SLAC topics

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.

Press Release

FACET-II will pave the way for a future generation of particle colliders and powerful light sources, opening avenues in high-energy physics, medicine, and materials...

FACET-II
News Feature

Using SLAC’s synchrotron, Summers improves fundamental knowledge of the role of copper in the brain and investigates treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

Kelly Summer portrait
News Brief

The technique they used will offer insight into many different chemical reactions.

hydroxyl radical
Illustration

Researchers used SLAC’s ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) as an electron camera to take snapshots of a three-atom-thick layer of a promising material as it...

UED electron camera takes snapshots of dynamic ripples.
News Feature

The prestigious awards provide at least $2.5 million over five years in support of their work in understanding photochemical reactions and improving accelerator beams.

SLAC staff scientists Amy Cordones-Hahn and Brendan O'Shea
News Feature

They discovered the messy environment of a chemical reaction can actually change the shape of a catalytic nanoparticle in a way that makes it...

Illustration of catalyst nanoparticle and car with exhaust emissions
News Feature

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
News Brief

For the first time, scientists have revealed the steps needed to turn on a receptor that helps regulate neuron firing. The findings might help...

yellow and blue protein structures.
News Feature

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
News Feature

Revealing both sides of the story in a single experiment has been a grand scientific challenge.

nuclear and electronic
News Feature

Understanding nature’s process could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy from sunlight and water.

How electrons flow in the oxygen-evolving complex of Photosystem II.
Animation

In photosystem II, the water-splitting center cycles through four stable states, S0-S3. On a baseball field, S0 would be...

Photosystem II