Energy Sciences Directorate

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September 22, 2022
News Feature
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Charging cars at home at night is not the way to go, Stanford study finds
A research team including SLAC staff engineer Gustavo Cezar shows that charging electric vehicles in the daytime would spread the load on the electric grid, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Photograph of a man plugging an electric cord into a gray car on a driveway.
August 1, 2022
News Feature
Study finds nickelate superconductors are intrinsically magnetic
Waves of magnetic excitation sweep through this exciting new material whether it’s in superconducting mode or not – another possible clue to how unconventional superconductors carry electric current with no loss.
A brightly colored top is seen spinning between two layers of gray, purple and red spheres representing atoms in a nickel oxide superconductor.
July 25, 2022
News Feature
A new leap in understanding nickel oxide superconductors
Researchers discover they contain a phase of quantum matter, known as charge density waves, that’s common in other unconventional superconductors. In other ways, though, they’re surprisingly unique.
Artist's illustration shows quantum states called superconductivity and charge density waves atop an atomic lattice of balls and sticks
March 9, 2022
News Feature
In a first, researchers image the full structure of trapped excitons
It’s a significant step in understanding these whirling quasiparticles and putting them to work in future semiconductor technologies.
A beam of light hits a semiconductor material, ejecting an electron (blue) which goes on to partner with a hole (orange) to form a whirling compound particle, the exciton.
March 7, 2022
News Feature
Q&A: From particle beams to cancer treatment – fundamental research that affects everyday life
SLAC’s Matt Garrett and Susan Simpkins talk about tech transfer that brings innovations from the national lab to the people, including advances for medical devices and self-driving vehicles.
Tech Transfer
February 14, 2022
News Feature
A new way to shape a material’s atomic structure with ultrafast laser light
X-ray laser experiments show that intense light distorts the structure of a thermoelectric material in a unique way, opening a new avenue for controlling the properties of materials.
Illustration shows two ball-and-stick molecules in pink and red separated by a blurred streak representing how the first structure is slightly deformed into the second.
January 26, 2022
News Feature
SLAC and Stanford researchers reveal the fourth signature of the superconducting transition in cuprates
The results cap 15 years of detective work aimed at understanding how these materials transition into a superconducting state where they can conduct electricity with no loss.
Conceptual illlustration showing a beam of light entering from the right and hitting a material, ejecting a sphere representing an electron
January 6, 2022
News Feature
First realistic portraits of squishy layer that’s key to battery performance
Cryo-EM snapshots of the solid-electrolyte interphase, or SEI, reveal its natural swollen state and offer a new approach to lithium-metal battery design.
Electron microscope image of a sample grid with tiny holes holding thin films of battery electrolyte and tiny lithium metal wires
January 3, 2022
News Feature
Revitalizing batteries by bringing ‘dead’ lithium back to life
Islands of inactive lithium creep like worms to reconnect with their electrodes, restoring a battery’s capacity and lifespan.
Conceptual illustration shows an EKG-like pulse of energy flatlining as it enters a battery, then coming back to life as it exits
November 16, 2021
News Feature
Bucket brigades and proton gates: Researchers shed new light on water’s role in photosynthesis
A better understanding of this process could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy.
water droplets on plant

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