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 »
Looking Inside a Battery with Infrared Light
Researchers have developed a new infrared methodology with unparalleled spatial and chemical imaging capabilities that helps to characterize processes at the interfaces between electrodes and electrolytes, with an eye toward bringing increased safety, lifetime, and energy density to the next-generation solid-state battery market. 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 Photoelectrode Protection Scheme for Solar-Fuel Production
Microscopy, spectroscopy, and computational studies of a promising artificial-photosynthesis material led researchers to develop a model photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell with remarkable stability and longevity as it selectively converts sunlight and carbon dioxide into two promising sources of renewable fuels—ethylene and hydrogen. Read more »
Improving the Efficiency of Atmospheric Water Harvesting
Researchers traced the step-by-step path of water-molecule uptake in a porous compound, then made pinpoint modifications to shape the material’s water-sorption behavior. The results led to improvements in the compound’s efficiency at harvesting water from the air, an important step toward alleviating water shortages in the future. Read more » 
Revealing Lithium Metal’s Electronic Structure
Spectroscopy at the ALS and theoretical calculations at the Molecular Foundry revealed the intrinsic spectroscopic signature of lithium metal and explained the origin of previous contradictory reports. The findings provide a benchmark for further studies of lithium compounds towards batteries with higher capacity and energy density. Read more »
Synergistic Engineering of Side Chains and Backbone Regioregularity of Polymer Acceptors for High-Performance All-Polymer Solar Cells with 15.1% Efficiency
Researchers developed a series of polymer acceptors with controlled backbone regioregularities and side chain structures. All-polymer solar cells based on a RRg-C20 acceptor which has a regioregular backbone and optimal side chain length achieve a high power conversion efficiency of 15.12%, attributed to high electron mobility and optimal blend morphology. Read more »
Synthesis of new two-dimensional titanium carbonitride Ti2C0.5N0.5Tx MXene and its performance as an electrode material for sodium-ion battery
Researchers report on the synthesis and characterization of a new 2D carbonitride MXene, Ti2C0.5N0.5. They explore the performance of this new MXene as electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). It outperformed its carbide counterpart (i.e., Ti2C) and all the other reports for multilayer MXenes in SIBs, and it showed a stable electrochemical performance over 500 cycles. Read more »
New Device Advances Commercial Viability of Solar Fuels
A Berkeley Lab research team developed a new artificial photosynthesis device component that exhibits remarkable stability and longevity as it selectively converts sunlight and carbon dioxide into two promising sources of renewable fuels—ethylene and hydrogen. Read more »
Nanoscale Confinement of Photo-Injected Electrons at Hybrid Interfaces
Picosecond time-resolved x-ray photoemission spectroscopy provides real-time electron distributions of donors and acceptors in a prototypical bipyridyl-ZnO hybrid light harvesting system. The measurements show that photo-injected electrons remain localized within the defect-rich surface region of the nanoporous ZnO substrate, revealing a challenge for the extraction of free charge carriers. Read more »
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 11
- Next Page »
