Nanoscale analyses of Martian meteorites suggest that organic carbon on Mars may have been formed by electrochemical reactions between briny liquids and volcanic minerals, as might occur in a galvanic cell. The study has major implications for astrobiology and could also shed light on the reactions that led to life on the early Earth. 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).
Hidden Flow of Lithium Ions Points Way to Better Batteries
Experiments revealed that lithium ions unexpectedly flow along the surfaces of electrode particles, boosting the growth of lithium “hot spots” that shorten battery life. The results correct decades’ worth of assumptions and will help improve battery design, potentially leading to a new generation of lithium-ion batteries. Read more »
Memristor Collaboration between ALS and Hewlett Packard Labs Propels Theory to Application
The development of an idea into a commercial product can take decades, a timeframe that allows contributions from multiple generations of scientists and requires investment in basic research. Collaborative research between the ALS and Hewlett Packard Labs has advanced the memristor, a device that can store information using little to no power. Read more »
Magnetic Skyrmions: Current‐Induced Skyrmion Generation through Morphological Thermal Transitions in Chiral Ferromagnetic Heterostructures
Magnetic skyrmions are particle‐like chiral twists of the magnetization that promise advances in spin‐based data storage and logic device applications. In this article, researchers examine current‐induced generation of skyrmions in heavy‐metal/ferromagnet multilayers and show that Joule heat pulses can drive topological transitions in magnetic textures and enable skyrmion creation on nanosecond timescales. Read more »
Miscibility–Function Relations in Organic Solar Cells: Significance of Optimal Miscibility in Relation to Percolation
In this article, Ye et al. present the determination of liquidus miscibility and its temperature dependence of organic films by scanning transmission x‐ray microscopy and outline an approach to convert liquidus miscibility to an effective Flory‐Huggins interaction parameter χ, which will pave a way to predict morphology and processing strategies of polymer solar cells. Read more »
Nanoscale Characterization of Iron and Calcium in the Alzheimer’s Brain
The amyloid plaques that accumulate in Alzheimer’s disease contain stores of iron. Using scanning transmission x-ray microscopy, researchers have characterized the iron’s chemical states in unprecedented detail. Their nanoscale analysis revealed excessive chemical reduction of the iron, which can release damaging free radicals. Read more »
From Moon Rocks to Space Dust: Berkeley Lab’s Extraterrestrial Research
Berkeley Lab has a well-storied expertise in exploring samples of extraterrestrial origin. This research—which has helped us to understand the makeup and origins of objects within and beyond our solar system—stems from long-standing core capabilities in structural and chemical analyses and measurement at the microscale and nanoscale. Read more »
Rational Optimization of Organic Solar-Cell Materials
Researchers have established a new quantitative model that connects molecular interactions in organic solar-cell materials to device performance. The work suggests a way to quickly identify ideal material mixtures and processing methods, bypassing trial-and-error strategies and minimizing labor-intensive synthesis. Read more » 
Ingredients for Life Revealed in Meteorites
X-ray absorption spectroscopy and other techniques were used to measure the organic chemical components in a pair of meteorites that crashed to Earth in 1998. The study treads new ground in solar system history and asteroid geology, surfacing exciting possibilities for the existence of life elsewhere in Earth’s neighborhood. Read more »
A Path to a Game-Changing Battery Electrode
If you add more lithium to the positive electrode of a lithium-ion battery, it can store much more charge in the same amount of space, theoretically powering an electric car 30 to 50 percent farther between charges. But these lithium-rich cathodes quickly lose voltage, and years of research have not been able to pin down why—until now. Read more »