Chemistry and catalysis

Researchers have documented the ultrafast motion of electrons, including two processes never before captured on their natural timescales.

In a SLAC-led study, four laboratories collaborated to ensure reproducibility in AI training data to predict new catalysts for future fuel production.

Using the powerful LCLS X-ray laser, researchers at SLAC have directly imaged for the first time how molecules rearrange during a chemical reaction controlled by light.

The lab’s contributions to the national AI initiative are bolstered by its breakthrough scientific tools, unprecedented data and unique partnerships that help illuminate nature from the expansion of the universe to the motions of electrons.

Researchers reengineered an ePix10k detector for use in ultrafast electron diffraction, empowering studies of chemical processes that were previously out of reach. 

SLAC researchers and collaborators trained a neural network that can use ion momentum to work backward and predict the pre-blast geometry of a molecule.

Water is all around us, yet its surface layer is surprisingly hard to study. Experiments at SLAC’s X-ray laser are bringing it into focus.

His visit highlighted the breadth of our world-class research and the people and collaborations that make it possible. A key theme of the day: how SLAC and the National Labs are advancing AI to accelerate discovery.

With a suite of reimagined instruments, researchers take up scientific inquiries that were out of reach just one year ago. 

SLAC researchers drew on advanced computation and X-ray methods to track down a water-splitting copper catalyst.

Using SLAC’s X-ray laser, the method revealed atomic motions in a simple catalyst, opening the door to study more complex molecules key to chemical processes in industry and nature.

Developed at SSRL, the method could help make those electrochemical conversions more robust and efficient.