This photo shows a small fuel cell inside of a sample chamber at SLAC's SSRL. This experimental station allows scientists to study fuel cells under more realistic conditions.
Diagram with icons depicting how X-ray studies, machine learning and lab work (left) were used to study electrode nanoparticles (center) for batteries used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics and solar power (right).
How quickly a battery electrode decays depends on properties of individual particles in the battery – at first. Later on, the network of particles matters more.
The work sheds light on the web of hydrogen bonds that gives water its strange properties, which play a vital role in many chemical and biological processes.
Stanford postdoctoral researcher Stephen Dongmin Kang, left, demonstrates how he works at a modular glovebox workstation while Stanford postdoc Jungjin Park works at a neighboring computer in a SLAC battery lab.
