Beamline 12.2.1, the successor to Beamline 11.3.1, achieved first light on December 21, 2017. This new small-molecule crystallography beamline, which will take over the scientific program of 11.3.1, features a number of improvements that will significantly expand the capabilities available to users. Read more »
Hybrid LED Phosphors Combine Performance and Durability
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) last a long time and are very energy efficient. However, white LEDs currently rely on phosphor materials doped with rare-earth elements (REEs) that are increasingly costly and in short supply. A new class of hybrid phosphor materials shows promise as REE-free alternatives. Read more »
A New Way to Determine the 3D Structure of Molecules
Researchers have created a sort of nanoscale display case that enables new atomic-scale views of hard-to-study chemical and biological samples. The work could help to reveal new structural details for a range of challenging molecules by stabilizing them inside sturdy structures known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
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Glowing Crystals Can Detect, Cleanse Contaminated Drinking Water
Tiny, glowing crystals designed to detect and capture heavy-metal toxins such as lead and mercury could prove to be a powerful new tool in locating and cleaning up contaminated water sources. The crystals function like miniature, reusable sensors and traps, and are known as luminescent metal-organic frameworks, or LMOFs. Read more »
Luminescent MOFs for Mycotoxin Detection
Crystal diffractometry at ALS Beamline 11.3.1 helped scientists develop and understand a new, highly sensitive luminescent metal–organic framework for mycotoxin detection. Read more »
On the Road to ANG Vehicles with Increased Driving Ranges
An international team of researchers, using gas adsorption studies, in situ powder x-ray diffraction, and single-crystal x-ray diffraction, showed that there is a way to develop a new flexible metal–organic framework (MOF) material for enhanced natural gas storage on vehicles. Read more »
A Fullerene that Breaks the Rules
Scientists used small-molecule x-ray crystallography to verify and characterize the first non-functionalized fullerene with a heptagonal ring in the cage. This new molecule changes the definition of a classical fullerene and expands the range of structural possibilities for endohedral fullerenes. Read more »