But these batteries are not in common use today because, when recharged, they spontaneously grow treelike bumps called dendrites on the surface of the negative electrode.
Over many hours of operation, these dendrites grow to span the space between the negative and positive electrode, causing short-circuiting and a potential safety hazard.
A new device at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory allows researchers to explore the properties and dynamics of molecules with circularly polarized, or spiraling, light.
The technology – based on a covalent organic framework (COF) infused with an electronically conducting polymer thin film – could benefit numerous technologies including automotive, by speeding up the charging process, extending single-charge range and even incorporating the device into the body of the car itself.
On April 8, the In-Situ-1 crystallization plate – developed by Robert Thorne, professor of physics, and the company he founded, MiTeGen, LLC – was used in experiments for Eli Lilly onboard the history-making SpaceX CRS 8 mission.
“It was personally exciting to me,” Thorne said, “because the U.S. space program of the 1960s and 1970s was one of the reasons I became a scientist.”
The secret to a long-hidden magic trick behind the self-assembly of nanocrystal structures is starting to be revealed.
The workshops open with the annual CHESS Users Meeting, June 7-8. This meeting brings together CHESS users, scientists and staff to discuss research taking place at the facility, as well as the ongoing upgrades to both CHESS and the Cornell Electron Storage Ring.
“There are lots of things going on at CHESS, including the upgrade,” said Ernie Fontes, associate director of CHESS, noting that the upgrade projects that visitors will hear about should be complete during the current $100 million National Science Foundation funding award period, which expires in 2019.
Surprisingly, cells also have a completely alternate means of producing small special-purpose polypeptides which act as antibiotics or various other environmentally-friendly compounds of therapeutic importance. Instead of the ribosome, cells use a very large protein complex called nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) to produce these compounds. Like a molecular assembly line, the different subunits of an NRPS each perform a critical step in the process and, using moving parts, hand off the product to the next domain.
The theme for the event was "Investments in STEM Research and Education: Fueling American Innovation." The CHESS booth focused on Training a New Generation of Synchrotron Scientists, with Louisa and Mark proving the investment in education at CHESS is unparalleled.
Taking advantage of several synchrotron-based techniques developed at CHESS, one research team, led by Dr. Hongyou Fan at Sandia National Laboratory in USA and Dr. Feng Bai at Henan University in China, combined a joint force and developed one molecular nanocrystal sensor, which can perceptively feel external force and thus emit bright and distinct light.