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 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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Researchers have uncovered new insights about tungsten's ability to conduct heat, which could lead to materials advancements for fusion reactor and aerospace technologies.

tungsten
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Seen in atomic detail, the seemingly smooth flow of ions through a battery’s electrolyte is a lot more complicated.

Photo of the laser lab apparatus used in the hopping ions experiment.
News Feature

The research could lead to a better understanding of how metals behave under extreme conditions, which will aid in the development of more resilient...

phonon hardening
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Researchers have discovered that crystals can twist when they are sandwiched between two substrates – a critical step toward exploring new material properties for...

This image shows a diffraction pattern of gold nanodics between substrates.
News Feature

Strongly interacting electrons in quantum materials carry heat and charge in a way that’s surprisingly similar to what individual electrons do in normal metals...

An illustration shows electrons transporting heat from a warmer to a cooler area of a material.
News Brief

The team reduced the amount of expensive platinum group metals needed to make an effective cell and found a new way to test future...

An illustration of a thin film resembling dry, cracked earth.
News Brief

The American Physical Society recognized the SLAC and Stanford physicist for decades of groundbreaking work studying the strange behavior of electrons at the interfaces...

Photo - Harold Hwang
News Feature

The research reveals the potential for machine learning in understanding the complex behavior of quantum materials.

machine learning
News Feature

A groundbreaking study shows defects spreading through diamond faster than the speed of sound 

Shocking a diamond with a high-power laser produced defects that propagated faster than the speed of sound.
News Brief

Scientists developed a groundbreaking technology that allows them to see sound waves and microscopic defects inside crystals, promising insights that connect ultrafast atomic motion...

CXI hutch
News Brief

SSRL's X-ray tools reveal that alcohol groups on a nanodiamond's surface allow one of the world's most valuable materials to bond with one of...

Purple layers surround angular red chunks. These are struck by gold rays, which release white spheres from the purple and red objects.
Press Release

With up to a million X-ray flashes per second, 8,000 times more than its predecessor, it transforms the ability of scientists to explore atomic-scale...

LCLS-II first light