SLAC topics

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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.

Press Release

Made with ‘Jenga chemistry,’ the discovery could help crack the mystery of how high-temperature superconductors work.

Illustration of 'Jenga chemistry' step of making new superconductor
News Feature

The coating significantly extends the battery's life and reduces the problems that cause batteries to burst into flames.

Stanford PhD students David Mackanic, left, and Zhiao Yu with their battery tester
News Feature

The studies could lead to a new understanding of how high-temperature superconductors operate.

fluctuating charge stripes
News Feature

The SLAC scientists will each receive $2.5 million for their research on fusion energy and advanced radiofrequency technology.

Gleason-Gamzina-ECA2019
News Feature

Combined with the lab’s LCLS X-ray laser, it’ll provide unprecedented atomic views of some of nature’s speediest processes.

Alex Reid, ultrafast electron diffraction (UED)
Press Release

A new twist on cryo-EM imaging reveals what’s going on inside MOFs, highly porous nanoparticles with big potential for storing fuel, separating gases and...

Images of cryo-EM equipment, CO2 molecule in cage
News Feature

Experiments at SLAC’s X-ray laser reveal in atomic detail how two distinct liquid phases in these materials enable fast switching between glassy and crystalline...

Diagram of material switching between glassy and crystalline states
News Feature

What they learned could help manufacturers design more reliable and longer-lasting batteries for smartphones and cars.

battery electrode damage
News Feature

SLAC’s ‘electron camera’ films rapidly melting tungsten and reveals atomic-level material behavior that could impact the design of future reactors.

Tungsten melting
News Feature

Researchers produced an underwater sound with an intensity that eclipses that of a rocket launch while investigating what happens when they blast tiny jets...

Underwater sound
News Feature

A laser technique lets researchers see how potentially dangerous growths form in batteries.

Microscopic images of lithium metal buildup in batteries
News Feature

In the decade since LCLS produced its first light, it has pushed boundaries in countless areas of discovery.

Undulator Hall