Adding “bulky” organic molecules earlier in solar-film synthesis slows crystal growth, leading to the formation of a protective surface layer that improves durability and efficiency. These next-gen materials could revolutionize solar-cell technology, offering increased efficiency, lower cost, lighter weight, and flexible solar modules. Read more »
ALS News Vol. 459
May 29, 2024
A Novel Staircase Pattern in Spin-Stripe Periodicity
Striped patterns of spins in a magnetic thin film were found to evolve under an applied magnetic field in steps reminiscent of a structure known as the “Devil’s Staircase.” Such studies are valuable for understanding competing interactions at the atomic level for applications such as magnetic sensors and spintronic devices. Read more »
Surprise Mineral Precursor Found in Coral Skeletons and Mollusk Shells
Researchers studied samples from corals, mollusks, and sea urchins, at edges where mineral precursors start to form the new shell or skeleton. There, they found a surprise: corals and mollusks produced a mineral precursor that had never been observed before in living organisms or rocks, and had only recently been created synthetically. Read more »
Probing the Liquid/Vapor Interface of a Tunable Solvent
Despite the ready tunability and industrial promise of deep eutectic solvents (DESs), there have been few x-ray spectroscopy studies at their liquid/vapor interfaces—which is relevant for their use in applications such as greenhouse-gas capture. Here, researchers probed the liquid/vapor interface of a benchmark DES using complementary spectroscopies. Read more »
September Call for 2023 and 2024 Publications
All publications resulting from work done in whole, or in part, at the ALS must be recorded by the User Office for the Department of Energy (DOE). Please help ensure our records are complete by reporting your ALS publications, especially those published in 2023 and 2024. Read more »
Researchers from NASA Ames Visit the ALS
On May 7, a team from NASA Ames Research Center visited Berkeley Lab. Dimitri Argyriou and Ashley White gave them a tour of the ALS, where they learned about heat shield work in support of the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby mission and other space-related research at the ALS. Read more »
DOE Postdoctoral Recognition Award for Rebecca Hamlyn
The Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office has recognized Hamlyn for her project: Approaching the Complex Composite Electrode Interface with operando AP-XPS. Read more »
ATLAS Masterclass Visits the ALS
In late April, the Berkeley Lab Physics Division hosted an ATLAS masterclass for high school students where they could learn about high energy and particle physics and analyze real data from the ATLAS detector at the LHC at CERN. For on-site participants, the day included a tour of the ALS. Read more »
2024 #LightSourceSelfieDay
To celebrate the 20th birthday of Lightsources.org, people working at synchrotron light sources were invited to post a selfie at a light source on social media on May 20th with the hashtag #LightSourceSelfieDay. A number of people from the ALS joined in. Read more »