Researchers used the ALS to study binding phases in Roman architectural concrete, revealing reactions and profound transformations that contribute to long-term cohesion and durability. The findings add to our growing understanding of cementing processes in Roman concretes, informing resilient materials of the future. Read more »
Strategies for Reducing Platinum Waste in Fuel Cells
Industry and university researchers used the ALS to explore why the platinum used as a catalyst in hydrogen fuel cells degrades unevenly. The resulting knowledge has enabled the development of simple, effective strategies to reduce the waste of precious catalyst material, lowering the costs associated with a promising green technology. Read more »
A Split-Screen View of Solar-Cell Crystallization
Researchers simultaneously monitored both the structure and function of a photovoltaic material as it crystallized from solution. The work raises the prospect of rationally tuning materials for optimal performance in photovoltaics and other light-manipulating devices, including light-emitting diodes, detectors, and lasers. Read more »
New Technique Paves the Way for Perfect Perovskites
A new solar material, organic-inorganic halide perovskites, could one day help the U.S. achieve its solar ambitions and decarbonize the power grid. A recent study reports that manufacturing could be aided by a new instrument that uses invisible x-ray light and visible laser light to probe a perovskite material’s crystal structure and optical properties as it is synthesized. Read more »
Highly Enhanced Curie Temperature in Ga‐Implanted Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals Material
Researchers report an effective and reliable method of increasing the Curie temperature of ferromagnetic Fe3GeTe2 (FGT) van der Waals (vdW) material by Ga implantation, opening a new opportunity for tailoring the magnetic properties of vdW materials beyond room temperature for future spintronics applications. Read more »
Probing the Evolution of Photovoltaic Films during the Spin-Coating Process
A new, in-beamline spin-coating platform enabled researchers to probe the structure of a promising photovoltaic material in the crucial early stages of processing. The results demonstrate the power of multimodal in situ techniques as promising tools for optimizing synthesis parameters and, thus, device performance. Read more »
Freeze Frame: Scientists Capture Atomic-Scale Snapshots of Artificial Proteins
Protein-like molecules called polypeptoids have great promise as precision building blocks for creating a variety of designer nanomaterials. In this study, rsearchers used cryo-EM, a technique originally designed to image proteins in solution, as well as x-ray scattering techniques, to characterize the structure of polypeptide nanosheets. Read more »
Nobumichi Tamura Receives 2019 Klaus Halbach Award
Nobumichi Tamura received the 2019 Klaus Halbach Award in recognition for the software he developed to analyze microdiffraction data. The first version of the software was completed just before Christmas 1999 and has been a gift for many in the community ever since. Read more »
Newly Discovered Minerals Reveal Anomalous Origins
Researchers characterized two highly unusual nickel-containing minerals, both unearthed in an ancient geological site in southern central Siberia. The findings extend our understanding of naturally occurring mineral species and varieties and provide useful insights into the environments leading to the formation of potentially valuable mineral ores. Read more » 
Mineral Discovery Made Easier: X-Ray Technique Shines a New Light on Tiny, Rare Crystals
Like a tiny needle in a sprawling hayfield, a single crystal grain measuring just tens of millionths of a meter— found in a borehole sample drilled in Central Siberia—had an unexpected chemical makeup. And a specialized x-ray technique in use at the ALS confirmed the sample’s uniqueness and paved the way for its formal recognition as a newly discovered mineral: ognitite. Read more »
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