SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

From left: Physicist Zhan Zhang, Postdoc Jiyu Cai, Senior Chemist Zonghai Chen and Physicist and Group Leader Shelly Kelly working on the experimental table for X-ray measurements at the recently upgraded 25-ID beamline at the APS. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory/Mark Lopez.)

Giving Batteries A Longer Life With The Advanced Photon Source

New research uncovers a hydrogen-centered mechanism that triggers degradation in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles While the lithium-ion battery could help save the planet, it is in some ways like any other battery: it degrades with time and operation, taking a toll on its lifespan. Along with enabling … [continued]

Superconductivity & Charge Density Waves Caught Intertwining at the Nanoscale

Room-temperature superconductors could transform everything from electrical grids to particle accelerators to computers — but before they can be realized, researchers need to better understand how existing high-temperature superconductors work. Now, researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of British Columbia, Yale University and others … [continued]

New Approach To Li-Ion Battery Efficiency At Stanford Puts Out Fires

There’s a new approach that is boosting the efficiency of lithium-ion batteries that also puts out fires — making the batteries fireproof. The new approach, according to scientists at Stanford University and the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is the reengineering of one of the heaviest components in batteries: sheets of copper or aluminum foil that are used to collect currents.