Chemistry and catalysis

An all-day symposium recognized the professor emeritus for his many contributions to the scientific community, from pioneering synchrotron radiation research at SSRL to making science policies on Capitol Hill.

X-ray research on 80-million-year-old fossilized burrows, likely the work of tiny marine worms, is helping scientists understand how living organisms affected the chemistry of the sea floor.

A researcher who performed a variety of X-ray experiments at SLAC’s synchrotron will receive an annual scientific award during a SLAC conference next month.

Understanding Motions of Thin Layers May Help Design Solar Cells, Electronics and Catalysts of the Future

SUNCAT and SIMES researchers have received funding from Stanford's Global Climate and Energy Project to support research related to generating renewable fuels.

Ultrafast Electron Diffraction Reveals Rapid Motions of Atoms and Molecules

In separate studies, researchers at Stanford and the University of Wisconsin-Madison report advances on chemical reactions essential to fuel-cell technology.

Scientists for the first time tracked ultrafast structural changes, captured in quadrillionths-of-a-second steps, as ring-shaped gas molecules burst open and unraveled.

Researchers discovered that adding two chemicals to the electrolyte of a lithium metal battery prevents the formation of dendrites – “fingers” of lithium that pierce the barrier between the battery’s halves, causing it to short out, overheat and sometimes burst...

SLAC and the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis supported creation of a new carbon material that significantly improves the performance of batteries and supercapacitors.

An experiment at SLAC’s X-ray laser provides new insight into the ultrafast motions of a muscle protein in a basic biochemical reaction.

Scientists at SLAC and Utrecht University have identified how catalysts degrade when used to refine crude oil.