The Advanced Photon Source
a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility

Bacteria Oversee Their Own Death While Fighting Viruses:  Scientists carrying out studies at two U.S. Department of Energy x-ray light sources, including the Advanced Photon Source, have discovered a set of proteins that have clinical applications and contribute to a fundamental understanding of bacteria, viruses, and immune systems, including ours.

Probing the Diffusion of Active Viruses:  Scientists using the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science’s Advanced Photon Source have shown that advances in the synchrotron coherent x-ray scattering technique allow for probing the dynamics of live viruses in an aqueous environment that closely mimics their biological surroundings, providing real-time information of their motions at a length scale similar to the virus size.

Increasing the Efficiency of Carbon Conversion:  One method of combating climate change would be to capture carbon emissions at the source and convert them into some other material, preferably one with some economic value. Researchers, using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source  have shown how a particular catalyst can help the conversion process along.

A Novel Way to Fight Multiple Cancers at Their Root:  Scientists are striving to develop an immunotherapy targeting proteins resulting from mutations in cancer-driving genes. Research using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source provides insights into developing a targeted therapy that fights a variety of cancers, in multiple patients, at the cancer’s source.

Laser Excitation Alters the Structure and Light Emission of Perovskite Thin Films:  Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites show exceptional promise for use in multiple optoelectronic applications. Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source produced dramatic results which provide important new insights into the dynamic behavior of these materials, which are being developed for advanced sensors, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaic devices.

Magnesium-Ion Battery Prospects Get Energized:  Never cheap, lithium is becoming increasingly more expensive, driving a search for cheaper, more abundant metallic ions. Researchers using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source characterized properties of a promising material that can store more energy than lithium.

Understanding SrTiO₃’s Dual Role as an Insulator and Conductor:  Researchers used the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source to perform a variety of studies using an array of synchrotron analytical techniques on thin films of strontium titanate, both during and after synthesis, solving long-held mysteries that could lead to new ways to harness its strange properties.

A Dramatic Improvement in Li-S Battery Performance Using Lightweight Silica:  An appealing variation of lithium-ion batteries is the lithium-sulfur (Li-S) design. The scientists carrying out this research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source are confident their findings will hasten the adoption of Li-S battery technology to meet the demands of a sustainable energy future.

A Cheaper and Safer Alternative to Lithium-Ion Batteries:   Because the sun isn't always shining and the wind isn't always blowing, solar and wind power both need a way to store the renewable energy they produce.  Researchers using high-brightness x-rays from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source have come up with a far cheaper and safer storage method with a creative approach to battery chemistries.

Computers Hallucinate Proteins Not Found in Nature:  All proteins in our bodies are made of strings of amino acids. Using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source and a computer program that “hallucinates” new protein shapes, scientists have created and verified 10 protein shapes that never existed before with the goal of eventually creating new proteins with new capacities, like gobbling up plastic in the sea or making machines at the nanoscale.

Existing Drug is Shown to Inhibit SARS-Cov-2 Virus:  A new University of Chicago study based on research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source has found that the drug masitinib may be effective in treating COVID-19.