Stanford Institute for Materials & Energy Sciences (SIMES)

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April 20, 2016
News Feature
Peering Deep Into Materials with Ultrafast Science
Laser light exposes the properties of materials used in batteries and electronics.
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.
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 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 30, 2015
News Feature
Researchers Develop 'Invisible Wires' That Could Improve Solar Cell Efficiency
SIMES scientists have discovered how to make the electrical wiring on top of solar cells nearly invisible to incoming light. The new design, which uses silicon nanopillars to hide the wires, could dramatically boost solar-cell efficiency.
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
October 29, 2015
News Feature
Scientists Get First Glimpse of Conductivity That Could Break Size Barriers for Memory
A Stanford/SLAC study of an exotic material known as a magnetic insulator found the walls between its magnetic regions are conductive, opening new approaches to memory storage.
An illustration of electrically conductive areas (blue) along the boundaries of tiny magnetic regions, or domains, in chunky grains of a material that normally doesn’t conduct electricity.

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