Will Chueh of Stanford University is the 2023 winner of the Shirley award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement at the ALS. His selection recognizes Chueh’s deep contributions in operando soft x-ray spectromicroscopy for imaging electrochemical redox phenomena—images and movies for battery and electrocatalytic reactions. Read more »
Imaging Topological Magnetic Monopoles in 3D
Researchers created topologically stable magnetic monopoles and imaged them in 3D with unprecedented spatial resolution using a technique developed at the ALS. The work enables the study of magnetic monopole behavior for both fundamental interest and potential use in information storage and transport applications. Read more »
A Machine-Learning Approach to Better Batteries
Researchers extracted the relationship between strain and composition in a battery material by applying machine-learning methods to atomic-scale images. The work could lead to more durable batteries and also highlights the potential of integrating microscopy techniques with machine learning to gain insights into complex materials. Read more »
Enhancing the inherent catalytic activity and stability of TiO2 supported Pt single-atoms at CeOx–TiO2 interfaces
Single atoms with atomically coordinated reaction centers are considered next-generation catalysts. However, there is concern about their thermodynamic vulnerabilities and whether their inherent catalytic nature is superior compared with that of larger nanoparticles. Here, we address the two controversies by a comparative study using two catalysts. Read more »
How X-Rays Can Make Better Batteries
In order to help our nation meet its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, scientists like William Chueh and David Shapiro are working together to come up with new strategies to design safer, long-distance batteries made from sustainable, Earth-abundant materials. They discuss their pioneering work in this Q&A. Read more »
A Multiscale Picture of Oxygen Loss in Battery Electrodes
In lithium-ion batteries, oxygen atoms leak out of electrode particles as the lithium moves back and forth between electrodes. Now, researchers have measured this process at multiple length scales, showing how the oxygen loss changes the electrode’s structure and chemistry, gradually reducing the amount of energy it can store. Read more »
X-Ray Experiments, Machine Learning Could Trim Years Off Battery R&D
Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy at the ALS’s COSMIC beamline contributed to a battery study that used an innovative approach to machine learning to speed up the learning curve about a process that shortens the life of fast-charging lithium batteries. It represents the first time this brand of “scientific machine learning” was applied to battery cycling. Read more »
A COSMIC Approach to Nanoscale Science
COSMIC, a multipurpose x-ray instrument, has made headway since its launch less than two years ago, with groundbreaking contributions in fields ranging from batteries to biominerals. Its capabilities include world-leading microscopy resolution, extreme chemical sensitivity, and ultrafast scanning speed. Read more »
Reversible Room-Temperature Fluoride-Ion Insertion in a Tunnel-Structured Transition Metal Oxide Host
Fluoride ions show promise as charge carriers in batteries but have limited cyclability. Here we show the reversible and homogeneous topochemical insertion/deinsertion and bulk diffusion of F ions within the one-dimensional tunnels of submicrometer-sized FeSb2O4 particles at room temperature. Read more »
COSMIC Probes Evolution of Single-Atom Platinum Catalyst
Researchers synthesized a single-atom platinum catalyst that outperformed, by a factor of 15, conventional platinum-based catalysts, which are used for fuel cells and automotive emissions control. Operando x-ray spectromicroscopy at the ALS’s COSMIC beamline revealed how electronic interactions affect the material’s morphology. Read more »