SLAC topics

Materials science RSS feed

 SLAC develops materials to improve the performance of batteries, fuel cells and other energy technologies and set the stage for technologies of the future.

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Energy sciences

In materials hit with light, individual atoms and vibrations take disorderly paths.

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Q-NEXT will tackle next-generation quantum science challenges through a public-private partnership, ensuring U.S. leadership in an economically crucial arena.

QIS public-private partnership.
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In a new perspective, SLAC and University of Paderborn scientists argue that research at synchrotrons could help improve water-purifying materials in ways that might...

Cracked, dry earth landscape.

Researchers have invented a way to slide atomically-thin layers of 2D materials over one another to store more data, in less space and using...

Illustration of experimental technology that stores data by shifting atomically thin layers of metal
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A new lithium-based electrolyte invented by Stanford University scientists could pave the way for the next generation of battery-powered electric vehicles.

Photo of vials containing new electrolyte for lithium metal batteries
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It could offer insights into the evolution of planetary systems and guide scientists hoping to harness nuclear fusion as a new source of energy.

Scattered photons
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Learning how liquid silicates behave at these extreme temperatures and pressures has been a longstanding challenge in the geosciences.

atomic arrangements of liquid silicates at the extreme conditions found in the core-mantle boundary.
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The advance opens a path toward a new generation of logic and memory devices that could be 10,000 times faster than today's.

Fanciful illustration based on electron orbitals
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New machine learning methods bring insights into how lithium ion batteries degrade, and show it’s more complicated than many thought.

Particles in a nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode are highlighted using a new computer vision algorithm.
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The SLAC/Stanford scientists are among 120 new members of an organization that advises the nation on science and technology issues.

NAS 2020
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Turning a brittle oxide into a flexible membrane and stretching it on a tiny apparatus flipped it from a conducting to an insulating state...

Close up of strain pattern produced by stretching membrane
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VIA Stanford Earth

A better way to build diamonds

With the right amount of pressure and surprisingly little heat, a substance found in fossil fuels can transform into pure diamond.

Scientist holding diamondoid molecule moldels
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A better understanding of these materials and how they store and transport oil and gas could one day enable more efficient fossil fuel production.

Aromatic carbon