Category Archives: Berkeley Lab

How Wildfires Transform Soil Chemistry

Posted on March 26, 2026 by rberkowitz

X-ray microscopy tools at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) mapped the chemistry of wildfire ash, revealing microscale organizational changes in elements within the ash. Continue reading →

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Local Disorder Impacts a Quantum Material’s Electronic States

Posted on February 24, 2026 by rberkowitz

Atom-level understanding of how the surface electronic properties of a magnetic semimetal can be tuned could guide its use in advanced technologies like spintronics and catalysis. Continue reading →

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New AI Sensor ‘Sniffs’ Out Spectral Targets

Posted on February 11, 2026 by rberkowitz

A first-of-its-kind smart sensor developed at Berkeley Lab performs AI tricks to identify targets while it captures spectral images. Continue reading →

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Thin-Film Coating Boosts X-Ray Instrument Performance

Posted on January 28, 2026 by rberkowitz

Researchers developed optimized coatings for diffraction gratings that use thin-film interference to double the light reaching the sample, capturing power otherwise lost to absorption. Continue reading →

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A New Way to Engineer Composite Materials

Posted on March 6, 2025 by rberkowitz

The innovative polymer design combines strength with reversibility. Continue reading →

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Watching a Molecular Reaction in Real Time

Posted on November 8, 2024 by rberkowitz

An ultrafast imaging technique reveals the different pathways through which bromoform, a molecule that damages the ozone layer, reacts to light. Continue reading →

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A Cleaner Way to Produce Ammonia

Posted on May 28, 2024 by rberkowitz

New research reveals how a surprising catalyst can help to efficiently convert nitrogen into useful products under ambient conditions. Continue reading →

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An Unexpected Discovery at the Air-Water Interface

Posted on December 4, 2023 by rberkowitz

New research reveals a surprising chemical pathway for a CO2 reaction important in many geological and biological processes. Continue reading →

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Watching Molecules Relax in Real Time

Posted on May 24, 2023 by rberkowitz

An ultrafast x-ray imaging technique shows how the symmetry of methane’s structure evolves after rapid removal of an electron, providing insights into its physical and chemical properties. Continue reading →

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New compound that withstands extreme heat and electricity could lead to next-generation energy storage devices

Posted on February 15, 2023 by rberkowitz

Flexible polymers made with a new generation of the Nobel-winning “click chemistry” reaction find use in capacitors and other applications. Continue reading →

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