Science at NSLS-II

Long-lasting batteries, cost-effective fuel cells, and efficient solar cells are some of the most relevant technologies in our daily lives. Demand for more efficient and reliable energy sources increases every day. To improve the current level of state-of-the-art devices, researchers are trying to understand the chemical and physical processes within these devices. NSLS-II can help answer these questions. We offer access to advanced imaging and microscopy tools that can visualize the chemical changes within batteries with nanoscale precision. The combination of hard x-ray tools with soft x-ray techniques offers the ability to gain a complete picture of the ongoing chemical changes during charging and discharging. This combination of chemical and structural analysis of energy systems under working conditions will help scientists to develop the next generation of energy materials.

From cars to medical prosthetics, advanced manufacturing techniques open the pathway to faster and more cost-effective production of parts. However, the complex and additive nature of the production process opens a wide variety of research and development questions that scientists are trying to answer. By using dedicated x-ray scattering tools at NSLS-II, researchers can investigate materials growth or 3D printing while it is happening. Soft x-ray scattering and spectroscopy techniques can help reveal how the electronic properties of the materials change, while the imaging and microscopy beamlines at NSLS-II can uncover strain, stress, and microcracks in the parts. By combining all of these advanced research tools, NSLS-II elevates the scientific understanding and development of advanced manufacturing processes to the next level.

Condensed matter physics touches our everyday life though technologies like semiconductors or smart screens based on nanotechnology. To harness the hidden secrets of matter for these and many other technologies, researchers first need to uncover the properties of materials. At NSLS-II, research teams can leverage state-of-the-art beamlines to study materials from smallest building block to the largest device. NSLS-II offers soft x-ray scattering and spectroscopy beamlines to study the electronic structure and material phases of matter. Researchers can also use hard x-ray scattering and spectroscopy tools to reveal the internal structure or growth of materials. The facility also has a set of beamlines dedicated to imaging the elemental makeup of materials. The combination of state-of-the-art research capabilities at NSLS-II creates the perfect conditions for researchers to uncover the secrets of these materials.

Many modern advances in biology, medicine, and biotechnology were made possible by learning how biological structures such as proteins, tissues, and cells interact with each other. But to truly reveal their function, as well as the role they play in diseases, scientists need to visualize them. We enable the study of life at its smallest to largest scales by offering advanced tools and expertise. The tools at NSLS-II range from dedicated imaging and microscopy tools for studying the inner workings of cells and tissues to highly automated crystallography and scattering beamlines for investigating the molecular structure of proteins. Additional information about our life science activities can be found on the Center for BioMolecular Structure website. Our vibrant life science community also benefits from the co-location of the Laboratory of BioMolecular Structure, a cryo-electron microscope center.

From smart watches to cellphones, we are constantly looking for ways to shrink microelectronics further while increasing their computing power. This search for ever smaller microchip designs forces researchers to study these devices on extremely small scales with incredibly high precision. To explain the behavior and performance of microelectronics, researchers use the highly precise imaging and microscopy tools at NSLS-II, which allows them to map out their device in 2D and 3D. NSLS-II also offers soft x-ray scattering and spectroscopy tools to study the electronic properties of these materials as well as hard x-ray scattering and spectroscopy tools to reveal their internal structure. All of these non-destructive methods combined can help researchers understand how each property influences the overall performance and function of the microchip.

Climate change, pollution, and environmental contamination are challenges affecting our daily lives in many areas, such an energy security, health, and food security. The increasing demand for sustainable solutions coupled with the need to understand underlying processes that cause these challenges opens a vast array of research questions. At NSLS-II, we offer unique imaging and microscopy tools to resolve the chemical details of environmental samples, such as soil or aerosols. In addition to these visualization techniques, NSLS-II also has a suite of hard x-ray techniques that offer structural and chemical investigation. Researchers come from all around the world to use these advanced research tools at NSLS-II. They study everything, from plant seeds and fertilizers to biofuels and green cement, to create a more sustainable future.

With the ever-rising demand for more computing power, researchers look toward new technologies made from quantum materials for the next-generation of computers. Nevertheless, studying the elusive properties of these materials is challenging. By offering a wide range of specialized beamlines, NSLS-II can help researchers answer pressing questions about the nature of quantum materials. The facility has dedicated soft x-ray scattering and spectroscopy tools to reveal quantum effects in spintronics or electronic behaviors in superconductors. To uncover the atomic structure of new semiconductors or other quantum materials, researchers can rely on the hard x-ray scattering and spectroscopy beamline at NSLS-II. To advance the field of quantum information science, NSLS-II brings its expertise and advanced tools to the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) led by Brookhaven Lab.

From flexible touch screens to highly efficient water filtration membranes, novel, advanced materials play an important role in modern society. Researchers are constantly working towards new ways to create these novel materials, however, understanding their full potential requires specialized tools. At NSLS-II, we offer access to a series of unique capabilities to study the various properties of these new materials. The advanced imaging and microscopy tools at NSLS-II can visualize the elemental makeup and strain of smart and nanomaterials. NSLS-II’s scattering beamlines can reveal the structure of polymers, as well as biomaterials. The combination of soft x-ray techniques and hard x-ray tools at NSLS-II offers researchers a way to investigate the electronic and atomic structure of materials. By combining these advanced research capabilities at NSLS-II, scientists can uncover the hidden secrets of novel materials and harness their full potential for new water filtration technologies and smart technologies.

Catalysts are at the center of several practical technologies, such as car exhaust cleaning, chemical reactions in fuels cells, and even the breakdown of greenhouse gases into usable chemicals. In their capability as “chemical deal makers”, catalytic materials ensure many desired reactions run faster and more efficiently. However, many catalysts require expensive, rare metals or are simply not understood well enough to use efficiently. Together with scientists from around the globe, we use the advanced research tools of NSLS-II to investigate the chemical properties of existing and completely new catalytic materials. By using soft x-ray scattering and spectroscopy tools we can reveal the electronic nature of these materials while we watch how the catalyst works in a chemical reaction using our hard x-ray scattering and spectroscopy beamlines. By using these tools, NSLS-II helps researchers to develop the next generation of catalysts for cleaner energy, reduction of greenhouse gases, and more efficient technologies.

In the realm of biology, the development of more precise imaging systems, including x-ray imaging, has opened the pathway to modern medicine, treatments, bioengineering, and other advances. However, to measure biological samples with high accuracy, scientists need to take images at high resolution and with high signal-to-noise ratio. This, typically, means long exposure times, which – when using x-rays – harms the sample through radiation damage, which changes the sample. Therefore, a team of researchers is working on a new type of quantum enhanced microscope that uses “ghost imaging” to retrieve a high-resolution image of the sample without long exposure times. This microscope relies on the quantum nature of light by using entangled x-rays beams produced by the NSLS-II for imaging. Details

From advancing new reactor designs to supporting safe operation of nuclear facilities, researchers are constantly looking for ways to improve state-of-the-art nuclear facilities. Their comprehensive studies of materials, ranging anywhere from radioactive minerals to stainless steel, rely on them to investigate their samples with incredibly high precision. At NSLS-II, we assist researchers in visualizing the different elements within their samples by offering highly precise  imaging and microscopy tools for 2D and 3D analysis. Together with NSLS-II’s  hard x-ray scattering and spectroscopy tools, researchers can reveal the internal structureof materials, which they can then relate to properties such as strength or durability. All these non-destructive methods help researchers to advance their nuclear facilities and nuclear forensic studies. If you are interested in learning more about the nuclear science and nuclear forensic studies that are possible at NSLS-II, and how to become a user, watch this short video.