Photon Sciences
Putting Silicon ‘Sawdust’ in a Graphene Cage Boosts Battery Performance
Wrapping silicon anode particles in custom-fit graphene cages could solve two major obstacles to using silicon in high-capacity lithium ion batteries.
To Get More Oomph from an Electron Gun, Tip it With Diamondoids
SLAC and Stanford scientists discovered that a single layer of tiny diamonds increases an electron gun’s emission 13,000 fold. Potential applications include electron microscopes and semiconductor manufacturing.
Innovation Boosts Study of Fragile Biological Samples at SLAC's X-ray Laser
Researchers at SLAC have found a simple new way to study very delicate biological samples – like proteins at work in photosynthesis and components of protein-making machines called ribosomes – at the atomic scale using SLAC's X-ray laser.
Precourt Institute and TomKat Center Award $2.1 Million for Energy Research
The Precourt Institute for Energy and the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy at Stanford have awarded 12 faculty seed grants totaling $2.1 million for groundbreaking research on clean energy, including three grants to SLAC-Stanford collaborations.
Atom-sized Craters Make a Catalyst Much More Active
SLAC, Stanford scientists discover that bombarding and stretching a catalyst opens holes on its surface and makes it much more reactive. Potential applications include making hydrogen fuel.
Researchers Discover a New Dimension to High-temperature Superconductivity
A team led by SLAC scientists combined powerful magnetic pulses with some of the brightest X-rays on the planet to discover a surprising 3-D effect that appears linked to a mysterious phenomenon known as high-temperature superconductivity.
A Record-setting Way to Make Transparent Conductors: Spread Them Like Butter on Toast
A process developed by Stanford and SLAC scientists has potential for scaling up to manufacture clear, flexible electrodes for solar cells, displays and other electronics.
SLAC’s Ultrafast ‘Electron Camera’ Visualizes Ripples in 2-D Material
Using a new technology for ultrafast science, researchers have for the first time observed extremely rapid atomic motions in a three-atom-thick layer of a promising material that could be used in next-generation solar cells, electronics and catalysts.
Q&A: Researchers Explain a Strange High-Intensity Result at SLAC's X-ray Laser
In a first-of-its-kind experiment, scientists got a textbook-worthy result that may change the way matter is probed at X-ray free-electron lasers.
Social Scientist Chooses SLAC as Case Study for Transformation of 'Big Science'
A researcher interviewed SLAC and Stanford administrators, scientists and Nobel laureates and sifted through archival materials to better understand the drivers for change in SLAC’s science mission.