Revealing the Electronic Signature of Unusual Magnetism June 9, 2026 - 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 June 9, 2026 - 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 »
Seeing Double: Dual Measurements of Ceria Provide Insights for Catalysis April 28, 2026 - In a recent study at the ALS, researchers employed an approach that combines two techniques and uses a single X-ray beam to capture both chemical and structural changes in nanopatterned ceria during catalytic reactions. Read more »
Multiscale X-Ray Measurements Reveal How Stretchable Polymer Semiconductors Dissipate Stress April 28, 2026 - 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 April 27, 2026 - 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 March 24, 2026 - 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 »
Infrared Nanospectroscopy Reveals Behaviors of Ionic Liquids March 24, 2026 - Researchers used infrared spectroscopy at the ALS to detect the molecular behaviors of ionic liquids—which serve as high performance electrolytes in energy storage devices—under varying charge bias conditions. Their insights define a direction for targeted design of ionic liquid-based electrolytes with optimized properties for energy storage applications. Read more »
Strength in Numbers: Nanopatterns Amplify X-Ray Signals from Buried Interfaces March 24, 2026 - Berkeley Lab researchers developed a new x-ray technique that uses nanoscale patterns to amplify weak signals, allowing scientists to observe chemical reactions at buried solid–liquid interfaces that were previously challenging to study. Read more »
Local Disorder Impacts a Quantum Material’s Electronic States February 24, 2026 - Machine learning tools and experiments at the ALS enabled the identification of defect-rich regions in single-crystalline Co3Sn2S2 that link to how surface electrons move. Atom-level understanding of how the surface electronic properties of a magnetic semimetal can be tuned could guide its use in advanced technologies like spintronics and catalysis. Read more »
Aerosol Chemistry Offers Clues to the Arctic’s Future February 24, 2026 - Researchers used scanning transmission x-ray microscopy to analyze Arctic aerosols, which strongly influence cloud formation and overall climate. Understanding what these particles are and how they change as they travel could help improve climate models and yield more accurate predictions of the changing Arctic environment’s global impact. Read more »