An international research team led by scientists at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory developed a new apparatus at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS) that could help improve the efficiency of hydrogen fuel generation.
New Tools Link Catalytic Activity to Nanoscale Transformations
Science Snapshots Media Relations •
How X-Rays Could Make Reliable, Rapid COVID-19 Tests a Reality
News Release Aliyah Kovner •
Vaccines are turning the tide in the pandemic, but the risk of infection is still present. Instant at-home tests would help us return to normal, but current options aren’t very accurate. A new discovery could help get reliable tests on the market.
Improved Desalination Process Also Removes Toxic Metals to Produce Clean Water
Science Snapshots MEDIA RELATIONS •
A UC Berkeley-led research team in collaboration with Berkeley Lab has discovered a way to simplify the removal of toxic metals, like mercury and boron, during desalination to produce clean water, while at the same time potentially capturing valuable metals, such as gold.
Meteorites Reveal Magnetic Record of Protoplanet Churn
Science Snapshots Lori Tamura •
Researchers from MIT, Oxford, Arizona State, JPL, and Berkeley Lab detected the signatures of ancient magnetic fields imprinted in a meteorite’s ferromagnetic grains at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS).
The Future Looks Bright for Infinitely Recyclable Plastic
News Release Aliyah Kovner •
Plastics are ubiquitous, but they’re not practical. Less than 10% are recycled, and the other ~8 billion tons are creating a pollution crisis. A Berkeley Lab team is determined to change that. A new analysis shows producing and recycling their game-changing new plastic could be easy and cheap enough to leave old plastics in the dust.
To Design Truly Compostable Plastic, Scientists Take Cues From Nature
News Release Theresa Duque •
Scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have designed an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastics pollution. Household tap water or soil composts break the hybrid plastic material down to small molecules, called monomers, in just a few days or weeks.
Advanced Light Source Upgrade Project Achieves Major Milestone
News Release Theresa Duque •
The Advanced Light Source, a scientific user facility at Berkeley Lab, has received federal approval for the budget, schedule, and technical scope for a major upgrade project that will boost the brightness of its X-ray beams at least a hundredfold.
X-Ray Study Recasts Role of Battery Material from Cathode to Catalyst
News Release Media Contact: [email protected] •
An international team working at Berkeley Lab used a unique X-ray instrument to learn new things about lithium-rich battery materials that have been the subject of much study for their potential to extend the range of electric vehicles and the operation of electronic devices.
The Spintronics Technology Revolution Could Be Just a Hopfion Away
News Release Theresa Duque •
A research team co-led by Berkeley Lab has created and observed quasiparticles called 3D hopfions at the nanoscale (billionths of a meter) in a magnetic system. The discovery could advance high-density, high-speed, low-power, yet ultrastable magnetic memory “spintronics” devices.
Designing Selective Membranes for Batteries Using a Drug Discovery Toolbox
News Release Media Contact: Theresa Duque •
A research team led by Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry has developed a lithium-selective polymer membrane that could allow high-voltage battery cells to operate at higher power and more efficiently, important factors for both electric vehicles and aircraft.