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Exploring and manipulating the behavior of polar vortices in materials may lead to new technology for faster data transfer and storage.
Our high-speed, high-bandwidth world constantly requires new ways to process and store information. Semiconductors and magnetic materials have made up the bulk of data storage devices for decades. In recent years, however, researchers and engineers have turned to ferroelectric materials, a type of crystal that can be manipulated with electricity.
In 2016, the study of ferroelectrics got more interesting with the discovery of polar vortices – essentially spiral-shaped grouping of atoms – within the structure of the material. Now a team of researchers led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has uncovered new insights into the behavior of these vortices, insights that may be the first step toward using them for fast, versatile data processing and storage. The team, which also includes researchers from DOE�
25 FEBRUARY 2021
Capturing details of brain cells on a nanometre scale, researchers have uncovered evidence that the neurons of people with schizophrenia could have unique differences in thickness and curvature, and this might even account for some of their symptoms.
The finding comes from an analysis on just a small handful of donors, and is a long way from demonstrating how contrasting nerve cell structures might explain the neurological condition.
But as our understanding of these unusual characteristics grows, it could lead to better methods of treatment, helping give tens of millions around the world a better quality of life.
The study, led by researchers from Tokai University in Japan, made use of two different X-ray microscope technologies, one at the SPring-8 light source facility in Japan, the other at the US Department of Energy s Advanced Photon Source (APS).
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IMAGE: Solid-state batteries are charged and discharged in custom-made hardware designed at Georgia Tech. A smaller, modified version of the cell shown here was used to image these materials during cycling.. view more
Credit: Matthew McDowell, Georgia Tech
Despite worldwide use of lithium batteries, the exact dynamics of their operation has remained elusive. X-rays have proven to be a powerful tool for peering inside of these batteries to see the changes that occur in real time.
Using the ultrabright X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at the DOE s Argonne National Laboratory, a research team recently observed the internal evolution of the materials inside solid-state lithium batteries as they were charged and discharged. This detailed 3D information may help improve the reliability and performance of the batteries, which use solid materials to replace the flammable liquid electrolytes i
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IMAGE: Pictorial representation of joint experimental and computational study of materials. The study utilized the Advanced Photon Source (upper panel) and Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (lower panel). The team addressed the. view more
Credit: Emmanuel Gygi, University of California, San Diego
Computer simulations hold tremendous promise to accelerate the molecular engineering of green energy technologies, such as new systems for electrical energy storage and solar energy usage, as well as carbon dioxide capture from the environment. However, the predictive power of these simulations depends on having a means to confirm that they do indeed describe the real world.
Such confirmation is no simple task. Many assumptions enter the setup of these simulations. As a result, the simulations must be carefully checked by using an appropriate validation protocol involving experimental measurements.