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Chemistry and catalysis RSS feed

Catalysts are the unsung heroes of chemistry, accelerating reactions used to make fertilizers, fuels and consumer products. Our work aims to make catalysts more efficient and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Energy sciences

Depiction of four techniques used to study a single-atom catalyst.

news collection

Two of the most urgent challenges of our time – clean energy and sustainability – require investigation at the atomic level.

Aerial image of workers installing solar panels on a home.
News Feature

Two GEM Fellows reflect on their summer internships at SLAC and share their thoughts on representation and mentorship.

Nate Keyes and Zariq George
News Feature

Encapsulating precious-metal catalysts in a web-like alumina framework could reduce the amount needed in catalytic converters – and our dependency on these scarce metals.

A web of red material encapsulates blue polyhedrons.
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Studies of atomic-level processes that drain battery life and efficiency help improve battery performance. 
Studies of atomic-level processes that drain battery life and efficiency help improve battery performance.
Illustration
A new technique allows scientists to map how electrons flow in the oxygen-evolving complex of Photosystem II. The ultimate goal is to assemble an...
Identifying each tiny chemical step in photosynthesis could aid the development of renewable energy technology.
Illustration

Scientists use a series of magnets to transform an electron bunch into a narrow current spike which then produces a very intense attosecond X-ray...

XLEAP illustration
Illustration
The ultrafast, ultrabright X-ray pulses of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have enabled unprecedented views of a catalyst in action, an important step...
Nilsson science cover
Photograph

Stanford’s Roger Kornberg received the 2006 chemistry Nobel for work on RNA transcriptase, shown on screens. 

Roger Kornberg received the 2006 chemistry Nobel for work on RNA transcriptase
News Feature

By revealing the chemistry of plant secretions, or exudates, these studies build a basis for better understanding and conserving art and tools made with...

Plant secretion from what is called "grass tree."
News Feature

Researchers discover that a spot of molecular glue and a timely twist help a bacterial enzyme convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds 20 times...

An illustration shows the pocket in an enzyme called ECR where the carbon fixing reaction takes place.
News Feature

Less than a millionth of a billionth of a second long, attosecond X-ray pulses allow researchers to peer deep inside molecules and follow electrons...

Illustration of attosecond coherent electron motions.
News Feature

High-speed X-ray free-electron lasers have unlocked the crystal structures of small molecules relevant to chemistry and materials science, proving a new method that could...