Researchers detected nanoscale deposits of elemental copper and iron in brain tissues isolated from Alzheimer’s disease subjects. The discovery suggests new directions of study to determine the role that elemental metals might play in neurochemistry, neurobiology, and the development of neurodegenerative disease. Read more »
ALS Work Using STXM
Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) generates microscopic images of a thin section of specimen by raster-scanning it in a focused x-ray beam. The flux of transmitted x-rays is measured to obtain the image intensity. By holding the beam at a microscopic region of interest on the sample while the photon energy is scanned, chemically sensitive x-ray absorption spectra can be measured at that specific location (spectromicroscopy).
New Tools Link Catalytic Activity to Nanoscale Transformations
Transitioning to a clean hydrogen economy will require cheaper, more efficient ways to split water molecules. To address bottlenecks in the water-splitting process, researchers developed a suite of advanced tools, including a liquid flow cell that enables electrochemical studies of catalysts under working conditions. 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 »
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 »
A Closer Look at Water-Splitting’s Solar Fuel Potential
Although bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a theoretically attractive material for electrodes in photoelectric chemical cells (PECs) used for artificial photosynthesis, it hasn’t lived up to its potential. Researchers used a multimodal approach to gain new insight into what might be happening at the nanoscale to hold BiVO4 back. 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 »
The Inside‐Outs of Metal Hydride Dehydrogenation: Imaging the Phase Evolution of the Li‐N‐H Hydrogen Storage System
Hydrogen absorption and release in lithium amide involves chemical and structural change. Scanning transmission x‐ray microscopy visualizes this phase evolution inside particles, showing a core‐shell architecture, with the more hydrogenated species as the shell for hydrogenation and, more surprisingly, for dehydrogenation as well. Read more »
Machine Learning Helps Stabilize Synchrotron Light
Researchers showed that machine learning can predict noisy fluctuations in the size of beams generated by synchrotron light sources and correct them before they occur. The work solves a decades-old problem and will allow researchers to fully exploit the smaller beams made possible by recent advances in light source technology. Read more » 
Renewed Prospects for Rechargeable Mg Batteries
Contrary to previous reports, it’s possible to create a rechargeable battery using magnesium ions if the electrode material is first conditioned at high temperature. With twice the charge of lithium ions, magnesium ions hold great promise as the basis for high-energy-density batteries suitable for use in electric vehicles. Read more »
Clues to the Early Solar System Preserved in a Meteorite
Scientists analyzing a tiny carbon-rich pocket inside a meteorite found unexpected chemical signatures. Their findings are the first direct evidence that material from the outer solar system may have traveled inward long before planets formed, providing insight into the early solar system. Read more »