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

Scientists have identified a plant protein with an unexpected mechanism for producing a class of molecules that have therapeutic potential in various diseases, including cancer. Once better understood with further research, it might be possible to harness the chemical processes of the protein to bioengineer new medicines.

Rippled β-sheet structures may be useful tools for the creation of improved biomaterials, such as more stable hydrogels for drug delivery, and may have therapeutic uses in understanding or perhaps treating diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes. Recent research has extended our understanding of rippled β sheet structures at the atomic level.

Quantum materials are increasingly being explored for their exotic properties. One phenomenon called an electronic flat band can occur in quantum materials with just the right geometric structure. These bands enhance electron-electron interactions that produce unusual and technologically important behavior. 

Scientists have long wondered how the initial chemical reactions of life began and why some reactions, like that for DNA polymerization, persisted while others did not. Recent work conducted at the APS found some answers to these questions that improve our understanding of the origins of life.

Three-dimensional carbon superstructures are useful in a wide variety of applications, including batteries, catalysis and gas storage. Now scientists have come up with an easy and inexpensive way to make one- and two-dimensional versions of the same material.  

An international research team dedicated to eliminating malaria used the Advanced Photon Source to study monoclonal antibodies bound to antigen peptides. They discovered that one of the four binding modes leads to inhibitory antibody activity. 

A team of investigators explored the phase diagram of iron oxide up to the pressures it would encounter at Earth’s core-mantle boundary for the first time. Their goal was to discover whether ultralow-velocity zones beneath the surface could be enriched with iron oxide, accounting for their effect on seismic waves. 

Converting hydrocarbon gases into more valuable forms can help fight the buildup of atmospheric carbon that causes global warming. A group of scientists using the Advanced Photon Source have demonstrated a catalyst that uses a ready source of oxygen and operates at near-ambient temperatures.

Methods aimed at identifying defects in cathodes must be able to assess their crystal structures during active charging/discharging, and in three dimensions. Researchers used the APS to track the evolution of defects in two different sodium-ion battery cathode materials. Their results showed a unique pattern of transient defects in these materials, results that could eventually help scientists engineer longer lasting and better performing cathodes.

Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) are an exotic and elusive phase of matter with unusual magnetic properties that offer tantalizing prospects for quantum computing applications. A group of researchers used the APS to study a material that's considered a strong candidate for a state called a Kitaev quantum spin liquid (KQSL), but instead discovered a new state of matter that appears to be a previously unknown type of QSL. 

Boosting the Performance of a Lower-Cost Fuel Cell Catalyst:  The findings from these studies, carried out at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, along with fuel cell performance and durability data, supports cobalt-based catalysts as potential game-changers in the race to establish fuel cells as a sustainable energy solution.