What they learned could help manufacturers design more reliable and longer-lasting batteries for smartphones and cars.

In the decade since LCLS produced its first light, it has pushed boundaries in countless areas of discovery.

New research offers the first complete picture of why a promising approach of stuffing more lithium into battery cathodes leads to their failure. A better understanding of this could be the key to smaller phone batteries and electric cars that drive farther between charges.

Experiments at SLAC and Berkeley Lab uproot long-held assumptions and will inform future battery design.