Infrared Light Reveals Microstripes at Insulator-Metal Transition April 19, 2019- In this study of a current-driven insulator-to-metal transition, a distinctive stripe pattern develops between the insulating and metallic phases. The work reveals remarkable new features of electrically induced insulator-to-metal transitions in materials with potential applications in energy-efficient memory and transistor devices. Read more »
Antibody Uses Mimicry to Block SARS Coronavirus April 17, 2019- Protein structures not only revealed how SARS and MERS antibodies inhibit the viruses from attaching to host cells, they also revealed an unprecedented example of receptor mimicry that triggers the cell-invasion machinery of the SARS virus. The results inform efforts to prevent and treat these serious, often deadly, respiratory diseases. Read more »
Team Chemistry Powers Industry Collaborations at the ALS March 26, 2019- At the ALS, industry users find scientific experts and specialized facilities. Their collaboration drives discovery in a variety of fields, yielding results that are greater than the sum of their parts. Read more »
Evidence of a Long-Predicted Magnet March 24, 2019- Half a century ago, theorists proposed a novel way for materials to produce a magnetic field. Now, scientists have discovered a uranium compound that bears out that long-ago theory—a new type of magnet that holds promise for enhancing the performance of data storage technologies. Read more »
Absorber Captures Excess Chemotherapy Drugs March 22, 2019- Researchers have designed a biomedical device for absorbing excess chemotherapy drugs during cancer treatment, characterizing the active surface layer using x-ray microtomography. The work opens up a new route to fighting cancer that minimizes drug toxicity and enables personalized, targeted, high-dose chemotherapy. Read more » 
Fingerprint Oxygen Redox Reactions in Batteries through High-Efficiency Mapping of Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering March 22, 2019- We provide a comprehensive analysis and an explicit interpretation of the five evolving components of O-K mRIXS of the typical battery electrode that involves lattice oxygen redox reactions upon cycling. This work is the first benchmark for a complete assignment of all the important mRIXS features collected from battery materials, and thus delivers guidelines for future studies of oxygen redox reactions. Read more »
A Nanoscale View of Defect Effects on Band Structure March 19, 2019- In the first comprehensive study at the ALS involving nanoARPES, researchers probed the electronic effects of defects in monolayer tungsten disulfide at the nanoscale. The extremely small scale of the measurements makes nanoARPES a great discovery tool that will be particularly useful for understanding new materials as they are invented. Read more »
Gas‐Phase Synthesis of Triphenylene (C18H12) March 18, 2019- The cover image shows the triphenylene molecule as a potential precursor to two‐dimensional graphite nanosheets in the interstellar medium. The barrier‐less, exoergic nature of the reaction reveals a versatile reaction mechanism that may drive molecular mass growth processes in cold environments in deep space. Read more »
Reversible Lattice-Oxygen Reactions in Batteries March 15, 2019- Researchers quantified a strong, beneficial, and reversible (over hundreds of cycles) chemical reaction involving oxygen ions in the crystal lattice of battery electrode materials. The results open up new ways to explore how to pack more energy into batteries with electrodes made out of low-cost, common materials. Read more » 
Salt in the Amazon Air Comes from Local Fungi February 25, 2019- The abundant salt in the atmosphere above the Amazon basin has long been attributed to the Atlantic Ocean. But now, using the Advanced Light Source, scientists have found that much of it originates much more locally: fungal spores in the rainforest. Pinpointing the origin will improve climate models and understanding of rainforest ecosystems. Read more »