Stanford Institute for Materials & Energy Sciences (SIMES)

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March 19, 2018

News Feature

Study Reveals New Insights into How Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells Work

Research conducted at the atomic scale could help explain how electric currents move efficiently through hybrid perovskites, promising materials for solar cells.

Illustration of what happens when simulated sunlight hits perovskite

February 21, 2018

Press Release

In a First, Tiny Diamond Anvils Trigger Chemical Reactions by Squeezing

Experiments with 'molecular anvils' mark an important advance for mechanochemistry, which has the potential to make chemistry greener and more precise.

Illustration of soft molecules attached to molecular anvils between diamond tips

January 26, 2018

News Feature

Scientists Catch Light Squeezing and Stretching Next-Gen Data Storage Material

Combining X-ray and electron data from two cutting-edge SLAC instruments, researchers make the first observation of the rapid atomic response of iron-platinum nanoparticles to light. The results could help develop ways to manipulate and control future magnetic data storage devices.

$ultrafast electron diffraction on iron-platinum$

December 12, 2017

Press Release

Scientists Discover Path to Improving Game-Changing Battery Electrode

They created a comprehensive picture of how the same chemical processes that give these cathodes their high capacity are also linked to changes in atomic structure that sap performance.

Illustration of electrode structure for lithium ion battery

November 30, 2017

News Feature

Study Confirms that Cuprate Materials Have Fluctuating Stripes that May Be Linked to High-temperature Superconductivity

These stripes of electron spin and charge are exciting because of their possible link to a phenomenon that could transform society by making electrical transmission nearly 100 percent efficient.

Illustration of spin and charge stripes modeled by computer

November 16, 2017

News Feature

Scientists Make First Observations of How a Meteor-Like Shock Turns Silica Into Glass

Research with SLAC’s X-ray laser simulates what happens when a meteor hits Earth’s crust. The results suggest that scientists studying impact sites have been overestimating the sizes of the meteors that made them.

November 14, 2017

News Feature

Double-Duty Textile Could Warm or Cool

Clothing made from a reversible fabric, developed in part by SIMES researchers, could warm or cool wearers and keep them comfortable, bringing down buildings’ energy costs.