A bimetallic material (Pd-Ni) produces hydrogen-active nanopockets that improve the efficiency and lower the cost of hydrogen storage systems. Mechanistic understanding of a Pd-Ni bimetallic system paves the way to design cost-effective hydrogen storage, opening new opportunities to develop reliable energy technologies necessary to advance the energy industry. Read more »
Catalysts Get a Boost with Atomic-Level Tinkering
A research team led by Berkeley Lab designed and fabricated catalysts by precisely tuning the co-localization of active metals—key catalytic centers for specific steps in reaction pathways—offering a new level of control over catalytic performance. Read more »
Bennu’s Ancient Brine Sheds Light on Recipe for Life
Researchers traced the evolution of minerals (“salts”) in an ancient brine, as recorded in samples from the asteroid Bennu, returned to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. The results support the idea that asteroids like Bennu may have delivered water and essential chemical building blocks of life to Earth in the distant past. Read more » 
ALS at the Far West Section of the American Physical Society Meeting
The 2024 Fall Meeting of the APS Far West Section at Cal Poly Humboldt featured over 100 students presenting research. Inspiring attendees through their expertise and mentorship were ALS colleagues Antoine Islegen-Wojdyla, Hendrik Ohldag, Xiaoya Chong, and Wei “Francis” He. Read more »
Berkeley Lab User Facilities and University of Oklahoma Collaboration Awarded EPSCoR Grant
The ALS, Molecular Foundry, and a partner at the University of Oklahoma were recently awarded a four-year DOE EPSCoR grant to study bio-inspired membranes for recovering rare earth elements from waste streams. This project aims to develop a model for resource recovery applicable across industries. Read more »
Manganese Cathodes Could Boost Lithium-ion Batteries
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are used in mobile devices, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. But supplies of nickel and cobalt, commonly used in the cathodes of these batteries, are limited. New research opens up a potential low-cost, safe alternative in manganese, the fifth most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust. Read more »
Comparative Pore Structure and Dynamics for Bacterial Microcompartment Shell Protein Assemblies in Sheets or Shells
Bacterial microcompartment proteins can assemble into multiple structures, such as sheets, shells, and intermediates. While this is shown artistically in this figure, we study the differences in the pore dynamics within bacterial microcompartment assemblies to assess potential changes in permeability. Read more »
How Bulky Molecules Improve Next-Generation Solar Cells
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 »
Mechanics of a Floating Molecular Layer for CO2 Reduction
Researchers discovered how a layer of organic molecules on a nanoparticle surface detaches to create a highly catalytic pocket for reducing CO2 to CO. The ability to probe molecular-scale events under realistic conditions with nanometer resolution will help guide the design of responsive systems for a wide range of applications, from medicine to optoelectronics. Read more »
New Insights Lead to Better Next-Gen Solar Cells
Perovskites show great promise to reduce the costs of solar power but are not yet durable enough to be commercially viable. Researchers used simultaneous characterization techniques to understand why a simplified fabrication process works so well, providing key insights to nudge perovskites closer to commercialization. Read more »
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