Approximately 1,700 scientists visit SSRL annually to conduct experiments in broad disciplines including life sciences, materials, environmental science, and accelerator physics. Science highlights featured here and in our monthly newsletter, Headlines, increase the visibility of user science as well as the important contribution of SSRL in facilitating basic and applied scientific research. Many of these scientific highlights have been included in reports to funding agencies and have been picked up by other media. Users are strongly encouraged to contact us when exciting results are about to be published. We can work with users and the SLAC Office of Communication to develop the story and to communicate user research findings to a much broader audience.
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Negative-pressure Polymorphs Made by Heterostructural Alloying
Altering the phase of physical, chemical, pharmaceutical, geologic and other materials can alter their properties and function; these different structures are called polymorphs. Scientists create these polymorphs to discover materials with useful, new properties, often by increasing the ambient pressure during their formation.
Understanding the Reactivity of CoCrMo-implant Wear Particles
During their popularity in the mid 2000’s, CoCrMo-based metal-on-metal (ball in socket) hip implants accounted for about a third of hip replacements in the US. It was believed that this alloy would be longer-lived than previous materials. However, unforeseen issues with mechanical wear and corrosion of the material caused a high failure rate.
Structural Study of Potent Peptidic Fusion Inhibitors of Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin
The influenza virus constantly mutates, helping to make “the flu” a costly human disease year after year. Because of these mutations, flu vaccines change every year and are a best guess of what strains will be dominant in that year’s flu season.
Muscle Disorders at High Resolution: Native American Myopathy and Beyond
Native American Myopathy (NAM) is a genetic disorder that affects about 1 in 5,000 members of the Lumbee in North Carolina. A mutation in the gene stac3 causes a variety of severe symptoms affecting muscles, joints, spine, hearing, breathing, and speech. This gene codes for STAC3 protein, a critical component to the function of the calcium channels of skeletal muscles.
Insights into the Molecular Scale Structure of Electrolyte-Metal Oxide Interface
Since the commercialization of the first rechargeable Li-ion battery (LIB) in 1991, LIBs have become key components in everyday life. However, their energy storage capacity, lifetime, safety, and fast charging/discharging capability still need to be improved in order to meet the increasing demand of key markets, such as the need for long-distance transportation via electric vehicles.
Structural Mechanisms of Histone Recognition by Histone Chaperones
In eukaryotic cells, including human, DNA is kept tidy by wrapping around histone proteins into nucleosome structures. Composed of eight histone proteins, histone assembly requires chaperone proteins, including nucleoplasmin (Npm) specific to histone proteins H2A and H2B and important to early embryonic development.
Questioning the Universality of the Charge Density Wave Nature in Electron-doped Cuprates
The first superconductor materials discovered offer no electrical resistance to a current only at extremely low temperatures (less than 30 K or −243.2°C).
Finding a Needle in the Haystack: Identification of Functionally Important Minority Phases in an Operating Battery
Batteries are engineered to be efficient enough while balancing other factors such as cost. This has generated batteries that commonly have side reactions, both expected and unexpected. Current technology allows scientists to delve into what reactions and phases are happening within a battery at high resolution over time.
Demanding Catalysis via Energy-conserving Electron Bifurcation
Cellular metabolism is essential for life. Up until recently, we knew just two methods cells use to generate and conserve the energy required for cellular metabolism: ATP hydrolysis and electrochemical ion potential across cell membranes. Recently, a paradigm-changing third mechanism was discovered, called flavin-based electron bifurcation (FBEB).
Tuning the Properties in Perovskite Materials for Photovoltaics
The search continues for solar energy materials that are efficient and inexpensive and simple to make. Films made of metal halide perovskite crystals are good candidates because of their impressive solar cell efficiencies and their low cost to produce.
Collaborate on Science Highlights
We can work with users and the SLAC Office of Communication to develop the story and to communicate user research findings to a much broader audience.