Electronic, Magnetic & Photonic Materials

Researchers illuminate inner workings of new-age soft semiconductors

Materials scientists are for the first time exploring the microstructure of promising soft semiconductors that could lead to new-generation electronics.

William Chueh named new director of Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy

William Chueh is a leading materials scientist and entrepreneur whose research is paving the way for better batteries and cleaner power grids.

Sitting idle boosts the performance of lithium metal batteries for next-generation EVs

Lithium metal batteries could double the range of electric vehicles, but current batteries degrade quickly during operation. Stanford researchers have discovered that you can impro

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm celebrates revolutionary X-ray laser upgrade at SLAC

The Secretary and other U.S. Department of Energy officials visited SLAC's energy labs and commended the staff for their dedication in successfully launching the LCLS-II

Scientists discover how oxygen loss saps a lithium-ion battery’s voltage

First nanoscale look at a reaction that limits the efficiency of generating clean hydrogen fuel

With a new suite of tools, scientists discovered exactly how tiny plate-like catalyst particles carry out a key step in that conversion – the evolution of oxygen in an electrocatal

First closeups of how a lithium-metal electrode ages

Scientists have documented a process that makes these next-gen batteries lose charge – and eventually some of their capacity for storing energy – even when a device is turned off.

A new approach to lithium-ion batteries could address two major goals

If adopted, the technology could extend the driving range of electric vehicles and reduce the danger that laptops, cell phones and other devices will burst into flames.

A team borrows solar panel tech to create ultrahigh-res OLED display

The display would feature brighter images with purer colors and more than 10,000 pixels per inch.

Researchers combine heat and humidity to disinfect N95 masks for reuse

Gently heating N95 masks at a relatively high humidity was found to inactivate any SARS-CoV-2 virus trapped within, without degrading the masks’ performance.

Engineers invent a way to store data without using silicon chips

Researchers have invented a way to slide atomically-thin layers of 2D materials over one another to store more data, in less space and using less energy.

A new battery electrolyte may boost the electric vehicles’ performance

Stanford researchers have designed a new electrolyte for lithium metal batteries that could increase the driving range of electric cars.

A team of researchers explore the defects in quantum materials

Their efforts may someday enable quantum-based technologies, such as quantum computers, quantum networks or engines that run on light.

A battery that harnesses energy from mixing of freshwater and seawater

Made from affordable and durable materials, this technology could make coastal wastewater treatment plants energy-independent and carbon neutral.

Could light become the new electricity?

A new device called a nanoscale photon diode could eventually enable next-generation computing, communication and energy conversion technologies.

A new approach to cleaning heavy metals out of soil

To remove these dangerous toxins from the ground before they enter the food chain, researchers are testing a novel chemical process.

A microscopic movie reveals an unexpected photochemical reaction

Researchers retool an electron microscope to make the impossible task of studying a single nanoparticle possible.

How can we design electronic devices that don’t overheat?

​A new thermal transistor could help conduct heat away from delicate electronic components and also insulate them against chip and circuit failure.

Richard H. Bube, expert in photoelectronic materials, dies at 90

Bube helped pave the way for today’s solar cells and was a prolific author and lecturer who tried to bridge the gap between science and religion.