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

Nanoscale Defects Could Boost Energy Storage Materials:  Some imperfections pay big dividends. X-ray nanoimaging at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source yields an unprecedented view into solid-state electrolytes, revealing previously undetected crystal defects and dislocations that may be leveraged to create superior energy storage materials.

Shock-Induced Melting of a Porous Solid:  When materials experience sudden, impulsive loading via impact, shock waves travel through those materials compressing them and often causing rapid structural changes, such as melting. Scientists using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source have now directly observed, for the first time, shock-induced melting in a porous solid, which could be valuable for materials scientists and improve our understanding of high-impact collisions between planetesimals.

Shape-Shifting Ebola Virus Protein Exploits Human RNA to Change Shape:  Research at two U.S. Department of Energy x-ray light sources, including the Advanced Photon Source, demonstrate how Ebola virus has found a different way to get things done, presenting the possibility of new therapies to combat Ebola disease.

New Technique Traces the Structural Evolution of SiO₂ Glass at Ultrahigh Pressures:  Experimental results obtained at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source provide important implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying the pressure-induced structural evolution of network-forming glasses in physics and materials sciences, and also for investigating the nature of silicate magmas in geophysics.

The Crystal Structure of a Clinically Relevant Enzyme that Regulates Gene Activity: Researchers used the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source to solve the crystal structure of a biomedically important histone protein that may lead to drugs relevant to oncology and/or regenerative medicine.

Shock Wave-Induced Changes in the Structure of Noble Metals:  Following up on earlier work on gold, researchers using high-brightness x-rays at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source showed that high-pressure shock waves can change the crystal structure of silver as well, increasing our understanding of the material properties and response of these useful metals, which are often valued for their stability under pressure.

Tiny Chip-Based Device Performs Ultrafast Manipulation of X-Rays: Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials have developed and demonstrated new x-ray optics that can be used to harness extremely fast pulses in a package that is significantly smaller and lighter than conventional devices used to manipulate x-rays.

New, Potent Inhibitors of an Enzyme Essential for SARS-Cov-2 Viral Replication: One of the enzymes essential for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to function is PLpro, which ultimately enables viral spread. Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source could be a step toward viable therapeutics for increasing survival and improving the health of COVID-19 patients.

Altering the Fate of Phosphorus Fertilizer in Mildly Calcareous Soils:  Crops treated with phosphorous fertilizer raise crop yields and return-on-investment, but it can be the limiting factor in crop growth. Results from controlled laboratory studies in combination with research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source will help researchers and industries revisit the use of soil-test phosphorous methods and develop new fertilizers.

For Lithium-Ion Cathodes, Partial Order Up:As the lithium-ion (LI-ion) industry grows, so does the use of cobalt or nickel, straining metal resources. To sustain this growth, development of new cathodes with high energy densities made from abundant elements will be necessary. Users of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source report two new inexpensive cathode materials with extraordinary potential as cathodes in Li-ion batteries.

Strong and Resilient Synthetic Tendons Produced from Hydrogels:  Researchers who transformed a standard hydrogel into an artificial tendon with properties that meet and even surpass those of natural tendons used the the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source to reveal the microscopic structures responsible for the tendon's outstanding features.