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ALS Work Using Microscopy/Imaging

These techniques use the light-source beam to obtain pictures with fine spatial resolution of the samples under study and are used in diverse research areas such as cell biology, lithography, infrared microscopy, radiology, and x-ray tomography.

 

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 »

Study Gains New Insight Into Bacterial DNA Packing

When bacteria are put in different environments, their genes start to adapt remarkably quickly because the proteins making up their chromosomes can pack and unpack rapidly. Researchers have now imaged this process at the molecular level, a discovery that could eventually enable scientists to develop strategies to control microbial behavior. Read more »

Unexpected Rise in Ferroelectricity as Material Thins

Researchers showed that hafnium oxide surprisingly exhibits enhanced ferroelectricity (reversible electric polarization) as it gets thinner. The work shifts the focus of ferroelectric studies from more complex, problematic compounds to a simpler class of materials and opens the door to novel ultrasmall, energy-efficient electronics. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35

Controlling antiferromagnetic domains in patterned La0.7Sr0.3FeO3 thin films

Antiferromagnetic spintronics have gained interest because they can be controlled at terahertz frequencies and are insensitive to external magnetic fields. Due to dimensional confinement as well as microstructuring by ion implantation, the spin axis of an antiferromagnetic oxide can be robustly controlled in a deterministic way up to room temperature. Read more »

Porous Electrolyte Frameworks for All-Solid-State Batteries

With the help of microtomography at the ALS, researchers developed a method to produce a porous electrolyte framework that they used to construct a working all-solid-state battery. Such batteries potentially offer a higher energy density, longer cycle life, and better inherent safety than state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. Read more »

Direct Imaging of Fracture Closure in Reservoir Shales

Using x-ray microtomography at the ALS, researchers identified and characterized the microscale factors affecting fluid flow through shale fractures propped open with sand or ceramic spheres. A better understanding of propped fractures can lead to safer and more efficient recovery of hard-to-reach oil and gas resources. Read more »PPT-icon-35 PDF-icon-35