Stanford Institute for Materials & Energy Sciences (SIMES)

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July 8, 2021
News Feature
A detailed study of nickelate’s magnetism finds a strong kinship with cuprate superconductors
Nickelate materials give scientists an exciting new window into how unconventional superconductors carry electric current with no loss at relatively high temperatures.
Illustration showing nickelate and cuprate superconductors as cartoon characters that are either close friends holding hands or neighbors talking over a fence.
June 14, 2021
News Feature
Scientists discover how oxygen loss saps a lithium-ion battery’s voltage
Measuring the process in unprecedented detail gives them clues to how to minimize the problem and protect battery performance.
Illustration of oxygen atoms leaving a lithium-ion battery as lithium flows in alongside a battery whose energy is being sapped by this process
May 5, 2021
News Feature
First nanoscale look at a reaction that limits the efficiency of generating clean hydrogen fuel
With a new suite of tools, scientists discovered exactly how tiny plate-like catalyst particles carry out a key step in that conversion – the evolution of oxygen in an electrocatalytic cell – in unprecedented detail.
illustration of nanoscale catalyst particles in the form of flat, hexagonal plates evolving bubbles of oxygen
April 12, 2021
News Feature
In a first, scientists watch 2D puddles of electrons spontaneously emerge in a 3D superconducting material
It’s an example of how surprising properties can spontaneously emerge in complex materials – a phenomenon scientists hope to harness for novel technologies.
Illustration of a 2D superconducting state emerging in a 3D superconductor
March 25, 2021
News Feature
Scientists uncover a process that stands in the way of making quantum dots brighter
The results have important implications for today’s TV and display screens and for future technologies where light takes the place of electrons and fluids.
Illustration of three quantum dot nanocrystals showing atomic-level changes when they are hit with laser light
March 22, 2021
News Feature
First closeups of how a lithium-metal electrode ages
Scientists have documented a process that makes these next-gen batteries lose charge – and eventually some of their capacity for storing energy – even when a device is turned off.
January 21, 2021
News Feature
Squeezing a rock-star material could make it stable enough for solar cells
A promising lead halide perovskite is great at converting sunlight to electricity, but it breaks down at room temperature. Now scientists have discovered how to stabilize it with pressure from a diamond anvil cell.
Illustration of a lead halide material being squeezed in a diamond anvil cell
January 13, 2021
News Feature
Yi Cui will receive E.O. Lawrence Award
A pioneer in clean energy technology at Stanford and SLAC, he is one of eight scientists and engineers honored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Photo of Stanford and SLAC Professor Yi Cui
January 11, 2021
News Feature
Study shows tweaking one layer of atoms on a catalyst’s surface can make it work better
The surprising results offer a way to boost the activity and stability of catalysts for making hydrogen fuel from water.
Illustration showing a book with layers of atoms on its pages
January 4, 2021
News Feature
First glimpse of polarons forming in a promising next-gen energy material
These fleeting disruptions, seen for the first time in lead hybrid perovskites, may help explain why these materials are exceptionally good at turning sunlight into electrical current in solar cells.
An illustration shows polarons as bubbles of distortion in a perovskite lattice

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