Energy Sciences Directorate

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April 6, 2016
News Feature
Scientists Improve Perovskite Solar-cell Absorbers by Giving Them a Squeeze
Adding pressure could improve the performance of solar cells made of perovskites, a promising photovoltaic material.
April 1, 2016
Press Release
X-rays Reveal How a Solar Cell Gets its Silver Stripes
Scientists have used X-rays to observe exactly how silver electrical contacts form during manufacturing of solar modules.
January 28, 2016
Press Release
Putting Silicon ‘Sawdust’ in a Graphene Cage Boosts Battery Performance
Wrapping silicon anode particles in custom-fit graphene cages could solve two major obstacles to using silicon in high-capacity lithium ion batteries.
Illustration of silicon particles with and without graphene cages
December 8, 2015
News Feature
To Get More Oomph from an Electron Gun, Tip it With Diamondoids
SLAC and Stanford scientists discovered that a single layer of tiny diamonds increases an electron gun’s emission 13,000 fold. Potential applications include electron microscopes and semiconductor manufacturing.
Nick Melosh holds a model of a diamondoid
December 8, 2015
News Feature
Innovation Boosts Study of Fragile Biological Samples at SLAC's X-ray Laser
Researchers at SLAC have found a simple new way to study very delicate biological samples – like proteins at work in photosynthesis and components of protein-making machines called ribosomes – at the atomic scale using SLAC's X-ray laser.
December 3, 2015
News Feature
Precourt Institute and TomKat Center Award $2.1 Million for Energy Research
The Precourt Institute for Energy and the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy at Stanford have awarded 12 faculty seed grants totaling $2.1 million for groundbreaking research on clean energy, including three grants to SLAC-Stanford collaborations.
November 23, 2015
News Feature
Atom-sized Craters Make a Catalyst Much More Active
SLAC, Stanford scientists discover that bombarding and stretching a catalyst opens holes on its surface and makes it much more reactive. Potential applications include making hydrogen fuel.
Illustration of a catalyst being bombarded with argon atoms to create holes where chemical reactions can take place.
November 5, 2015
Press Release
Researchers Discover a New Dimension to High-temperature Superconductivity
A team led by SLAC scientists combined powerful magnetic pulses with some of the brightest X-rays on the planet to discover a surprising 3-D effect that appears linked to a mysterious phenomenon known as high-temperature superconductivity.
Image - In this artistic rendering, a magnetic pulse (right) and X-ray laser light (left) converge on a superconductor material to study the behavior of its electrons. (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
November 2, 2015
News Feature
A Record-setting Way to Make Transparent Conductors: Spread Them Like Butter on Toast
A process developed by Stanford and SLAC scientists has potential for scaling up to manufacture clear, flexible electrodes for solar cells, displays and other electronics.
Stanford and SLAC postdoctoral researcher Sean Andrews with solution shearing instrument
September 10, 2015
Press Release
SLAC’s Ultrafast ‘Electron Camera’ Visualizes Ripples in 2-D Material
Using a new technology for ultrafast science, researchers have for the first time observed extremely rapid atomic motions in a three-atom-thick layer of a promising material that could be used in next-generation solar cells, electronics and catalysts.

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