Energy Sciences Directorate

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June 22, 2020
News Feature
SLAC and Stanford scientists home in on pairs of atoms that boost a catalyst’s activity
They discovered the messy environment of a chemical reaction can actually change the shape of a catalytic nanoparticle in a way that makes it more active.
Illustration of catalyst nanoparticle and car with exhaust emissions
May 15, 2020
News Feature
In a step forward for orbitronics, scientists break the link between a quantum material's spin and orbital states
The advance opens a path toward a new generation of logic and memory devices that could be 10,000 times faster than today's.
Fanciful illustration based on electron orbitals
April 2, 2020
News Feature
A new way to fine-tune exotic materials: Thin, stretch and clamp
Turning a brittle oxide into a flexible membrane and stretching it on a tiny apparatus flipped it from a conducting to an insulating state and changed its magnetic properties. The technique can be used to study and design a broad range of materials for use in things like sensors and detectors.
Close up of strain pattern produced by stretching membrane
March 18, 2020
News Feature
An advance in molecular moviemaking reveals the subtle, complex ways a simple molecule can shimmy and fly apart
Hitting molecules with two photons of light at once set off unexpected processes that were captured in detail with SLAC’s X-ray laser. Scientists say this new approach should work for bigger and more complicated molecules, too, allowing new insights into molecular behavior.
Closeup image of molecular movie frames
February 26, 2020
News Feature
External
A better way to build diamonds
With the right amount of pressure and surprisingly little heat, a substance found in fossil fuels can transform into pure diamond.
Scientist holding diamondoid molecule moldels
February 6, 2020
News Brief
Internal
How iron carbenes store energy from sunlight – and why they aren’t better at it
These inexpensive photosensitizers could make solar power and chemical manufacturing more efficient. Experiments at SLAC offer insight into how they work.
Illustration of carbene reaction pathways
January 20, 2020
News Brief
First detailed electronic study of new nickelate superconductor
Discovered at SLAC and Stanford, this new class of unconventional superconductors is starting to give up its secrets – including a surprising 3D metallic state.
Graphic showing electronic structure of nickelate superconductor
December 3, 2019
News Feature
Study sheds light on the really peculiar ‘normal’ phase of high-temperature superconductors
It reveals an abrupt transition in cuprates where particles give up their individuality. The results flip a popular theory on its head.
Illustration of abrupt transition in normal state of a cuprate
December 2, 2019
Press Release
SLAC scientists invent a way to see attosecond electron motions with an X-ray laser
Called XLEAP, the new method will provide sharp views of electrons in chemical processes that take place in billionths of a billionth of a second and drive crucial aspects of life.
XLEAP
November 21, 2019
News Brief
Theorists probe the relationship between ‘strange metals’ and high-temperature superconductors
Computer simulations yield a much more accurate picture of these states of matter.
Illustration of a Monte Carlo simulation

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