Argonne National Laboratory - 31 News

Inside the battery in 3D

Powerful X-rays watch solid state batteries charging and discharging

08-Feb-2021 - Despite worldwide use of lithium batteries, the exact dynamics of their operation has remained elusive. X-rays have proven to be a powerful tool for peering inside of these batteries to see the changes that occur in real time. Using the ultrabright X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a ...

Finding the source of chemical reactions

06-Feb-2020 - Scientists are constantly searching for the source of things like the origin of the universe, matter or life. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, in a collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and several other universities, ...

Through thick and thin

Decades-old fluid question solved

24-Apr-2018 - What do paint, dishwasher detergent, ketchup and blood have in common? All are composed of particles suspended in a carrier liquid and flow when stirred or forced, but remain thick or even gel-like at rest. That very useful behavior in complex fluids is called shear thinning: their viscosity ...

Watching atoms move in hybrid perovskite crystals reveals clues to improving solar cells

23-Nov-2017 - A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has for the first time observed nanoscale changes deep inside hybrid perovskite crystals that could offer new insights into developing low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells. Using X-ray beams and lasers, researchers studied how a ...

Turning up the heat for perfect (nano)diamonds

15-Feb-2017 - Quantum mechanics, the physics that governs nature at the atomic and subatomic scale, contains a host of new physical phenomena to explore quantum states at the nanoscale. Though tricky, there are ways to exploit these inherently fragile and sensitive systems for quantum sensing. One nascent ...

Neutrons help to determine enzyme function

New point of attack against stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori

21-Dec-2016 - There is a strong suspicion that Helicobacter pylori is linked to the development of stomach cancer. Now an international team of researchers led by Prof. Donald R. Ronning (University of Toledo, USA) has used neutrons to unlock the secret to the functionality of an important enzyme in the ...

New X-ray method allows scientists to probe molecular explosions

17-Jun-2016 - Summer blockbuster season is upon us, which means plenty of fast-paced films with lots of action. However, these aren't new releases from Hollywood studios; they're one type of new "movies" of atomic-level explosions that can give scientists new information about how X-rays interact with ...

Tasty fat: X-rays finding the blueprint of why fat is yummy

31-May-2016 - Fat free ice cream, for all its healthy merits, melts the wrong way. Two seconds on the tongue and it's a slush of milk, flavoring and water instead of the rich glob of slowly melting cream we grew to love as kids. When it comes to taste memories, fats are forever. Now X-ray science is ...

A movie of the microworld: Physicists create nanoparticle picture series

07-Apr-2016 - Think of it as a microscopic movie: A sequence of X-ray images shows the explosion of superheated nanoparticles. The picture series reveals how the atoms in these particles move, how they form plasma and how the particles change shape. The method of taking these pictures is a collaborative ...

Scientists film exploding nanoparticles

Imaging nanoscale dynamics with unparalleled detail and speed

08-Feb-2016 - Using a super X-ray microscope, an international research team has “filmed” the explosion of single nanoparticles. The team led by Tais Gorkhover from Technische Universität Berlin, currently working at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the U.S. as a fellow of the Volkswagen Foundation, ...