercial product can take decades, a timeframe that allows contributions from multiple generations of scientists and requires investment in basic research. Collaborative research between the ALS and Hewlett Packard Labs has advanced the memristor, a device that can store information using little to no power. Read more »
Toward a Blueprint for Anti-influenza Drugs December 7, 2018 - Researchers obtained high-resolution structures of several influenza antiviral drug molecules bound to their proton-channel targets in both open and closed conformations. The structures provide an atomic-level blueprint from which to design more effective anti-influenza drugs that can overcome growing drug resistance. Read more » 
Palladium and Zirconium Convert Greenhouse Gases into Fuel December 6, 2018 - Greenhouse gases cause the rising global temperatures associated with climate change. At the ALS, researchers have determined that palladium/zirconium catalysts can reduce greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide by converting them into useful fuel. Read more »
Magnetic Skyrmions: Current‐Induced Skyrmion Generation through Morphological Thermal Transitions in Chiral Ferromagnetic Heterostructures December 6, 2018 - Magnetic skyrmions are particle‐like chiral twists of the magnetization that promise advances in spin‐based data storage and logic device applications. In this article, researchers examine current‐induced generation of skyrmions in heavy‐metal/ferromagnet multilayers and show that Joule heat pulses can drive topological transitions in magnetic textures and enable skyrmion creation on nanosecond timescales. Read more »
Tunable Ferromagnetism in a 2D Material at Room Temperature December 5, 2018 - Researchers combined soft x-ray spectroscopy and microscopy to demonstrate the tunable ferromagnetic characteristics of a two-dimensional layered material at room temperature. The results open up exciting opportunities for the use of such materials in low-power spintronics, high-density magnetic storage, and flexible electronics. Read more »