http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/lbnl_es/rss Recent eScholarship items from Energy Sciences Sun, 20 Sep 2026 15:43:10 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89h9c1m9 It has been a long-standing challenge in electrocatalysis to measure product formation with kinetically relevant time resolution. Here, we couple a real-time gas analyzer mass spectrometer with a modified sampling inlet to a gas diffusion electrode cell, achieving sub-second time resolution for both reactant consumption and product formation. We focus on CO 2 /CO reduction on oxide-derived Cu, motivated by the continuing interest in its reaction mechanism and its high selectivity to ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) formation. Potential step experiments for CO reduction reveal that the initial consumption of CO is fast (&lt; 1 s), but the appearance of C 2 H 4 products can be 10 times slower, which we attribute to the time required for CO storage on the Cu surface and subsequent reconstruction into the active, C 2+ -forming, configuration. Previous studies have reported that the co-feed of 12 CO 2 / 13 CO results in the enhancement of 13 C-containing ethylene isotopologues, but the mechanism... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89h9c1m9 Sat, 19 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zeng, Helen J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1850-4923 Kim, Yesol Yano, Junko https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6308-9071 Ager, Joel W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9334-9751 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9xr2b2sh Chiroptical properties in metal halide perovskites typically arise from asymmetric crystal structures induced by chiral organic molecules during synthesis or chiral additives. However, the synthesis of two-dimensional chiral halide perovskites with sufficiently high dissymmetry factors for practical applications remains challenging. Herein, we present a two-step ionic gel-mediated nucleation and recrystallization reaction, enabling the synthesis of nanostructured chiral halide perovskite films exhibiting large intrinsic circular dichroism dissymmetry factors (gCD) up to 10−2. The ionic gel mediates the reaction between lead(II) iodide (PbI2) and R/S-methylbenzylammonium iodide (R/S-MBAI), to facilitate the formation of higher-order iodoplumbate PbI3- and oligomeric Pb-I-MBA species, which recrystallize during heat treatment as anisotropic nanostructures without preferential orientation. Ionic gel-mediated films exhibit a very pronounced peak splitting originating from a well-defined... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9xr2b2sh Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lee, Do-Kyoung Moral, Raphael F Babbe, Finn Kodalle, Tim https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8792-9669 Roncoroni, Fabrice https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6402-3752 Jayakumar, Harishankar Zhou, Kun Zhou, Yuanyuan Lee, Yen Jea https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2699-8676 Abel, Brooks A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2288-1975 Schwartz, Craig P Sutter-Fella, Carolin M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7769-0869 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98v7860w Altermagnets are a class of magnets that exhibit non-relativistic spin splitting (NRSS) of electronic bands in the absence of net magnetization. Their potential to generate large spin polarization without spin-orbit coupling has created strong interest in probes that access the underlying order parameter directly. In this Perspective, we show that linear magneto-birefringence (LMB) provides a natural and broadly applicable route to detecting altermagnetic order. Building on the correspondence between the momentum-space structure of NRSS and the ferroic ordering of magnetic multipoles in real space, we demonstrate how d-wave and g-wave NRSS textures yield distinct LMB responses. We present a symmetry-based framework that identifies the optical geometries and field configurations required to isolate specific multipole components, enabling domain imaging and providing benchmarks for theoretical models of LMB. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98v7860w Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Sunko, V Orenstein, J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xh73851 The uranyl dication ([UO₂]²⁺) is a highly active photocatalyst for the functionalization of inert C_sp3-H bonds by direct hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA). However, photocatalysis by the uranyl ion remains underexplored. Most reports are limited to reactions catalyzed by simple uranyl salts, such as uranyl nitrate [UO₂(NO₃)₂·6H₂O] (<b>U</b>^<b>NO3</b>). We report a set of uranyl tris(benzoate) complexes <b>1-R</b> containing strongly coordinating and tunable equatorial ligands that resist photodamage and control access to the oxo groups. These catalyst variants with appropriate aryl substituents undergo catalytic reactions at C-H bonds by HAA. The selectivity and reactivity of this step depend on the ligand framework and are distinct from that of <b>U</b>^<b>NO3</b> or other photoactive oxo complexes, such as decatungstate, that lack ancillary ligands. Finally, consistent with the strong,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xh73851 Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Herrera, Gabriel Wong, Anthony Fiszbein, David Haibel, Betsy A Lara, Jaden Katzer, Nicholas J Hartwig, John F Arnold, Polly L https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6410-5838 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qv2g66d Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) reductase 1 (PYCR1) catalyzes the NAD(P)H-dependent conversion of L-P5C to L-proline and is one of the most consistently up-regulated metabolic enzymes in cancer cells. High PYCR1 expression is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, and its knockdown inhibits tumor proliferation and metastasis, motivating inhibitor discovery. All structurally validated PYCR1 inhibitors to date bind in the active site and are anchored in the L-P5C binding pocket by an anionic functional group, typically carboxylate. Seeking inhibitors with alternative anchors, we used X-ray crystallography to screen 22 fragment-like compounds (MW&nbsp;=&nbsp;189-343 Da) from docking that represent six different carboxylic acid isosteres. Surprisingly, only one compound bound in the active site. Four other compounds were found in three adjacent remote sites located in oligomer interfaces. The compounds bind 7 Å from NADH and 10-14 Å from L-P5C, and the intervening space is blocked... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qv2g66d Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Meeks, Kaylen R Mattingly, Caitlin J Nix, Jay C Chuk, Oleksii Protopopov, Mykola V Tarkhanova, Olga O Tanner, John J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ch91561 Branched nanostructures have attracted significant attention due to their potential applications across diverse fields. Precise control over branched morphology is essential for enhancing their functionality, yet it remains a considerable challenge. In this work, in-situ liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) is employed to investigate the controllable growth of seaweed-like iron oxide branches in the presence of charged gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) within an organic solution. In contrast to the conventional tip-splitting behavior observed in the absence of Au NPs, the branches exhibit directional and accelerated growth toward the Au NPs without further splitting. Finite-element analysis reveals that the local electric field between the charged Au NPs and the branches promotes reactant aggregation at the branch tips, thereby driving their directional and accelerated growth. This study provides insights into the growth mechanisms of seaweed-like nanostructures and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ch91561 Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zhou, Mingrui Wang, Wen Sun, Jinyi Yu, Yuze Nie, Meng Huang, Hubiao Zheng, Haimei https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3813-4170 Xu, Tao Sun, Litao https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k82z673 The relationship between electrochemical potential and reaction rate-or Tafel slope-is fundamental to the study of multi-step charge transfer reactions. However, despite its importance and ubiquitous use, Tafel slope is seldom interpreted outside of "cardinal" values. The mechanistic interpretation of cardinal Tafel slopes is predicated on the pre-equilibrium approximation (PEA): that the path between the (catalyst) resting state and rate-determining step is in equilibrium. This stringent approximation severely limits opportunities to elicit mechanistic information from electrochemical processes. In this Scientific Perspective, we broaden the existing framework for mechanistic interpretation of Tafel slope through a simple, universal equation that generally describes Tafel slope in terms of elementary-step symmetry factors and approach-to-equilibrium (i.e., approach to PEA accuracy). The predictiveness and mechanistic utility of these theoretical developments are showcased through... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k82z673 Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Razdan, Neil K https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7h70t25c ConspectusUpconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) transform low-energy light into higher-energy photons, enabling applications in subwavelength and subsurface imaging, nanoscale sensing, therapeutics, optogenetics, printing, and optical computing. However, the widespread adoption of UCNPs is hindered by their low brightness and limited spectral tunability. Predicting the ideal nanoparticle architectures to overcome these limitations is challenging because UCNP photophysics are governed by highly nonlinear, complex energy transfer networks that span the excited states of lanthanide dopants. Due to the large number of possible combinations of dopants, concentrations, host matrices, heterostructures, and reaction conditions, optimizing the compositional and synthetic parameters of UCNPs using conventional trial-and-error approaches is intractable.This Account explores how researchers can overcome these challenges and enhance the properties of UCNPs using artificial intelligence (AI) and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7h70t25c Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Luo, Ripeng https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1031-2377 Hamm, Jungmin Chan, Emory M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5655-0146 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fv266vz Membrane-electrode assemblies utilize ionomer-coated electrocatalysts to achieve facile ion transport. Consequently, isolation of intrinsic catalyst kinetics from measured polarization curves is challenging, as the properties of the catalyst and ionomer both affect the measurements. Here, we employ a Pt microelectrode coated by a thin perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) layer to measure polarization curves for the hydrogen oxidation reaction/hydrogen evolution reaction (HER/HOR). Intrinsic electrode kinetics are isolated by theoretical analysis of the local catalyst microenvironment, accounting for mass transport and thermodynamics. The observed enhancements in HER and HOR rates with increasing relative humidity (RH) at the working electrode are attributable to two competing factors: the decrease in activity of H+ in the ionomer and the dominant decrease in the water reorganization energy in the Marcus–Hush–Chidsey representation of HER/HOR kinetics. The increase in intrinsic rate with... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fv266vz Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Anderson, GraceC Rajupet, Siddharth Kushner, Douglas I https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3020-7737 Weber, Adam Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7749-1624 Radke, Clayton J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1587-4822 Bell, Alexis T https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5738-4645 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4r06f0mx <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an important opportunistic pathogen that infects many individuals and threatens the health of those with compromised immunity. Current therapies are unable to eradicate chronic infections and pose risks of adverse reactions. Using X-ray structure-based drug design, we have developed a new series of biaryl-substituted pyrazolopyrimidine inhibitors of the essential parasite enzyme calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 (TgCDPK1). These inhibitors have excellent potency against the enzyme and <i>in vitro</i> antiparasitic activity. We further optimized the compounds for increased metabolic stability, lowered plasma protein binding, decreased efflux, and improved pharmacokinetics (PK). Several of the inhibitors had desirable PK with high oral bioavailability, low clearance, and extended half-life, leading to excellent compound exposure in the plasma and brain over a 24-h period. Three compounds were tested during acute infection in both immunocompetent and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4r06f0mx Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Mannino, MichaelP Gokanapalle, Anusha Patil, Shrushti Kooner, Anoopjit Singh Meena, Chhuttan Lal Medcalf, Matthew Vilza, Igi Barks, Jennifer Fu, Yong Xia, Jing Nix, Jay C Nelson, Chris Fremont, Daved Dhillon, Arun Sibley, L David Janetka, James W https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3hp329bp Reactive dissolution of a photoresist polymer in aqueous base to form a processable image is an important step in building patterns on semiconductor chips. The critical ionization (CI) theory states that a specific minimum fraction, the CI level, of the ionizable moieties in the exposed polymer is required for the chain to become soluble. This fraction’s value strongly influences pattern quality but has only been estimated in prior studies. Here, the CI level of a specific polymer platform has been measured to be 20% using a family of polypeptoids. This platform has controlled chain length, ionizable monomer content, and chain end groups. Using reaction-diffusion chemical kinetics modeling, we show that polypeptoids dissolution above the CI level is consistent with theory. At the CI level, qualitatively different gelation-dissolution behavior occurs compared to levels above it. The methodology used in this work is broadly applicable to understanding fundamental aspects of reactive... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3hp329bp Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Paing, Aung Adams, Cameron P Zhao, Kevin Dilworth, Braeden T Segalman, Rachel A Oh, Dahyun Houle, Frances A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5571-2548 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jb1m4nm Electron microscopy (EM) is a foundational tool for directly assessing the structure of materials. Recent advances in direct electron detectors have improved signal-to noise ratios via single-electron counting. However, accurately counting electrons at high flux remains challenging. We developed a new method of electron counting for direct electron detectors, Back-Propagation Counting (BPC). BPC uses machine learning techniques designed for mathematical operations on large tensors but does not require large training datasets. In synthetic data, we show BPC is able to count multiple electron strikes per pixel and is robust to increasing occupancy. In experimental data, frames counted with BPC are shown to reconstruct diffraction peaks corresponding to individual nanoparticles with relatively higher intensity and produce images with improved contrast when compared to a standard counting method. Together, these results show that BPC excels in experiments where pixels see a high flux... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jb1m4nm Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Renner, Joshua Wright, Matthew A Bouchard, Kristofer Cohen, Bruce E Ercius, Peter https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6762-9976 Goldschmidt, Azriel Pedroso, Cassio CS Saha, Ambarneil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6548-5403 Denes, Peter https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d73c5ch Effective interfacial passivation is essential for achieving high-performance perovskite photovoltaics. 2D/3D heterostructures are a widely adopted strategy for defect passivation and band alignment regulation. Despite recent progress, achieving favorable interfacial energetics and comprehensively suppressing nonradiative recombination at both surfaces and grain boundaries continues to be an active area of investigation. We introduce a coassembled 2D architecture in which long-chain ligands are complemented by a minority component of short-chain ligands to form a mixed-ligand passivation layer. Such a coassembled structure promotes preferentially phase-pure, n = 2, 2D layer formation, resulting in an energetically favorable band alignment that enhances charge extraction. In addition, this coassembly facilitates effective passivation of interfacial defects at both surfaces and grain boundaries, leading to suppressed nonradiative recombination. As a consequence, these interfacial... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d73c5ch Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Shih, Meng-Chen Tan, Shaun Lu, Yongli Kodalle, Tim https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8792-9669 Terlier, Tanguy Grotevent, Matthias J Mandani, Faiz Zhang, Ruiqi Lee, Do-Kyoung Lin, Yu-Kuan Zhu, Hua Sutter-Fella, Carolin M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7769-0869 Mohite, Aditya Bulović, Vladimir Bawendi, Moungi G https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29c9b0kp Artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) expand the suite of synthetically valuable, new-to-nature biocatalytic reactions. Integrating these enzymes into biosynthetic pathways enables reactions not found in nature to occur in living cells with the intermediates or products of the metabolic pathways. However, the integration of reactions catalyzed by ArMs into complex metabolic pathways is constrained by the lack of methods to assemble these ArMs in organisms that are commonly used for metabolic engineering. We report the assembly of an iridium-containing artificial metalloenzyme (Ir-ArM) in <i>Streptomyces albus</i>, a Gram-positive bacterial chassis widely used for the heterologous expression of natural products. In this engineered organism, the Ir-ArM assembles in the cytoplasm and catalyzes abiological carbene transfer to the unactivated, disubstituted double bond of an exogenously added terpene with turnover numbers (TONs) that are two times higher than those for the same reaction... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/29c9b0kp Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chakraborty, Sukriyo Hwang, Soonkyu Huang, Jing Chen, Dongping Chen, Yan Petzold, Christopher J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8270-5228 Clark, Douglas S Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6513-7425 Keasling, Jay D https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4170-6088 Hartwig, John F https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1jz3g82k The human cathelicidin host defense peptide LL-37 is expressed by many cell types, including neutrophils, macrophages, and epithelial cells, and forms complexes with nucleic acids that can have either beneficial or detrimental health effects. We suggest that these differential impacts are directly connected to the extent of nucleic acid binding by LL-37. Here, we use phage λ DNA and techniques such as high-resolution video microscopy, gel electrophoresis, circular dichroism, and displacement assays to show that LL-37 binds non-specifically to dsDNA, condensing it, followed by formation of progressively larger complexes from smaller domains, until “complete” complexation is attained at a (w/w) ratio of DNA/LL-37 of 1:1.7. The morphology of these complexes is concentration-dependent, with relatively low LL-37 amounts yielding loosely aggregated DNA structures and higher LL-37 concentrations leading to well-defined, disc-like complexes of about 150&nbsp;nm in diameter. The condensation... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1jz3g82k Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zielke, Claudia Rad, Behzad Nielsen, Josefine E Li, Jiaxin Pimcharoen, Sopida Sawant, Manasi Kamayirese, Seraphine Lin, Jennifer S Thiam, Hawa R Barron, Annelise E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9hq3r6nn The need for sustainable mobility and renewable energy systems has been a major driving force for battery research in recent years. While ion batteries are in widespread application, there remain unsolved questions regarding fundamental processes occurring within batteries during use that ultimately limit their performance. The most important of such processes is intercalation, which describes the reversible incorporation of a guest species into a host lattice. The early stages of this process, when only a limited amount of guest material is present, are still barely understood. In this work, we use advanced transmission electron microscopy to directly observe the structure and host/guest interactions in a partially intercalated graphite model system. We show the three-dimensional layer occupancy and demonstrate that the established staging laws break down in this regime. Finally, we elucidate the impact of host lattice defects on the intercalation process using 4D-STEM, moiré... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9hq3r6nn Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Schweizer, Peter Vogl, Lilian M Ophus, Colin https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2348-8558 Minor, Andrew M https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-8309 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76h4s78v Connecting 0 K density functional theory (DFT) energies to finite-temperature, finite-pressure synthesis conditions is a well-established thermodynamic formalism, yet quantified guidance on when and how to accurately calibrate these results to experimental chemical potentials in practice remains sparse. In this work, we systematically benchmark a complete workflowthe virtual furnacethat constructs effective oxygen chemical potentials (μO2) for common synthesis atmospheres (air, Ar, H2, CO) as functions of temperature and partial pressure and propagates quantified errors from formation enthalpies through reaction energies to critical chemical potentials. Applying this workflow to 11 binary oxides, we find that “gas-only” thermal corrections are sufficient at low temperatures and for Group II oxides across all temperatures, while solid-phase vibrational contributions become critical at elevated temperatures for transition metal oxides. We quantify this threshold through the ratio... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76h4s78v Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Walters, Lauren N https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9710-9146 Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 Ceder, Gerbrand https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9275-3605 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bd05003 Spontaneous symmetry breaking in kagome metals remains highly debated, especially with respect to the presence of time-reversal symmetry breaking and the temperature range over which it develops. A loop-current order, characterized by complex phases in intersite hopping, has been proposed as the mechanism responsible for the breaking of time-reversal symmetry, although it has not yet been confirmed experimentally. Here we present evidence that time-reversal symmetry is broken well above the temperature at which the charge density wave order develops in the kagome metal CsV3Sb5. Using momentum-resolved and domain-selective measurements of circular dichroism in photoemission intensity, we observe dichroic signal that originates from the time-reversal symmetry broken state. This finding also points to the presence of loop-current order. The temperature dependence of the dichroic response shows a complex evolution, revealing how loop-current order is intertwined with the charge ordered... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bd05003 Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Cha, Jaehun Lee, Hyunggeun Sim, Sangjun Sur, Yeahan Kim, Kwang-Tak Han, Jae-Ho Kim, Sun-Woo Lee, Gyubin Hyun, Jounghoon Lim, Chan-young Ahn, Yeojin Gim, Seonggeon Denlinger, Jonathan D https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7645-1631 Kim, Sunghun Kim, Kee Hoon Lee, SungBin Han, Myung Joon Kim, Yeongkwan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3b60j9mt The reliable determination of transition states (TSs) benefits from second-order information for robust convergence and validation, but the computational expense of Hessians prohibits their routine use in TS optimization. Here, we present a machine-learning-driven TS optimizer that directly predicts the leftmost Hessian eigenvector (LMHE), which is the critical mode that locally approximates the reaction coordinate encompassing the TS. We demonstrate that our LMHE optimizer recovers TS solutions at the same rate as full-Hessian optimizers and robustly from degraded initial guess geometries, thereby eliminating the excessively long wall times characteristic of full-Hessian approaches and reducing total gradient evaluations compared to standard quasi-Newton methods. We further improve accuracy and robustness using uncertainty quantification for identifying occasional LMHE prediction failures, where we then fall back to a full-Hessian update from the machine-learned potential at... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3b60j9mt Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wu, Guanchen https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5789-6393 Yuan, Eric C-Y Hegazy, Kareem Blau, Samuel M Head-Gordon, Teresa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0025-8987 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/11z8t8b6 The symmetry-broken correlated states in twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG) can be tuned via several external knobs, including twist angle, displacement field, and carrier density. However, a direct, momentum-resolved characterization of how these parameters reshape the flat-band structure remains limited. In this Letter, we employ microfocused angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to investigate the flat-band dispersion of TDBG at a twist angle of 1.6°, systematically varying the displacement field and carrier density via electrostatic gating. We directly observe multiple flat moiré minibands near charge neutrality, including a flat remote valence band residing below the low-energy flat-band manifold. Furthermore, the dominant Coulomb repulsive energy over the flat-band bandwidth suggests favorable conditions for the emergence of interaction-driven correlated phenomena in TDBG. These findings establish that the formation and evolution of flat bands in TDBG arises from... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/11z8t8b6 Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Sasmal, Souvik Muzzio, Ryan Khalifa, Ahmed Majchrzak, Paulina Jones, Alfred JH Kao, I-Hsuan Watanabe, Kenji Taniguchi, Takashi Singh, Simranjeet Rotenberg, Eli https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3979-8844 Bostwick, Aaron https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9008-2980 Jozwiak, Chris Ulstrup, Søren Chatterjee, Shubhayu Katoch, Jyoti https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82m0w6qc Semiconductor technology now employs few-nanometer features, necessitating tools probing electronic properties on the same length scale. While the concentration of free charge carriers is routinely measured, the scattering rate remains challenging to access at the nanoscale. Here, we present ultrabroadband (5-50 THz) synchrotron infrared nanospectroscopy as a quantitative metrology tool for semiconductors. This technique can determine both the charge carrier concentration and scattering rate with percent-level accuracy, and it is inherently capable of ∼10 nm spatial resolution. We study silicon with different doping levels and confirm the method's accuracy by statistical analysis and comparison with established far-field infrared spectroscopy. Near-field measurements systematically reveal charge-carrier concentrations ∼30% lower than far-field values, consistent with increased surface sensitivity and surface depletion. Our work establishes synchrotron infrared nanospectroscopy... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82m0w6qc Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wehmeier, Lukas Zhou, Zijian Tsuneto, Makoto Zhao, Heze Corder, Stephanie N Gilbert Bechtel, Hans A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7606-9333 Martinez, Vladimir A Homes, Christopher C Basov, DN Liu, Mengkun Carr, GL https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6nw5r8j6 Dissociative electron attachment to N-ethylacetamide is investigated using velocity map imaging with a tunable electron beam. Previously reported ion-yield spectra reveal two prominent resonant features near 5.5 and 8.8 eV across all observed anion channels. Surprisingly, no distinct structure is observed in the intermediate 6–7-eV energy region, where smaller amides typically exhibit an additional resonance associated with amide-bond cleavage. For N-ethylacetamide, the absence of a clear feature in this energy region indicates that any corresponding transient negative-ion state does not contribute significantly to dissociation. The momentum distributions obtained in the present work reveal distinct dissociation dynamics for different channels. The CH3− fragment at 5.5 eV exhibits an anisotropic distribution, indicating a direct dissociation process with finite kinetic-energy release. In contrast, the NH− fragment at 8.8 eV shows an isotropic distribution with near-zero kinetic... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6nw5r8j6 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chakraborty, Dipayan Ptasinska, Sylwia Slaughter, Daniel S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4621-4552 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5c1106p7 Macromolecular crystallography has historically inferred models of internal crystal architecture from reciprocal-space measurements of Bragg reflections. Nevertheless, direct real-space visualization of crystallographic disorder remains elusive, particularly at the nanoscale. Using a 15-nanometer probe, here we apply both ambient-temperature and cryogenic four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) to map the topography of coherently diffracting domains (CDDs) in lysozyme and myoglobin microcrystals at length scales 100 × finer than conventional X-ray and electron beams. Virtual dark-field images show that each Bragg peak arises from spatially distinct subvolumes representing smooth and continuous variations in local lattice orientation. Under sustained irradiation, protein CDDs undergo rearrangements spanning several micrometers of internal movement. Furthermore, pinpoint high-dose "impact crater" experiments reveal delocalized radiolytic damage propagating... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5c1106p7 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Nia, Shervin S Saha, Ambarneil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6548-5403 Cho, Jung Zhou, Z Hong Ercius, Peter https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6762-9976 Mecklenburg, Matthew https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fr4663n ABSTRACT Homogeneous glass formation in binary rare‐earth silicate systems has thus far been precluded due to the presence of extensive liquid–liquid immiscibility and a strong tendency of these liquids toward crystallization. In this study, we demonstrate homogeneous glass formation in the Sc 2 O 3 –SiO 2 binary system within a narrow compositional window (37–39&nbsp;mol% Sc 2 O 3 ) near a deep eutectic between the compounds Sc 2 Si 2 O 7 and Sc 2 SiO 5 , using containerless laser melting under aerodynamic levitation. The atomic structure of these unusual glasses is investigated using multinuclear ( 29 Si, 45 Sc, 17 O) solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Raman spectroscopy. The spectroscopic results, when taken together, provide a comprehensive picture of the structure of these glasses characterized by pyrosilicate [Si 2 O 7 ] 6− anionic units interconnected by Sc cations in ScO 6 coordination polyhedra, via Si–O–Sc linkages. A significant fraction (∼6%) of the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fr4663n Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Everson, Bryce Chuang, Shih‐Yi Hung, Ivan Gan, Zhehong McCormack, Scott J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0715-3451 Sen, Sabyasachi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4444835m Compositional characterization is essential for understanding and optimizing material performance. For powder-based materials underpinning many modern technologies, however, accurately and rapidly resolving the composition of individual constituent phases remains an unsolved challenge, slowing materials research and limiting autonomous laboratory platforms. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) offers a time- and cost-effective route, but artifacts generated by irregular particle morphologies fundamentally limit its reliability for quantitative compositional analysis. Here, we introduce a scalable particle-based SEM-EDS quantification scheme that overcomes these artifacts requiring only one experimental standard per element, including light elements conventionally difficult to quantify. To deploy this capability at scale, we then integrate this core quantification scheme with automated measurements and unsupervised machine-learning analysis... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4444835m Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Giunto, Andrea https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3363-5494 Fei, Yuxing Nevatia, Pragnay Rendy, Bernardus Szymanski, Nathan J Ceder, Gerbrand https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9275-3605 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2q9903vp Autoencoder-transformer model applicable to both simulated and experimental XAS spectra is developed to predict the oxidation state of copper. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) produce detailed information about oxidation state, bonding, and coordination, making them essential for quantitative studies of redox and structure in functional materials. However, high-throughput quantitative analysis of these spectra, especially for mixed valence materials, remains challenging as diverse experimental conditions introduce noise, misalignment, and broadening of the spectral features. We address this challenge by training a machine learning model consisting of an autoencoder to standardize the spectra and a transformer model to predict both Cu oxidation state and Bader charge directly from L-edge spectra. The model is trained on a large dataset of FEFF-simulated spectra, and its performance is evaluated on both simulated and experimental... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2q9903vp Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lee, Brian Qiao, Linna Gleason, Samuel Zhou, Guangwen Qu, Xiaohui Yang, Judith Ciston, Jim https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8774-5747 Lu, Deyu https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9v8042tb Nanosized cerium oxide (CeO₂) has been extensively used as the oxygen storage component in automotive emission control systems. However, the possible influence of atomically dispersed Ce in these catalysts has not been recognized. Here, we demonstrate the controllable transformation of ceria nanoparticles into isolated cerium cations on γ-Al₂O₃ via reductive atom trapping in 10% H₂ at 800 °C, achieving over half-monolayer coverage. Dispersed Ce₁ ions anchored by surface penta- and octa-coordinated Al sites exhibit outstanding thermal stability in air up to 500 °C, enabling further loading of active metals with well-defined catalyst structures. With this strategy, supported single-atom Rh₁ surrounded by dispersed Ce₁ is confirmed to exhibit much superior performance to Rh₁ on bare Al₂O₃ or nanocrystalline CeO₂ in catalyzing NO reduction by CO, exhibiting a striking... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9v8042tb Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jiang, Dong Pham, Hien N Li, Yixiao Lu, Yubing Hu, Wenda Wan, Gang Dun, Chaochao Li, Junrui García-Vargas, Carlos E Sun, Yipeng Savoy, Anthony Huang, Weixin Zhang, Rui DeLaRiva, Andrew T Kim, R Soyoung Li, Xiang Urban, Jeffrey J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4909-2869 Yano, Junko https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6308-9071 Kelly, Shelly Sun, Chengjun Khivantsev, Konstantin Tassone, Christopher J Hu, Jianzhi Szanyi, Janos Datye, Abhaya K Wang, Yong https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2qn0f3mx Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), such as indium tin-doped oxide (ITO), are ubiquitous as components of electronics and are ideal electrode substrates for catalysis, energy transformation reactions, and energy storage applications. Recently, researchers have recognized their effectiveness as electrode materials for manipulating actinide oxidation states in solution. Despite their popularity as electrode materials, prior studies focused extensively on the direct radiolysis of TCO materials in air and rarely examined these effects within a solution, limiting our fundamental understanding of the interactions between solvent radiolysis products and these substrates in high radiation environments. Here we characterize the effects of solvent radiolysis productsarising from the γ irradiation of water, aqueous nitric acid solutions, and n-dodecaneon the composition, surface speciation, and band structure of ITO thin films on a glass substrate as a function of absorbed dose using... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2qn0f3mx Mon, 7 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 McLachlan, Jeffrey R https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6944-3377 Hou, Xiangyang Ortega, Gabriela Horne, Gregory P Dares, Christopher J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5q3675bs Recent advances in bandgap engineering of low-dimensional semiconductors have enabled high-efficiency carrier transport in miniaturized electronic and optoelectronic devices. The physical properties and functionalities of these materials are governed by complex carrier dynamics coupled with multiple transport mechanisms in tailored band structures. Here, we report ultrafast nanoimaging of carrier funneling and recombination in composition-grade CdS_<i>x</i>Se_1-<i>x</i> nanowires using pump-probe near-field nanoscopy. Leveraging the high resolution of this technique in both space and time, we resolve nanoscale local carrier dynamics along composition-graded nanowires, revealing the local variation of composition-dependent carrier mobilities and lifetimes that significantly differ from their uniform composition counterparts. Furthermore, we demonstrate a length-dependent behavior wherein shorter nanowires exhibit enhanced funneling effects, accelerating carrier... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5q3675bs Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yang, Rundi Shen, Xia Li, Runxuan Xu, Zitong Guo, Pengfei Wu, Junqiao https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1498-0148 Li, Jingang Grigoropoulos, Costas P https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8505-4037 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/38r3646z ABSTRACT The performance of organic solar cells (OSCs) is governed by how molecular packing evolves into interconnected networks that facilitate exciton dissociation and charge transport. Using an all‐small‐molecule blend DR3TSBDT:Y6 as a model system, we study how local molecular stacking evolves into performance‐relevant morphology during solvent vapor annealing (SVA) and subsequent thermal annealing (TA). SVA promotes end‐to‐end stacking of amorphous acceptors to form interconnected fibrils, while TA compacts inter‐fibril spacing without disrupting favorable local order. Such molecular‐to‐morphological refinements broaden light absorption, enhance charge transport, and markedly improve device efficiency. Extending this approach to additional blend systems (D18:Y6, D18:L8‐BO, and DR3TSBDT:L8‐BO) yields similar structural evolution and performance gains, with the D18:L8‐BO system achieving up to 20.10% PCE. Our study establishes control over local stacking in amorphous acceptors... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/38r3646z Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wu, Junying You, Wanqing Luo, Xuanang Wang, Xiaojing Yang, Zhiyuan Zeng, Junhao Chen, Jingchuan Wang, Cheng https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7192-5471 Ying, Lei Zhong, Wenkai He, Zhicai Cao, Yong https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20g4c7c4 The frequency response of pyroelectric sensors is fundamentally governed by thermal time constant (τ_th, determined by thermal mass and thermal conductance) and electrical impedance arising from film capacitance and readout circuit. Conventional bulk LiTaO₃ detectors are optimized for high responsivity at low modulation frequencies (0.1-10&nbsp;Hz), possessing a large τ_th that thermally averages rapid temperature oscillations at elevated modulation frequencies, limiting fidelity in resolving dynamic varying thermal signals. Here, compositional and strain gradients are introduced into 100-nm-thick relaxor-ferroelectric films reducing τ_th to ≈2 µs and producing built-in potentials (≈1.45&nbsp;V or 145&nbsp;kV cm^-1) that enhance the pyroelectric coefficient and suppress the dielectric constant. This enables complementary dual-mode operation by enhancing current-mode electrical responsivity and improving the voltage-mode figure... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20g4c7c4 Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lin, Ching‐Che Park, Tae Joon Bhat, Ashwath Kim, Tae Yeon Lou, Djamila Kang, Deokyoung Tian, Zishen Kim, Jiyeob Pamula, Sreekeerthi Kim, Jaegyu Hanrahan, Brendan Dames, Chris Martin, Lane W https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1889-2513 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71h375g6 Postpolymerization functionalization of polymers can create new applications for existing materials, while retaining their most favorable, intrinsic properties. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a widely used, commodity polymer that is particularly challenging to modify. We report a copper-catalyzed protocol that replaces a small fraction of the C-Cl bonds in PVC with C-B bonds to boronic esters. The reaction occurs with an inexpensive catalyst comprising copper(II) chloride and an NHC ligand derived from a common ionic liquid that is distinct from the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) used for the borylation of small alkyl halides. The resulting materials adhere strongly to common surfaces, such as glass and metals, even more strongly than do commercial glues. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71h375g6 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 D’Angelo, Kyan A Sun, Nathan Ciccia, Nicodemo R Yu, Isaac F Helms, Brett A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3925-4174 Hartwig, John F https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vt5n573 Geometrically frustrated lattices can display a range of correlated phenomena, ranging from spin frustration and charge order to dispersionless flat bands due to quantum interference. One particularly compelling family of such materials is the half-valence spinel LiB2O4 materials. On the B-site frustrated pyrochlore sublattice, the interplay of correlated metallic behavior and charge frustration leads to a superconducting state in LiTi2O4 and heavy fermion behavior in LiV2O4. To date, however, LiTi2O4 has primarily been understood as a conventional BCS superconductor despite a lattice structure that could host more exotic ground states. Here, we present a multimodal investigation of LiTi2O4, combining ARPES, RIXS, proximate magnetic probes, and ab-initio many-body theoretical calculations. Our data reveals a novel mobile polaronic ground state with spectroscopic signatures that underlie co-dominant electron-phonon coupling and electron-electron correlations also found in the lightly... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vt5n573 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hasan, Zubia Pan, Grace A LaBollita, Harrison Kaczmarek, Austin Sung, Suk Hyun Sharma, Shekhar Balakrishnan, Purnima P Mercer, Edward Bhartiya, Vivek N’Diaye, Alpha T Salman, Zaher Prokscha, Thomas Suter, Andreas Grutter, Alexander J Garcia-Fernandez, Mirian Zhou, Ke-Jin Pelliciari, Jonathan Bisogni, Valentina El Baggari, Ismail Schlom, Darrell G Barone, Matthew R Brooks, Charles M Nowack, Katja C Botana, Antia S Faeth, Brendan D de la Torre, Alberto Mundy, Julia A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5sc7s3w2 Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) continues to transform polymer science by revealing key aspects of chain packing, phase separation and nanoscale structure. The development of instrumentation and data analyses tools is driving the field forward and enabling new experiments. Here, we use automated high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) and image processing to identify the structure of a conjugated polymer used in organic electronics. Analysis of more than 600 HRTEM images reveals lattice parameters and orientation correlations between crystals, including the preferred alignment of neighboring crystals along the same crystallographic direction that is likely the result of liquid crystalline order. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5sc7s3w2 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Fair, Ryan A Gamdha, Dhruv Del Mundo, Joshua T Fenton, Abigail M O’Connell, Agatha Bustillo, Karen C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2096-6078 Gomez, Esther W Minor, Andrew M https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-8309 Ganapathysubramanian, Baskar Gomez, Enrique D https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4qm7z40s Solid-state synthesis involves a web of coupled chemical reactions and physical changes that unfold across multiple scales. Efforts to fine-tune its parameters have historically followed heuristic, trial-driven workflows that demand significant time and resources. In this study, we aimed to open this black box by employing multiscale in situ synchrotron imaging and diffraction. Using LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 battery positive electrode material as a model system and Ba-based sintering aids, we reveal dopant segregation, intergranular mass transport, and porosity evolution as key drivers of single-crystalline particle formation. Notably, we uncovered a dynamic competition between particle-level grain coalescence and atomic-scale cation disordering, both of which are thermally activated yet have opposing impacts on battery performance. These findings highlight the coupled, multiscale nature of structure development and offer a mechanistic basis for optimizing the solid-state synthesis... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4qm7z40s Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Xue, Zhichen Sun, Tianxiao Oruganti, Sreevishnu Huang, Xiaojing Parkinson, Dilworth Y https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1817-0716 Chu, Yong S Pianetta, Piero Ge, Mingyuan Liu, Yijin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w91z93v The mechanics of fracture healing in calcite remain poorly constrained yet are fundamental to managing fluid transport in geothermal reservoirs and hydrocarbon systems. Here, we apply microfocused synchrotron Laue X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy to investigate subcritical crack healing in a 1 mm-thick calcite crystal subjected to controlled loading in a double-torsion device. Over a 44-hour period following load removal, we map the evolution of residual strain fields surrounding the crack tip and observe a progressive increase in compressive strain perpendicular to the crack plane accompanied by infrared spectroscopic signatures that reveal enhanced accumulation of water at the healed interface. The correlation between strain evolution and surface chemistry suggests that spontaneous crack healing in calcite is driven by dynamic anelastic relaxation coupled with irreversible fluid-mineral interactions. These findings offer insight into time-dependent crack closure processes... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w91z93v Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Devoe, Michelle P. Lisabeth, Harrison Nakagawa, Seiji https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9347-0903 Hao, Zhao https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0677-8529 Tamura, Nobumichi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3698-2611 Wenk, Hans-Rudolf https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2698d2ds We present a high-throughput experimental investigation of the phase behavior in triblock copolymers (PS-<i>b</i>-PB-<i>b</i>-PS and PS-<i>b</i>-PI-<i>b</i>-PS) and polystyrene (PS) homopolymer blends as a function of homopolymer molecular weight (MW) and blend ratio. Using a robotic thin-film processing platform (NOVA) integrated with Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (GISAXS) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), we systematically mapped the order-disorder transition (ODT) boundaries and domain spacing evolution across a broad MW range (4.0-101.3 kDa) with varying homopolymer loadings (10% to 90%). The results reveal three distinct regimes: low-MW homopolymers, corresponding to the wet-brush regime produced only gradual domain swelling before disordering at high blend ratios (weight fraction); medium-MW homopolymers, corresponding to thedry-brush regime induced significant domain spacing increase up to 80% followed by earlier disordering, while high-MW homopolymers... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2698d2ds Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Upreti, Saroj Xu, Lan Moniruzzaman, Md Wang, Yunfei Adhikari, Kailash Baral, Sabin Patton, Derek Ma, Boran Xu, Jie Li, Ruipeng Zhu, Chenhui https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1263-5065 Xia, Wenjie Gu, Xiaodan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2008n1qm Electron diffraction(ED) often used to solve for unknown structures or refine existing ones. Existing methods for automated ED analysis often struggle with challenges such as computational expense and experimental noise. This study introduces a deep learning framework to accelerate and improve crystal structure determination from diffraction patterns. The methodology treats each diffraction pattern as a relational graph of Bragg spots. Spot features are encoded using a 1D convolutional network, from which a relational attention aggregator constructs an orientation-agnostic graph. This graph is processed by a Graphormer encoder enhanced with Mixture-of-Experts layers, allowing the model to learn complex crystallographic relationships efficiently. Trained and tested on a large dataset of simulated diffraction patterns, the model achieved a crystal system classification accuracy of 89.2% and a space group accuracy of 70.2% from single patterns, significantly outperforming a state-of-the-art... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2008n1qm Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Nathani, Anvesh McCray, Arthur RC https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6077-4698 Liu, Yingtao Ding, Hanping Kazempoor, Pejman Xu, Shuozhi Ophus, Colin https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2348-8558 Ghamarian, Iman https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1dt8b375 Electronic flat bands associated with quenched kinetic energy and heavy electron mass have attracted great interest for promoting strong electronic correlations and emergent phenomena such as high-temperature charge fractionalization and superconductivity. Intense experimental and theoretical research has been devoted to establishing the rich nontrivial metallic and heavy fermion phases intertwined with such localized electronic states. Here, we investigate the transition metal oxide spinel LiV₂O₄, an enigmatic heavy fermion compound lacking localized <i>f</i> orbital states. We use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and dynamical mean-field theory to reveal a kind of correlation-induced flat band with suppressed interatomic electron hopping arising from intra-atomic Hund's coupling. The appearance of heavy quasiparticles is ascribed to a proximate orbital-selective Mott state characterized by fluctuating local moments as evidenced by complementary... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1dt8b375 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Oh, Dongjin Hampel, Alexander Wakefield, Joshua P Moen, Peter C Smit, Steef Luo, Xiangyu Zonno, Marta Gorovikov, Sergey Leandersson, Mats Polley, Craig Kundu, Asish K Rajapitamahuni, Anil Vescovo, Elio Jozwiak, Chris Bostwick, Aaron https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9008-2980 Rotenberg, Eli https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3979-8844 Isobe, Masahiko Verma, Manish Crispino, Matteo Grundner, Martin Kugler, Fabian B Parcollet, Olivier Schollwöck, Ulrich Takagi, Hidenori Damascelli, Andrea Sangiovanni, Giorgio Checkelsky, Joseph G Georges, Antoine Comin, Riccardo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12c2491k Diamine functionalization of the metal-organic framework Mg₂(dobpdc) (dobpdc^4- = 4,4'-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate) significantly enhances its selectivity for CO₂ capture from flue gases and air. The structure and CO₂ capacity of such materials are typically assessed using bulk techniques that rely on averaging signal over large ensembles of unit cells, obscuring local heterogeneities, such as variations in CO₂ occupancy across individual nanocrystals. To resolve this limitation, we demonstrate a multimodal, nanoscale characterization of Mg₂(dobpdc) appended with 1,3-diaminopropane. By employing recently developed characterization techniques at progressively smaller length scales, we uncover insights from correspondingly smaller populations of unit cells. First, we use parallel-beam 3D electron diffraction (3D ED) to identify a prominent expansion in lattice parameters upon desorption of CO₂, as... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12c2491k Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Karstens, SarahL Dods, Matthew N https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2828-7376 Saha, Ambarneil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6548-5403 Garai, Máté Dai, William Graf, Katerina I Klein, Ryan A Jiang, Henry ZH Cho, Jung Bustillo, Karen C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2096-6078 Raschke, Markus B Ercius, Peter https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6762-9976 Long, Jeffrey R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5324-1321 Minor, Andrew M https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-8309 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k45v2mn We experimentally evaluate the performance of a novel pixelated diamond sensor for non-invasive x-ray beam monitoring in the tender x-ray regime (6–30 keV). Through simulations and experiments, we assess its precision in measuring beam parameters (flux, position and size) and compare it to a scintillator re-imaging microscope, an established, invasive photon beam diagnostic. Experimental results for the pixelated diamond sensor show a position sensitivity better than 50μm-rms (on the order of the pixel size), up to &gt;100Hz feedback rates, and accurate beam size tracking. The pixelated diamond sensor, though less precise than a scintillator reimaging microscope, offers the advantage of being non-invasive and has been successfully integrated into automated alignment routines using EPICS/Bluesky instrument control framework. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k45v2mn Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chong, Xiaoya Morris, Thomas W Forgacs, Tyler Goldberg, Kenneth A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-5780 Islegen-Wojdyla, Antoine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-8387 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7f1716bf The future of synchrotron light sources will bring diffraction-limited x-ray beams, providing high brightness and coherent wavefronts to an increasing number of beamline endstations around the world. In order to engineer coherent wavefronts and harness the high power densities, we need to develop x-ray deformable mirrors that can control the wavefront with high precision (&lt; 5 nm-rms), can steer the beam at high speed (&gt; 1kHz) and be compatible with ultra-high vacuum environments. We show that deformable mirrors made on industry-grade silicon wafers, borrowing a technological platform developed for space x-ray telescopes, could potentially be used for synchrotron applications, with residual figure error of about 10nm-rms that can be actuated to cause 100nm PV local deformation and operation at frequencies up to 10kHz. We also show that we can use machine learning techniques to improve their performance in operation, reducing the effects of drift and hysteresis, and make the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7f1716bf Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chong, Xiaoya Buffo, Kenneth M Griffin, Philip Tipsawat, Pannawit DeRoo, Casey Trolier-McKinstry, Susan Ochoa, Bryan Bryant, Diane Ericksen, Morgan Sabbah, Ali Smith, Nicolás Lacey, Ian https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5277-1067 Yashchuk, Valeriy https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7970-2862 Goldberg, Kenneth A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-5780 Islegen-Wojdyla, Antoine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-8387 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6p69t0w9 The generational advances in synchrotron radiation sources have historically been bottlenecked by the optics used to focus and manipulate x-ray beamlines. Such optics have strict metrology requirements while needing to be versatile in their abundance of applications. To meet these requirements, thin adaptive optics (TAOs) have been developed to correct optical surface error and perform source wavefront shaping. These TAOs consist of a series of thin-film piezoelectric actuators deposited on a mirror substrate that induce spatially localized figure deformations. In this work, the fabrication and actuator performance of two TAO mirror segments are reported. These ∼ 0.5mm thick optics have addressable actuators whose responses were measured using Fizeau interferometry. The individual actuator responses of the two TAOs induced a figure change peak-to-valley (PV) of 183nm and 63nm on average. Finally, the TAOs were used to measure the deflection of an optical laser under operation... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6p69t0w9 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Buffo, Kenneth DeRoo, Casey Griffin, Philip Islegen-Wojdyla, Antoine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-8387 Chong, Xiaoya Goldberg, Kenneth https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-5780 Ochoa, Bryan Trolier-McKinstry, Susan Tipsawat, Pannawit https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kr0109n We demonstrate an experimental approach to determine magneto-optical effects that combines x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) with x-ray interferometry, based on the concepts of Young's canonical double slit. By covering one of two slits with a magnetic thin film and employing XMCD, we show that it is possible to determine both the real and the imaginary parts of the complex refractive index by measuring the fringe shifts that occur due to a change in the sample magnetization. Our hybrid spectroscopic-interferometric methodology provides a means to probe changes in the magnetic refractive index in terms of the electron spin moment. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kr0109n Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Atkar, S Tumbleson, Z Morley, SA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8197-2431 Burdet, N Islegen-Wojdyla, A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-8387 Goldberg, KA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-5780 Scholl, A Montoya, SA Datta, Trinanjan Roy, S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qv0q872 X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), an experimental technique that utilizes circularly polarized light at synchrotron light sources to probe the magnetic properties of materials, is performed by taking the difference of two x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) spectra with x-rays of opposite circular polarizations. Each XAS spectrum measurement requires an energy scan by rotating a diffraction grating, which takes on the order of minutes to complete. Variations in the light source beam conditions or sample material environment can occur in the time between each XAS measurement and can lead to systematic shifts and fluctuations in the collected spectra and ultimately affect the XMCD measurement. We describe a concept using adaptive optics with active feedback to enable the use of fast polarization switching with lock-in amplification to reduce these effects and increase the sensitivity of XMCD measurements, and the development of such an adaptive optics system at the Advanced... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qv0q872 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ho, Johnny Islegen-Wojdyla, Antoine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-8387 Chong, Xiaoya Sabbah, Ali Goldberg, Kenneth A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-5780 N'Diaye, Alpha T https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3dj6c87h Coherent x-ray imaging faces fundamental speed limitations due to computational reconstruction requirements of current phase retrieval methods. We demonstrate dual-beam zone plates that enable direct phase-contrast measurements by structuring coherent x-rays into two focused 110nm spots separated by 11μm, bypassing iterative algorithms entirely. Experimental validation at the COSMIC beamline confirms precise dual-beam formation with clear interference patterns analogous to Young’s double-slit experiment. Comparative measurements reveal enhanced sensitivity: phase detection achieves 45° phase shifts at sample boundaries where intensity contrast shows poor signal clarity due to noise. Spectroscopic demonstrations across the oxygen K-edge show energy-selective capabilities, with phase features providing improved signal-to-noise ratio compared to conventional absorption measurements. The high photon efficiency of this direct measurement approach enables fast imaging capabilities,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3dj6c87h Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 He, Wei Islegen-Wojdyla, Antoine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-8387 Ditter, Alex https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8733-1982 Basak, Rourav Chao, Weilun Burdet, Nicolas Chong, Xiaoya Gu, Chaoying Frañó, Alex Roy, Sujoy Scholl, Andreas Shapiro, David Goldberg, Kenneth https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-5780 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0sb6m8r9 We present a comprehensive review of Fourier transform spectroscopy in the soft x-ray region, focusing on Mach-Zehnder interferometer configurations. This study evaluates advantages over traditional grating-based methods, including higher resolution potential (&gt;10,000) and rapid data acquisition. We examine historical implementations and their limitations, highlighting how recent advances in laser interferometry, mechanical stability, and detector technology may enable successful development. Through detailed simulations of interferometer schemes and beam splitter designs, we demonstrate how modern piezoelectric stages and feedback systems could overcome previous technical challenges. Applications for resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) experiments at advanced light sources are discussed. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0sb6m8r9 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lindburg, Andrew Chen, Chuzida Ding, Honghe Glans, Per-Anders Islegen-Wojdyla, Antoine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4321-8387 White, Victor Goldberg, Kenneth A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-5780 Guo, Jinghua https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8576-2172 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8h13f219 Biomass burning (BB) is a major organic aerosol source during urban winter pollution events. BB particles are rich in brown carbon (BrC) and absorb light to produce photooxidants such as oxidizing triplet excited states of organic chromophores (3C*). In midlatitudes, semivolatile phenols (ArOH) from BB are oxidized to form phenolic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) under moderate temperatures and sunlight. Here, we explore whether phenolic SOA is also formed in a cold, relatively dark, high-latitude city during winter. We use measurements from the 2022 ALPACA field campaign in Fairbanks, Alaska, incorporated into the PACT-1D model with added emissions, partitioning, and chemistry for 34 semivolatile BB phenols. The model includes phenol oxidation in the gas phase and in two populations of particles─aqueous and organic. Despite short pollutant residence times within the polluted surface layer, simulated phenolic SOA formation is fast, generating up to 4.5 μg m-3, with 99% produced... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8h13f219 Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Heinlein, Laura MD Kuhn, Jonas Ijaz, Amna Temime-Roussel, Brice de Carvalho, Karolina Cysneiros Liebes, Mallory Guo, Fangzhou Flynn, James H Moor, Kyle Williams, Brent D’Anna, Barbara Stutz, Jochen Anastasio, Cort https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5373-0459 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71z5w93f Ruthenium (Ru) polypyridyl complexes have been extensively used as optical probes, photoactivated anticancer agents, and photocages for biologically active ligands. In this study, Ru²⁺ polypyridyl complexes were investigated as photoreleasing agents for the H₂S donor GYY4137. Four complexes of the general formula <i>cis</i>-[Ru(NN)₂(GYY4137)]⁺, where NN = 2-2'-bipyridine (bpy), 2,2'-biquinoline (biq), 4,4'-methoxy-2,2'-bipyridine (dmobpy), and 4,4'-di-<i>tert</i>-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dtbpy), were synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The photochemical reactivity of these complexes was investigated, revealing that ligand photodissociation occurs in a two-step reaction. For these reactions, long-lived intermediates where the bidentate ligands attain a monodentate coordination mode could be detected. Furthermore, the ancillary diimine ligands dictated the identity of the final photoproducts observed,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71z5w93f Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lotlikar, PiyushaS Chang, Valerie Mikhailovsky, Alexander A Woods, Joshua J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6213-4093 Bigham, Nicholas P Wilson, Justin J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4086-7982 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/11t9j3x1 Industrial separation processes account for 10-15% of global energy consumption. Membrane-based processes are less energy-intensive than traditional gas separation technologies; however, enhanced material separation performance and stability for numerous gas mixtures are needed for widespread industrial adoption. This work presents a generalizable strategy for preparing mixed-matrix gas separation membranes exceeding the performance upper bounds of existing polymer membranes for a wide variety of industrial gases. By incorporating robust porous aromatic framework (PAF) particles into various dense commercial polymer matrices, gas diffusivity and solubility can be enhanced. For diverse gas mixtures (e.g., CO₂/N₂, O₂/N₂, He/CH₄, H₂/N₂, and C₂H₄/C₂H₆), the resulting composite membranes exhibit enhanced gas permeabilities-by as much as 520%-and largely unchanged... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/11t9j3x1 Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Uliana, Adam A Velasquez, Ever O Graf, Katerina I Kwon, Ohchan Engler, Kaitlyn E Miller, Daniel J Long, Jeffrey R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5324-1321 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9xj455kh A dynamic disulfide network introduced into donor/acceptor blends enables room-temperature self-healing and mechanical resilience in intrinsically stretchable organic solar cells, achieving performance recovery after high mechanical strain. The development of intrinsically stretchable organic solar cells (IS-OSCs) faces significant challenges in balancing mechanical durability and optoelectronic performance. Conventional π-conjugated polymer-based donor/acceptor blend films often exhibit limited stretchability and irreversible performance degradation under mechanical strain. To address these limitations, we propose a novel self-healable donor/acceptor blended film with a dual-network morphology, achieved by incorporating a dynamic disulfide bond-based crosslinked network into the bulk-heterojunction film. The resulting thin films demonstrate a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.39% in rigid OSC devices and a fracture strain of 15.6%. Remarkably, the IS-OSCs retain 80% of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9xj455kh Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yang, Wenyu Luo, Xuanang Liu, Jiankang Chen, Jingchuan Wu, Xuefei Fink, Zachary Shi, Chuqi Zhong, Wenkai Wang, Cheng https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7192-5471 Ying, Lei https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8v66207m For accurate characterization of grazing-incidence X-ray mirrors, we present a comprehensive framework to fit measured surface shapes (either slope or height) of X-ray mirrors used in synchrotron radiation and free-electron laser facilities. We summarize the closed-form expressions of some typical surface shapes of X-ray mirrors including elliptic cylinders, hyperbolic cylinders, ellipsoids, hyperboloids, and diaboloids. This framework is composed of four layers: definition of standard shapes with closed-form expressions, generation of theoretical surface with pose parameters (six degrees of freedom defining an object's position and orientation relative to a coordinate system), parameter optimization with the ability to select which parameters are fit and which are held constant, and the development of user-friendly fitting function wrappers for&nbsp;particular fitting tasks. A few practical fitting examples are demonstrated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed fitting... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8v66207m Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Huang, Lei Xu, Ruochen Wang, Tianyi Yamada, Jumpei Dvorak, Joseph Austin, Corey Van Eeckhout, Albert Roman, Josep Nicolàs Goldberg, Kenneth https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-5780 Idir, Mourad https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8jg734t5 Photoenzymatic reduction of CO₂ to formate is a promising strategy for carbon valorization, yet its efficiency is still limited by inefficient energy and mass transport. Here, we design a series of isostructural hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) that establish confinement effects to promote photocatalytic NADH regeneration and the subsequent NADH-dependent enzymatic CO₂-to-formate reduction. We demonstrate that spatial confinement within the framework channels localizes exciton migration to nanoscale domains and promotes interfacial dissociation. Additionally, Rh-induced electronic-structure modulation enables ultrafast electron transfer, while the intrinsic hydrogen-bond network furnishes directional proton conduction to NAD⁺. These synergistic regulations afford a photocatalytic NADH regeneration efficiency of 99.8% with a record apparent quantum efficiency of 32.8%, and drive formate production at a rate of 3020 μmol g^-1 h^-1... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8jg734t5 Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Xu, Jiaxing Zhang, Xiang Ma, Lijuan Wu, Tao Wang, Hui Deng, Yuanfang Xia, Jun Qiu, Zhongyang Sun, Kai He, Aiyong Zhang, Jian https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0274-0814 Zhang, Xu Chen, Banglin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8g14h50r Abstract Polarization detection enhances signal contrast and is widely utilized in diverse advanced applications. An ongoing challenge is the development of high‐performance polarization‐sensitive photodetectors based on optically anisotropic organic semiconductors, particularly in the near‐infrared (NIR) region. While uniaxially aligned π‐conjugated polymers with high aspect ratios exhibit strong linear dichroism and have shown promise, their limited NIR performance and heavy reliance on polymer material now represent critical limitations. Here, a breakthrough is reported in achieving giant linear dichroism and exceptional polarization detection with low aspect‐ratios (AR) non‐fullerene small‐molecule (NFSM) acceptors, extending polarization sensitivity from the UV–vis to the NIR range. An impressive dichroic ratio of 27.1 at 605 nm and 12.0 at 780 nm is demonstrated. The maximum polarization photocurrent ratio is 11.2 at 780 nm under parallel versus perpendicular polarized light.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8g14h50r Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Xue, Yingying Zuo, Qiong Zhu, Qi Li, Yukun Deng, Zilin Zhang, Zibang Yang, Zhiyuan Wang, Cheng https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7192-5471 Zhang, Rui Liu, Xianjie Zhong, Jingang Zhong, Wenkai Ying, Lei Cai, Wanzhu https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wk8n4bq The era of protein design has enabled the creation of hybrid protein-inorganic interfaces, leading to both surface-directed self-assembly of de novo protein architectures and protein-directed formation of inorganic materials. However, the resulting patterns of protein assembly are often unexpected, implying that essential interactions are not accounted for in current design platforms. Here, we use high-speed atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyzed through machine learning to follow the assembly of protein nanorods in aqueous electrolytes on two types of mica exhibiting disparate symmetry elements, which are imprinted on the overlying hydration structure. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we reproduce the observed phases and show that an observed smectic phase, previously thought to be unstable for non-interacting rods in two dimensions, emerges when crystal symmetry introduces a directional bias. The findings demonstrate the importance of incorporating solvent forces as modulated... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wk8n4bq Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yadav Schmid, Sakshi Helfrecht, Benjamin Stegmann, Amy Legg, Benjamin A Pyles, Harley Chen, Jiajun Edison, John R Ziatdinov, Maxim Preisler, Zdenek Dollar, Orion Whitelam, Stephen Kalinin, Sergei Baker, David Mundy, Christopher J Zhang, Shuai De Yoreo, James J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9rz5w9wj Supramolecular hydrogels that mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) represent promising materials for tissue engineering and drug delivery. However, conventional hydrogels formed via the self-assembly of natural or synthetic building blocks often face a trade-off between biological functionality and biochemical stability, limiting their utility in long-term or protease-rich environments. Peptoids, a class of peptide-inspired, sequence-defined polymers, offer a compelling alternative due to their exceptional proteolytic resistance and bioactivity. Despite this potential, the development of supramolecular peptoid hydrogels has been hindered by the absence of backbone hydrogen bond donors, which limits long-range ordering necessary for efficient hydrogel formation. This work describes a short peptoid functionalized at the <i>N</i>-terminus with an octyl chain that readily self-assembles into hydrogels. Hydrophobic interactions among pendant octyl groups promote directional peptoid... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9rz5w9wj Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Park, Il-Soo Cho, Younghak Lee, Yen Jea https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2699-8676 Gutierrez, Daniela Zuckermann, Ronald N Seong, Hyejeong Kim, Jae Hong https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5g2204wf Solid-state superionic conductors are characterized by rich structural disorders. Though structural complexities are central to their functionalities, they often give rise to short-range order that eludes detection by conventional diffraction-based techniques and is thus overlooked in establishing precise structure-property relationships. In this work, we synthesized single crystals of a recently discovered lithium (Li) superionic conductor Li_16.2(1)In_9.00(2)Sn_1.10(1)O_23.8 (LISO) for in-depth characterizations of structural subtleties. LISO exhibits an unusual spinel-like phase with significant Li overstoichiometry and a face-sharing Li network. Single-crystal neutron diffraction confirms significant Li disorder, as manifested in Li site splitting and partial occupancy. More importantly, synchrotron diffuse scattering combined with 3D-ΔPDF analysis and Monte Carlo simulations reveal short-range order in the nonalkali framework that might... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5g2204wf Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Yu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5420-7571 Ramette, Caleb Krogstad, Matthew Avdeev, Maxim Lawrence, Erick Kushwaha, Satya Wei, Chao-Chun Subramanian, RajavallipuramSankaran Singh, Birender Liu, Bin Wang, Xiaoping Hoffmann, Christina M Liu, Jue Cardon, Paul Burch, Kenneth S Gautam, Gopalakrishnan Sai Ji, Huiwen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4xd3017p With the aim of exploring chemical systems that may undergo metallization when irradiated with hard X-rays, we selected silver acetate (AgC₂H₃O₂) for the study. X-ray-induced decomposition of silver acetate under ambient and high-pressure conditions was observed in a diamond anvil cell (DAC), leading to the formation of metallic nanograins of silver at ambient pressure and 1.65 GPa. At 4 GPa, no decomposition was observed. The Avrami kinetics equation also provides information about novel structural formation at ambient pressure and 1.65 GPa. By modeling of the XRD data, it was found that the size of the silver nanocrystallites formed at 1.65 GPa pressure steadily increased to ∼5 nm&nbsp;after 600 min of X-ray irradiation as determined by applying the Scherrer equation to the diffraction peak widths. Time-resolved X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed pressure-dependent kinetics, demonstrating that coupling pressure with irradiation enables controlled... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4xd3017p Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bhandari, Govinda Kunz, Martin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9769-9900 Pravica, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/43r260g6 [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D5DD00019J.]. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/43r260g6 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ganose, Alex M Sahasrabuddhe, Hrushikesh Asta, Mark Beck, Kevin Biswas, Tathagata Bonkowski, Alexander Bustamante, Joana Chen, Xin Chiang, Yuan Chrzan, Daryl C Clary, Jacob Cohen, Orion A Ertural, Christina Gallant, Max C George, Janine Gerits, Sophie Goodall, Rhys EA Guha, Rishabh D Hautier, Geoffroy Horton, Matthew Inizan, TJ Kaplan, Aaron D Kingsbury, Ryan S Kuner, Matthew C Li, Bryant Linn, Xavier McDermott, Matthew J Mohanakrishnan, Rohith Srinivaas Naik, Aakash A Neaton, Jeffrey B https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7585-6135 Parmar, Shehan M Persson, Kristin A Petretto, Guido Purcell, Thomas AR Ricci, Francesco Rich, Benjamin Riebesell, Janosh Rignanese, Gian-Marco Rosen, Andrew S Scheffler, Matthias Schmidt, Jonathan Shen, Jimmy-Xuan Sobolev, Andrei Sundararaman, Ravishankar Tezak, Cooper Trinquet, Victor Varley, Joel B Vigil-Fowler, Derek Wang, Duo Waroquiers, David Wen, Mingjian Yang, Han Zheng, Hui Zheng, Jiongzhi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9841-7477 Zhu, Zhuoying Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/97h683kz Abstract The practical applications of high‐energy Li‐rich layered oxides (LLOs) have been hindered by the severe performance degradation including voltage decay and capacity fading. The gradient construction toward high‐activity interior and high‐stability exterior, typically realized by gradually changed transition metal (TM) gradient in LLOs, can alleviate the performance degradation to certain degrees. In this study, a gradient design of Al/Mg dopants is demonstrated for the TM‐gradient LLOs to further harmonize the high‐activity interior and high‐stability exterior, thereby forming the dual (TM and doping) gradient. As a result, superior capacity retention of 86% and a minor voltage decay of 0.54&nbsp;mV cycle −1 are achieved at 1 C after 300 cycles. The improved electrochemical stability of the dual‐gradient LLO is attributed to the enhanced surface stability and suppressed bulk structure degeneration of LLOs upon electrochemical cycling. The dual‐gradient design serves... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/97h683kz Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wu, Tianhao Zhang, Xu Liu, Shiqi Zhuo, Zengqing Yang, Wanli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0666-8063 Wu, Lingqiao Xiao, Dongdong Yu, Haijun https://escholarship.org/uc/item/96b288cv The reactions of [Cu2(μ–κ 1:κ 1 -O2N)­DPFN]­[NTf2] (1; DPFN = 2,7-bis­(fluoro-di­(2-pyridyl)­methyl)-1,8-naphthyridine, NTf2 – = N­(SO2CF3)2 –) with 1,4-dicyanobenzene and 1,2-dicyanoarenes are discussed. Treatment of 1 with 1,4-dicyanobenzene produces a tetra-Cu­(I) terephthalate complex (2) and dinitrogen via a discrete CN triple bond cleavage at each cyano group. However, reactions of 1 with 1,2-dicyanoarenes appear to proceed via a cascade reaction involving two intertwined CN triple bond activations to yield a series of di-Cu­(I) phthalimides, [Cu2(μ–N­(CO)2(Ar))­DPFN]­[NTf2] (3-(Ar); Ar = 1,2-arylenes C6H4, 3-NO2C6H3, 4-NO2C6H3, 4-PrOC6H3, 3-NC5H3) and dinitrogen. The dicopper phthalimide bonding interaction in these compounds is robust enough to resist protonation by pentafluorophenol and alkylation by methyl triflate or benzyl chloride at the imide nitrogen. This characteristic presents an opportunity for postsynthetic modifications of the phthalimide ligand. Nevertheless,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/96b288cv Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Fernandez, Jose Martinez Nguyen, Ai Vy Tilley, T Don https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6671-9099 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kf358g4 Large-scale battery manufacturing requires understanding the fundamental principles of materials and interfaces and relies on advanced techniques for detailed interrogation. Despite advancements in the industrial scale production and their associated quality control tools, challenges such as electrode heterogeneity, internal defects, and large-scale material waste (e.g., scrap) can hamper manufacturing. Synchrotron X-ray characterization techniques offer spatial, temporal, and chemical resolution that can provide diagnostic insights for metrology across various manufacturing steps. This review examines the use of synchrotron tools to advance understanding of key steps in the battery manufacturing process. Recent examples demonstrate how synchrotron methods resolve manufacturing challenges and uncover degradation pathways that are otherwise inaccessible. Future directions for advancing battery manufacturing emphasize collaboration between academia and industry through the use of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kf358g4 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Koh, Hyeongjun Burrow, James N D’Anna, Nicolò Zhang, Haozhe Beatriceveena, Tharigopala Vincent Wang, Jiaqi Lai, Jianwei Chen, Yiming Cabana, Jordi Chan, Maria KY Crumlin, Ethan J Fenter, Paul A Fister, Timothy T Liu, Di-Jia Meng, Ying Shirley https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8936-8845 Shpyrko, Oleg Wiaderek, Kamila Hatzell, Kelsey B https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gs9g1c4 Non-equilibrium interactions between plasmonic metals and adsorbed molecules lie at the heart of emerging applications such as plasmonic photocatalysis and sensing, though the ultrafast charge and energy transfer mechanisms arising from these interactions are not well understood. Herein, we investigate the ultrafast dynamics of Au nano-islands tethered with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of electron-withdrawing 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4MBA) molecules. Ultrafast UV-visible transient absorption spectroscopy following excitation of the interband transition in Au reveals three well-known, characteristic time constants that quantify electron-electron (el-el), electron-phonon (el-ph) and phonon-phonon (ph-ph) scattering lifetimes. When comparing the dynamics of bare Au and 4MBA-Au, we find that the el-ph and ph-ph scattering lifetimes are notably longer in 4MBA-Au. Density functional perturbation theory calculations ascribe the elongation in el-ph lifetimes in 4MBA-Au to the significant... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gs9g1c4 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bandaranayake, Savini Schrader, Paul Chen, Guangzhao Tan, Liang Z https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4724-6369 Shivanna, Mohana Stavila, Vitalie Luna, Juan R Ramasesha, Krupa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5p516482 Although Criegee intermediates (CIs) play a central role in driving the transformation of organic molecules, their condensed-phase reaction kinetics remains poorly understood. While CIs undergo unimolecular decomposition to produce OH radicals, stabilized CIs participate in a host of other bimolecular reactions forming larger molecular weight products, including secondary ozonides (<i>k</i>_SOZ), alkoxyalkyl hydroperoxides (<i>k</i>_AlAHP), and acyloxyalkyl hydroperoxides (<i>k</i>_AcAHP). Here, we demonstrate, using prior literature and new measurements of heterogeneous organic aerosol reactions using O₃ or OH radicals, that these condensed-phase bimolecular reaction rate coefficients <i>k</i>_SOZ (10^-20 cm³·molecule^-1·s^-1), <i>k</i>_AlAHP, and <i>k</i>_AcAHP (10^-19 cm³·molecule^-1·s^-1) are 7-10 orders of magnitude slower... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5p516482 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zeng, Meirong Wilson, Kevin R https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0264-0872 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5dk9v32d ConspectusPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent critical building blocks in molecular mass growth processes to carbonaceous nanoparticles, referred to as interstellar and circumstellar grains along with soot particles in astrophysical environments and combustion systems, respectively. Recent advancements on elucidating elementary steps to PAHs have utilized reactions of aromatic radicals, resonantly stabilized free radicals, and aliphatic radicals with closed shell hydrocarbons. However, the role of radical-radical reactions (RRRs) leading to PAHs has remained largely unexplored on the molecular level due to preceding experimental challenges in producing sufficiently high number densities of radical reactants for isomer-selective detection of products from bimolecular and termolecular reactions. This Account offers the latest developments in our knowledge on the mechanisms and pathways to PAHs via RRRs probed in a chemical microreactor at temperatures as high as 1600... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5dk9v32d Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Goettl, Shane J Ahmed, Musahid Mebel, Alexander M Kaiser, Ralf I https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m10c6k3 Two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) integrating redox-active linkers enable dense charge sites and open ion pathways for microscale energy storage. We report a quinoidal dicarboxylate ligand, AQM-H₂L, derived from p-azaquinodimethane, forming crystalline frameworks with Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ nodes. The Cu-based MOF (AQM-AQM-H₂L-Cu) exhibits layered sheets (&gt;14 Å spacing) constructed from dinuclear Cu-carboxylate units and conjugated AQM linkers, which narrow the bandgap and introduce Cu²⁺/Cu⁺ pseudocapacitance. Exfoliated nanosheets (∼5&nbsp;nm) retain crystallinity and excellent processability. Integrated into graphene films, they deliver areal and volumetric capacitances of 29.6 mF cm^-2 and 18.1 F cm^-3, achieving 2.6 mWh cm^-3 energy density at 160&nbsp;mW cm^-3. As ionic fillers (1 wt%) in PEO solid polymer electrolytes, the nanosheets markedly enhance LiFePO₄... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m10c6k3 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Ziman Li, Nana Yang, Yilong Yang, Chongqing Khoo, Rebecca Jiang, Kaiyue Zhang, Yahui Zhang, Jian Liu, Yi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3954-6102 Lv, Yongqin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2w873679 Developing high-capacity, long-life cathodes is critical to overcome the energy limitations of current Li-ion batteries. Here, we report a Li-excess cation-disordered rocksalt (DRX) cathode, Li₁.₁₆₇Mn₀.₇Ti₀.₁₃₃O₁.₈F₀.₂ (M₀.₇F₀.₂), which demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance. This cathode delivers a capacity approaching 250 mAh g^-1 and maintains 200 mAh g^-1 over 200 cycles with an average discharge voltage of 3.1 V at 2 V cutoff. The formation of a spinel-like phase during cycling enables fast charging, achieving over 240 mAh g^-1 at 2C for 100 cycles. Combined X-ray absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy reveal reversible electrochemical redox processes and stable Mn local structures during 2 V discharge. These results highlight the potential of DRX cathodes for... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2w873679 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Qian, Ji Huang, Di Ha, Yang Koirala, Krishna Prasad Hwang, Inhui Sun, Chengjun Wang, Chongmin Yang, Wanli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0666-8063 Tong, Wei https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1093k12f LiF is widely recognized as a crucial component of a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) for Li metal anodes. However, the roles of LiF in the SEI remain elusive. Herein, we examined the evolution of SEI influenced by LiF and identified distinct features that elucidate functional characteristics of LiF for Li metal anodes. Through comprehensive empirical and theoretical analyses, we found that LiF enriches Li₂O within the SEI, forms LiF/Li₂O interfaces, exhibits non-negligible solubility with spontaneous dissolution-reprecipitation behavior in the electrolyte, and works synergistically with Li₂O. These findings shed light on the effects of LiF on Li metal anodes and the arrangement characteristic of LiF within the SEI. By integrating key discoveries regarding LiF, a projected working mechanism for LiF is illustrated. Overall, our study on LiF provides valuable insights that advance the understanding of the SEI and interphase nanostructures, contributing... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1093k12f Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kim, Mun Sek Wang, Jingyang Zhang, Wenbo Sayavong, Philaphon Zhang, Zewen Oyakhire, Solomon T Shuchi, Sanzeeda Baig Kim, Sang Cheol Cui, Yi Chen, Yuelang Yu, Zhiao Gong, Huaxin Xu, Rong Lee, Junyoung Choi, Il Rok Lee, Jun Ho Persson, Kristin A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2495-5509 Qin, Jian Bao, Zhenan Cui, Yi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/06d973c1 Lithium extraction from clay deposits is typically hampered by low lithium grades and the high capital and energy demands of conventional processing. We report an ambient temperature electrochemical leaching method that bypasses high-temperature roasting and concentrated-acid leaching, directly liberating 93% of lithium from low-grade hectorite in 24 h at 1 V, with 77% Faradaic efficiency, an energy intensity of 3.91 MWh/t lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). Utilizing a carbon-mineral composite slurry electrode strategy we achieve electron-driven lattice deconstruction through iron oxidation coupled with proton uptake to drive lithium deintercalation, offering a new strategy for low-temperature critical-metal recovery. A preliminary cost analysis highlights pathways to achieving cost intensities below $3000/t LCE. Challenges remain in improving current density, extraction kinetics, and demonstrating process scalability, however, this work establishes a foundation for effective... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/06d973c1 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Haddad, Andrew Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9206-3505 Cha, Hyungyeon Adibnia, Sahand Fleming, Xander B https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0102-5375 McDonough, Liam Li, Floria Bandaru, Siva Giovine, Raynald https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7208-6929 Dun, Chaochao Pohlman, Garrett Hackl, Lukas Akuzum, Bilen Urban, Jeffrey J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4909-2869 Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5808b6r9 Magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) is a powerful probe of broken time-reversal symmetry (T$${{{\mathcal{T}}}}$$), typically used to study ferromagnets. While MOKE has been observed in some antiferromagnets (AFMs) with vanishing magnetization, it is often associated with structures whose symmetry is lower than basic collinear, bipartite order. In contrast, theory predicts a mechanism for MOKE intrinsic to all AFMs of A-type, i.e. layered AFMs in which ferromagnetic layers are antiferromagnetically aligned. Here we report the experimental confirmation of this mechanism in a bulk AFM. We achieve this by measuring the imaginary component of MOKE as a function of photon energy in MnBi2Te4, an A-type AFM where T$${{{\mathcal{T}}}}$$ is preserved in combination with a translation, and comparing the experimental results with model calculations. Our model suggests that observable MOKE should be expected in all collinear A-type AFMs with out-of-plane spin order, thus enabling optical detection... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5808b6r9 Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Sunko, Veronika Ahsanullah, Salman Jain, Vivek Weber, Sophie Kumaran, Sivaloganathan Yan, Jiaqiang Orenstein, Joseph Ovchinnikov, Dmitry https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2kb8z7w8 The rational design of porous frameworks with tunable pore dimensions and chemical functionalities is a critical step toward their implementation in diverse applications. While traditional porous materials are typically constructed from abiotic components, there is increasing interest in employing biologically derived building blocks (e.g., peptides and proteins) that offer unmatched structural and functional diversity. Here, we report the construction of crystalline mesoporous frameworks that are self-assembled from amphiphilic collagen-mimetic peptides. Comprehensive structural characterization via microscopy, spectroscopy, and computational techniques provides insights into the assembly packing model, in which hexagonally packed channels are interconnected by antiparallel-aligned collagen triple helices via hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Lastly, we demonstrate the functional potential of aCMP frameworks through the&nbsp;encapsulation of various molecular guests,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2kb8z7w8 Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Perez, Anthony R Liu, Jianfang Sikder, SM Mobin https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1233-8494 Maity, Anjan Adewole, Adekunle Oakden, Jacob Ren, Gang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8036-2321 Dutagaci, Bercem Merg, Andrea D https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0bb3q6km We report the PuIII complex, [PuIII(CpMe4)3] (1-Pu), and demonstrate its differences in small molecule reactivity compared to the UIII and SmIII analogs, [UIII(CpMe4)3] (1-U) and [SmIII(CpMe4)3] (1-Sm), respectively. 1-Pu reductively cleaves the small molecule (PhS)2, affording a PuIII complex, [{PuIII(CpMe4)2}2(μ-SPh)2] (2-Pu), while retaining the PuIII center and eliminating (CpMe4)2 as a by-product, a fingerprint of a sterically induced reduction (SIR) reaction. Sm is often used as a surrogate for Pu, but the analogous [SmIII(CpMe4)3], (1-Sm), is unreactive. The (PhS)2 cleavage by 1-U proceeds solely via a metal-based oxidation (i.e., UIII → UIV), to form [UIV(CpMe4)3(SPh)] (3-U). Only 1-U reacts with (PhHN)2, affording the reductive cleavage product, [UIV(CpMe4)3(NHPh)] (4-U). The difference in reactivity of 1-Pu compared to complexes 1-Sm and 1-U was unexpected, and since SIR chemistry can enable complexes to participate in otherwise impossible reductive transformation of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0bb3q6km Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Keener, Megan Rajeshkumar, Thayalan Conour, Cambell S Woods, Joshua J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6213-4093 Maron, Laurent Arnold, Polly L https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6410-5838 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9pk3d057 Magnets with isotropic easy-plane symmetry host Goldstone modes that can be leveraged for efficient spin transport. Here, we present a time-resolved optical polarimetry technique that allows us to detect and characterize such low-frequency modes, and use it to observe the Goldstone mode in the multi-Q broken helix phase of EuIn2As2. The strength of our technique comes from the ability to distinguish between nematic and magnetization dynamics in order to yield information about the mode structure, in addition to its frequency. We find that the nearly uniform spin precession characteristic of a Goldstone mode is realized only when a small magnetic field is used to unpin the broken helix from local strain generated during crystal growth. In this regime, the mode frequency scales linearly with the applied field due to the ground state C2z symmetry of the broken helix. Our work shows how optical polarimetry can be used to study the Goldstone modes of complex magnets. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9pk3d057 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Liebman-Peláez, A Garratt, SJ Sunko, V Sun, Y Soh, JR Prabhakaran, D Boothroyd, AT Orenstein, J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7cn1247v Arsenic contamination in groundwater threatens public health, particularly in small, low-income communities lacking affordable treatment solutions. This study investigated the field implementation of novel air cathode assisted iron electrocoagulation (ACAIE) technology for arsenic removal in Allensworth, California, where groundwater arsenic concentrations exceeded 250 µg/L. Over four months, a pilot-scale ACAIE system, operating at 600 L/h, consistently reduced arsenic levels to below the EPA’s maximum contaminant level of 10 µg/L. Laboratory experiments informed the optimization of charge dosage and flow rates, which were validated during field testing of the ACAIE 600 L/h system. The in-situ generation of hydrogen peroxide at the cathode speeded up the reaction kinetics, ensuring high arsenic removal efficiency while allowing high throughput, even with a compact reactor size. An economic analysis demonstrated a treatment cost of USD 0.02/L excluding labor, highlighting the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7cn1247v Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bandaru, Siva RS Smesrud, Logan Majmudar, Jay Hernandez, Dana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1030-0579 Wickliff, Paris Tseng, Winston Gadgil, Ashok https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0357-9455 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54g27987 Achieving ballistic ion transport in a mixed electronic-ionic conductive polymer, its hierarchically ordered structure (HOS) facilitates ion diffusion and results in solid-state Li + conductivity in the range of 10 −4 to 10 −3 S cm −1 from −20 to 70 °C. Since its discovery in the 1970s, solid-state ion conduction within polymers has primarily relied on polymer segmental motion to drive ion diffusion. However, ion transport based on polymer dynamics features low ionic conductivity (usually &lt;10 −5 S cm −1 ) at room temperature and highly depends on temperature, which influences performance by controlling the ratio of amorphous to crystalline composition in polymers. A faster ion transport mechanism, independent of polymer dynamics, has long been sought but remains inaccessible. Here, we report a ballistic ion transport mechanism in a mixed electronic-ionic conductive (MEIC) polymer binder, where its hierarchically ordered structure facilitates ion diffusion and achieves solid-state... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54g27987 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Defu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3405-1071 Fang, Chen Thapa, Santosh Sternlicht, Hadas Lee, Gi-Hyeok https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2516-2586 Ahmed, Faiz Jin, Xiuyu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7845-2371 Miao, Qiusu Giovine, Raynald Yang, Wanli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0666-8063 Minor, Andrew https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-8309 Cheng, Yang-Tse Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vk9n5v1 High-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations have become a vital element of computational materials science, enabling materials screening, property database generation, and training of “universal” machine learning models. While several software frameworks have emerged to support these computational efforts, new developments such as machine learned force fields have increased demands for more flexible and programmable workflow solutions. This manuscript introduces atomate2, a comprehensive evolution of our original atomate framework, designed to address existing limitations in computational materials research infrastructure. Key features include the support for multiple electronic structure packages and interoperability between them, along with generalizable workflows that can be written in an abstract form irrespective of the DFT package or machine learning force field used within them. Our hope is that atomate2’s improved usability and extensibility can reduce... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vk9n5v1 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ganose, Alex Sahasrabuddhe, Hrushikesh Asta, Mark Beck, Kevin Biswas, Tathagata Bonkowski, Alexander Bustamante, Joana Chen, Xin Chiang, Yuan Chrzan, Daryl Clary, Jacob Cohen, Orion Ertural, Christina Gallant, Max George, Janine Gerits, Sophie Goodall, Rhys Guha, Rishabh Hautier, Geoffroy Horton, Matthew Kaplan, Aaron https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3439-4856 Kingsbury, Ryan Kuner, Matthew Li, Bryant Linn, Xavier McDermott, Matthew Mohanakrishnan, Rohith Srinivaas Naik, Aakash Neaton, Jeffrey Persson, Kristin Petretto, Guido Purcell, Thomas Ricci, Francesco Rich, Benjamin Riebesell, Janosh Rignanese, Gian-Marco Rosen, Andrew Scheffler, Matthias Schmidt, Jonathan Shen, Jimmy-Xuan Sobolev, Andrei Sundararaman, Ravishankar Tezak, Cooper Trinquet, Victor Varley, Joel Vigil-Fowler, Derek Wang, Duo Waroquiers, David Wen, Mingjian Yang, Han Zheng, Hui Zheng, Jiongzhi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9841-7477 Zhu, Zhuoying Jain, Anubhav https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10c8t14n There has been a renaissance in high valent lanthanide chemistry, which has resulted in the first examples of tetravalent praseodymium (Pr) and terbium (Tb) in molecular systems. These feats have been achieved with tailored ligands that facilitate tetravalent lanthanide stability in non-aqueous conditions. The next step in realizing the potential of high valent lanthanide chemistry is moving towards complexes that are stable in ambient and aqueous conditions. In this investigation, we advance this paradigm by obtaining definitive evidence of Tb(IV) in a molecular system under aqueous conditions utilizing the lacunary Wells-Dawson polyoxometalate, K10P2W17O61•20H2O. Herein we present the single crystal structure of K16Tb(IV)(P2W17O61)2•39.85H2O (Tb(IV)W34) as well as extensive spectroscopic evidence obtained via UV–Vis-NIR, X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, continuous wave X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and SQUID magnetometry measurements to confirm... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10c8t14n Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Subintoro, Primadi J Lottes, Brett Pereiro, Felipe A Mahieu, Nolwenn Brown, Alexander M Duggan, S Genevieve Mullis, Monica S Jordan, Aldo M Gates, Cassandra Greer, Samuel M Woods, Joshua J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6213-4093 Abergel, Rebecca J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3906-8761 Shafer, Jenifer C Unruh, Daniel K Miró, Pere Stein, Benjamin W Wacker, Jennifer N https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5411-1986 Kozimor, Stosh A Carter, Korey P https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0fc809v4 Membrane pores are implicated in several critical functions, including cell fusion and the transport of signaling molecules for intercellular communication. However, these structural features are often difficult to probe directly. Droplet interfacial bilayers offer a synthetic platform to study such membrane properties. We develop a theory that links size-selective transport across a metastable membrane with its transient structural properties. The central quantity of our theory is a dynamic permeability that depends on the mechanism of pore growth, which controls the transient distribution of pore sizes in the membrane. We present a mechanical perspective to derive pore growth dynamics and the resulting size distribution for growth <i>via</i> Ostwald ripening and discuss how these dynamics compare to other growth mechanisms such as coalescence and growth through surfactant desorption. We find scaling relations between the transported particle size, the pore growth rate, and the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0fc809v4 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Sarma, Nivedina A King, David A Wu, Xuefei Helms, Brett A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3925-4174 Ashby, Paul D Russell, Thomas P https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6384-5826 Omar, Ahmad K https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6404-7612 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7z93w325 Engineering grain boundary (GB) strain provides a promising pathway to tune the catalytic properties of nanocrystals. However, structural heterogeneity from random grain orientation and geometry has limited clear structure–property correlations. Here, we utilize a multigrain Co3O4/Mn3O4 core/shell nanocrystal platform as a model system to systematically investigate how geometric misfit strain at GBs serves as catalytically active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction. Through precise subnanometer-level control over grain morphology and by integrating multiscale electronic structure characterization, we identify the electronic structural signature of GB defects and establish a direct correlation between localized strain fields and modified electronic states. Strain modulation at GBs alters the eg orbital energy levels, with elongation along the z-axis combined with shear strain stabilizing the eg states, in contrast to the destabilization observed under pure shear strain. This... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7z93w325 Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Cho, Min Gee https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4490-7352 Ophus, Colin https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2348-8558 Lee, Jung-Hoon Park, Inchul Chung, Dong Young Kim, Jeong Hyun Kim, Dokyoon Sung, Yung-Eun Kang, Kisuk Scott, Mary C Alivisatos, A Paul Hyeon, Taeghwan Oh, Myoung Hwan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6cf3r8mt The rising demand for hydrogen calls for improvements in the efficiency of liquid alkaline water electrolysers (LAWEs), which can be fulfilled by advanced electrodes or separators. Nevertheless, they also intensify hydrogen crossover and safety concerns, thus mandating efficient mitigation strategies. Here we studied the correlation between cathodes and hydrogen crossover behaviours and mitigated safety risks by designing a gas recombination catalyst (GRC). We attribute the elevated hydrogen crossover associated with platinum-based cathodes to their preferential utilization for the hydrogen evolution reaction that creates elevated hydrogen supersaturation, as evidenced by direct measurements of dissolved hydrogen concentration. Varying the placement of platinum layers relative to the cathode–separator interface also supports this conclusion. The implementation of a GRC reduces hydrogen crossover by 95% without affecting LAWE performance and functions for over 1,000 h at 1 A cm−2.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6cf3r8mt Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Liu, Haotian https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8941-5207 Lang, Jack T Babbe, Finn Bauer, Dylan https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5667-2089 Marquez Rossy, Andres Grejtak, Tomas He, Yuxiao Huang, Yu https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1793-0741 Cullen, David A Zenyuk, Iryna V https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1612-0475 Peng, Xiong https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3jb690sp The homogeneous conversion of ambient dinitrogen to amine products via the N₂ reduction reaction (N₂RR) remains a prized yet challenging feat for d-block complexes and is scarcely reported for f-block complexes. New, mononuclear Ti^IV and Zr^IV aryloxide complexes Ti(DP)₂ (<b>1Ti</b>), Zr(DP)₂ (<b>1Zr</b>), and DP = [2-(OC₆H₂-2-^tBu,4-Me)₂CHPh] produce up to 51 eq. and up to 7.0 eq. of HN(SiMe₃)₂ per Ti/Zr, from N₂, K⁰, weak acid, and chlorotrimethylsilane. Complex <b>1Ti</b> exhibits more than double the activity toward N₂-silylation of any previously reported Ti N₂RR catalyst and can also catalyze the formation of up to 19 eq. of NH₃, a new feature in early metal N₂RR chemistry. The mononuclear <b>1Zr</b> is the most active Zr catalyst for N₂-silylation to date. [KSm(DP)₂(THF)₃]... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3jb690sp Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hernandez, Matthew Wong, Anthony Lara, Jaden Ahmad, Shahbaz Rao, Guodong Kaltsoyannis, Nikolas Britt, R David Arnold, Polly L https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6410-5838 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1sj3s89m Synchronization is a hallmark of collective behavior that emerges when nonlinear systems interact, spanning scales from mechanical oscillators to planetary orbits. As a universal phenomenon, it underpins the study of complex systems and has far-reaching technological implications. While classical synchronization has a long and rich history, it has not been observed experimentally between multiple quantum limit-cycle oscillators despite a decade of theoretical investigations. We realize synchronization between two quantum van der Pol oscillators by engineering dissipation in a mixed-isotope trapped-ion quantum simulator. The synchronized state is encoded in a fixed relative phase between the oscillators that is inaccessible to individual measurements and revealed only through joint readout of both oscillators, in stark contrast to the system in the (deterministic) classical limit where synchronization can be observed via individual phase measurements. We further show that the relative... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1sj3s89m Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Liu, Jiarui Wu, Qiming Moore, Joel E Haeffner, Hartmut https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5113-9622 Wächtler, Christopher W https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1mb417m1 This study presents a machine learning approach to derive the film formation of biopolymer-templated titania nanostructures during spray deposition, in combination with in situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). A neural network trained on synthetic GISAXS data directly predicts domain-size distributions from experimental two-dimensional scattering patterns, capturing the full kinetics of nanostructure evolution with high temporal resolution. The predictions reveal hierarchical size distributions and periodic growth features, consistent with layer-by-layer spray deposition and validated by complementary scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. Quantitative comparison with conventional parametric GISAXS fits shows good qualitative agreement, with systematic differences explained by domain-shape assumptions and resolved by applying a geometric scaling factor. Simulated SEM-like surfaces derived from neural network outputs reproduce the porous, foam-like... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1mb417m1 Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Heger, JulianEliah Zhai, Yufeng Dan, Shachar Schwartzkopf, Matthias Cernev, Ilie Gavillet, Calvin J Li, Nian Chavez, Tanny Hexemer, Alexander https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5269-0125 Roth, Stephan V Müller-Buschbaum, Peter https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19t0t1kt Ecosystems are shaped by communities of microorganisms whose niches and impacts depend on functional profiles influenced by gene gains and losses. Culture-based experiments demonstrate that mobile genetic elements (MGEs) can mediate gene flux, but quantitative understanding of these dynamics in natural systems remains limited. Here we develop and apply a systematic, meta-omic framework to investigate MGEs in a complex natural system using an 8-year soil time series collected at Stordalen Mire, in Sweden’s thawing permafrost margin. In this climate-critical peatland, we identify ~2.1 million MGE recombinases across 89 microbial phyla and assess ecological distributions, affected functions, past mobility and current activity. This revealed an active mobilome that shapes natural genetic diversity via differential impacts on major phyla and affects a wide range of functions, including metabolic genes involved in carbon flux and nutrient cycling. These findings and this analytic framework... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19t0t1kt Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guo, Jiarong Aroney, Samuel TN Domínguez-Huerta, Guillermo Smith, Derek Vik, Dean Owusu-Ansah, Carlos Pratama, Akbar Adjie Solonenko, Sergei Tian, Funing Howard-Varona, Cristina Zhong, Zhi-Ping Fofana, Aminata Smith, Garrett J Hodgkins, Suzanne B Cronin, Dylan Woodcroft, Ben J Tyson, Gene W Rich, Virginia I Sullivan, Matthew B Roux, Simon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5831-5895 Bagby, Sarah C https://escholarship.org/uc/item/195535th Rhodium supported on titania (Rh/TiO 2 ) is an active catalyst for the reverse water gas shift reaction, yet the nature of the active sites for this reaction and others remain under debate due to the dynamic nature of the Rh coordination. Rhodium supported on titania (Rh/TiO 2 ) is an active catalyst for the reverse water gas shift reaction, yet the nature of the active sites for this reaction and others remain under debate. Single atom Rh sites have frequently been proposed as key sites, making it essential to monitor size changes of Rh species under in situ conditions to establish the structure–function relationship. However, surface-sensitive in situ measurements of nanosized particles remain experimentally challenging and have focused on metal oxide single crystal model systems. Here, we apply ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) to Rh/TiO 2 powdered catalysts under oxidizing and reducing environments. We find size-dependent binding energy shifts in... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/195535th Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Gericke, Sabrina M Erbez, Jake Chen, Xiaobo Khan, Anastassiya Chen, Zhihengyu Lee, Yonghyuk Hong, Seunghwa Heinlein, Jake Schroeder, Emily K Bac, Selin Novak, Jonathan Blum, Monika https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2918-9092 Nemšák, Slavomir Christopher, Phillip https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4898-5510 Cargnello, Matteo Hoffman, Adam S Bare, Simon R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4932-0342 Tenney, Samuel Yang, Judith C Alexandrova, Anastassia N https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3003-1911 Head, Ashley R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41z2t9nr Here, we advance electrode-omics to identify evolutionary bursts by which ethereal locally superconcentrated electrolytes (LSCEs) mitigate silicon anode degradation through its epochs of electrochemical and chemical reactions. Anode composites form initially at high potential from ethereal solvent and anion [bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI^-)] redox. A first evolutionary burst at lower potential enriches composites with lithium alkoxides (LiO-R) and lithium oxide (Li₂O) and depletes sulfur oxides (SO<i>_x</i>) species. As the cells are cycled, a second evolutionary burst takes place, where previously extinct SO<i>_x</i> species reemerge concurrently with a loss of LiO-R and Li₂O. This identifies reactions rooted in "SuFEx" chemistry, where oxoanionic LiO-R and Li₂O species, electrochemically generated in the solid-electrolyte interphase, chemically react with FSI^- in the electrolyte to form emergent species.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41z2t9nr Tue, 4 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ko, Youngmin Kim, Dong-Min Musgrove, Amanda L Cha, Hyungyeon Klivansky, Liana Coyle, Jaclyn Dopilka, Andrew https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3474-2187 Trask, Stephen E Rodrigues, Marco-Tulio Fonseca Byeon, Young-Woon Kim, Haegyeom https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5962-8244 Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 Veith, Gabriel M Helms, Brett A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3925-4174 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7891b2vg A systematic catalyst loading study reveals the higher catalytic activity of amorphous iridium oxide arises from bulk participation via suggested electrochemical descriptors, while identifying loading-independent intrinsic electrochemical properties. Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are promising zero-emission technologies. However, their high cost remains a barrier to widespread adoption. Iridium oxide is commonly used as an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst, and its cost and scarcity make it essential to reduce its loading while increasing its activity. Evaluation of iridium oxide activity should be carried out in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) configuration to replicate realistic operating conditions. Herein, we present a comprehensive benchmarking framework to accurately evaluate the amorphous and crystalline iridium oxides at the MEA level. By systematically varying the catalyst loading, this study confirmed that each MEA was utilized... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7891b2vg Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kwon, Obeen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7950-4820 Shibata, Masao Suzuki Hamlyn, Rebecca Oh, Juhyun Lang, Jack T Wang, Cliffton Ray Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Korzeniewski, Carol Crumlin, Ethan J Zachman, Michael J Morimoto, Yu Zenyuk, Iryna V https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1612-0475 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37k8v0bx As technology nodes shrink, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresists are essential for high-resolution nanopatterning. Incident photons, as well as electrons generated during EUV exposure can cause both intended and unintended chemical reactions. Understanding these processes is critical for improving resist performance. This study investigates how resist components, particularly photoacid generators (PAGs) and photo decomposable quenchers (PDQ), influence photon- and electron-induced chemistry. It also aims to develop a high-throughput characterization method for efficient screening of novel materials. A high-throughput system combining total electron yield (TEY) and residual gas analysis (RGA) was developed. TEY measures electron generation and capture, while RGA monitors chemical transformations via outgassing. The method is applied to model resists. TEY and outgassing analysis revealed that PAGs and PDQs strongly influence electron behavior and outgassing characteristics. The... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37k8v0bx Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lüttgenau, Bernhard Im, Honggu Zhang, Meng https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6422-2102 Andrle, Kas Zhang, Qi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2915-7605 Wang, Cheng https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7192-5471 Ruiz, Ricardo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1698-4281 Connolly, Michael Kostko, Oleg https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2068-4991 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9042s753 When matter interacts with energetic radiation it can undergo sudden, or impulsive, ionization. This process can drive chemical change and occurs widely in space and planetary atmospheres, yet its comprehensive description challenges our current theoretical and computational capabilities as it requires advanced treatment of electron correlation and nonadiabatic dynamics beyond the Born–Oppenheimer approximation. Here we measure the response of the para-aminophenol molecule to sudden ionization. Using attosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we resolve the ultrafast dynamics of the ionized molecule with atomic precision. A subfemtosecond decay corresponds to states undergoing non-radiative decay, whereas few-femtosecond oscillatory signatures are associated with electronic wavepacket motion in stable cation states that later couple to nuclear motion. We compare our measurement with state-of-the-art computational modelling, qualitatively reproducing the observed response across... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9042s753 Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Driver, Taran Guo, Zhaoheng Isele, Erik Grell, Gilbert Ruberti, Marco O’Neal, Jordan T Alexander, Oliver Beauvarlet, Sandra Cesar, David Duris, Joseph Garratt, Douglas Larsen, Kirk A Li, Siqi Kolorenč, Přemysl McCracken, Gregory A Tuthill, Daniel Wang, Zifan Berrah, Nora Bostedt, Christoph Borne, Kurtis Cheng, Xinxin DiMauro, Louis F Doumy, Gilles Franz, Paris L Kamalov, Andrei Li, Xiang Lin, Ming-Fu Obaid, Razib Pícon, Antonio Robles, River R Rolles, Daniel Rudenko, Artem Shaikh, Moniruzzaman Slaughter, Daniel S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4621-4552 Sudar, Nicholas S Thierstein, Emily Ueda, Kiyoshi Wang, Enliang Wang, Anna L Weber, Thorsten https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3756-2704 Wolf, Thomas JA Young, Linda Zhang, Zhen Averbukh, Vitali Gessner, Oliver https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4709-2822 Bucksbaum, Philip H Kling, Matthias F Palacios, Alicia Martín, Fernando Marangos, Jon P Walter, Peter Marinelli, Agostino Cryan, James P https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7db2v6rs Metal-organic frameworks with coordinatively unsaturated metal sites (open metal sites) capable of engaging in orbital interactions with π-acidic gases are of interest for enabling ambient-temperature gas separations, such as hydrogen isotope separations. In view of the weakly π-acidic nature of H₂, we sought to strengthen π-backbonding-mediated H₂ adsorption through pore confinement effects. Toward that end, we synthesized and characterized the ultramicroporous metal-organic framework Cu<i>_<i>x</i></i>Zn_5-<i>x</i>Cl_4-<i>y</i>H<i>_<i>z</i></i>(bbta)₃ (Cu^IZn-MFU-4; H₂bbta = 1<i>H</i>,5<i>H</i>-benzo(1,2-<i>d</i>:4,5-<i>d</i>')bistriazole), featuring π-basic trigonal pyramidal Cu^I sites that reside within 7 Å of one another at their closest. Gas adsorption measurements reveal an H₂ adsorption enthalpy of -38 kJ/mol, exceeding that of the larger-pore analog (Cu^IZn-MFU-4<i>l</i>;... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7db2v6rs Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yabuuchi, Yuto Furukawa, Hiroyasu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6082-1738 Klein, Ryan A Tkachenko, Nikolay V Zakaria, N Isaac Dods, Matthew N https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2828-7376 Karstens, Sarah L Moon, Hyun June Vuong, My K Santoso, Matthew S Riascos-Rodriguez, Karina Carsch, Kurtis M Evans, Hayden A Cheng, Yongqiang Shepytakov, Denis Bustillo, Karen C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2096-6078 Minor, Andrew M https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-8309 Drisdell, Walter S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8693-4562 Head-Gordon, Martin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4309-6669 Brown, Craig M Long, Jeffrey R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5324-1321 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jn921z4 Stacking engineering of van der Waals materials is an important strategy to control the materials' properties, such as electronic correlations, ferroelectricity, and layer-dependent two-dimensional magnetism. A timely testbed for the study of the latter is atomically thin chromium trihalides (CrX₃, X = Cl, Br, I). Notably, by understanding the sliding mechanism between different stacking sequences, control of the stacking arrangement, and thus magnetic properties in CrX₃, can be achieved. Such insight, however, is currently lacking. Here, advanced electron microscopy methods are used to identify multiple stacking sequences corresponding to different bulk phases in atomically thin CrX₃ (X = Cl and Br) down to bilayer thickness and with lateral domain sizes as small as tens of nanometers. Indications of nanometer scale transitions and interactions at the stacking boundaries are found, including a universally preferred sliding direction that is consistent... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jn921z4 Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bhusal, Hem Prasad https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1903-3312 Tanaka, Koichi Zeltmann, Steven Hanley, Chris Ophus, Colin https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2348-8558 Bustillo, Karen C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2096-6078 Ribet, Stephanie M Gonzalez, Carlos A Zhen, Belinda Ciston, Jim https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8774-5747 Ge, Zhehao Lashley, Jason C Zettl, Alex K Velasco, Jairo Chen, Wei Yan, Aiming https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45c8w9hr Organic ionic plastic crystal electrolytes, containing a plastic crystal and lithium salt, offer a potential balance between mechanical and electrochemical properties for solid state lithium-ion battery electrolytes. These electrolytes contain multiple mobile ionic species (three or four), resulting in complex transport mechanisms which have not yet been established. Plastic crystals are defined by long-range positional order and short-range rotational disorder. It is therefore necessary to quantify changes in the local crystal structure of the electrolyte as current flows through it. Herein, we examine the electrochemical properties of pyrrolidinium-based plastic crystal electrolytes containing lithium salt and zwitterion additives, including measurements of current fraction and limiting current. We obtain species-specific insight into electrolyte transport using pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and find that, while the zwitterion additive increases... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45c8w9hr Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yap, Kyra MK Abdo, Emily E https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7811-7837 Aramaki, Hiroki Sugisawa, Hiroki Hamamura, Tomofumi Mukunoki, Kazunori Im, Julia Celik, Hasan Hesse, Sarah A Paul, Partha P Balsara, Nitash P https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0106-5565 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jr4h3pr ABSTRACT Disordered rocksalt cathodes hold promise for achieving high‐capacity lithium‐ion batteries while using low‐cost, earth‐abundant elements. However, their electrochemical performance remains critically limited by their poor electronic conductivity. Conventional strategies such as high‐energy ball milling with excess carbon additives can improve conductivity but remain challenging to scale and often produce defects and increase surface area, thereby accelerating capacity degradation. Herein, we report an alternative approach of electrostatic‐attraction‐driven self‐assembly to fabricate Li 1.2 Mn 0.6 Ti 0.2 O 1.8 F 0.2 (LMTOF) particles uniformly wrapped with electronically conductive graphene sheets without associated materials degradation. The graphene‐wrapped LMTOF demonstrates significantly improved cycling stability (89% capacity retention after 100 cycles) and superior rate capability compared with an LMTOF‐carbon composite electrode fabricated using the conventional... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jr4h3pr Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Avvaru, Venkata Sai Zuba, Mateusz Armstrong, Beth L Wang, Shilong https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8504-5802 Tran, Minh X Rinkel, Bernardine LD https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4455-7313 Babbe, Finn Lohani, Harshita Fu, Yanbao Buyuker, Isik Su Battaglia, Vincent https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5596-9148 Kahvecioglu, Ozgenur Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 McCloskey, Bryan D https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6599-2336 Kim, Haegyeom https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5962-8244 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9s09z94h Synchrotron radiation (SR) sources provide unparalleled brilliance, collimation, coherence, and tunability, enabling specialized techniques that are crucial for advancing medical research across diverse fields from radiation oncology to rational drug design. Certain SR methods, such as macromolecular crystallography, are highly developed and automated, and have been used for decades for both fundamental understanding of biomolecules as well as pharmaceutical design, while other methods, such as microbeam radiation therapy, represent relatively recent developments. Scattering and diffraction methods using SR can provide atomic-level structural mapping of proteins, nucleic acids, and complexes. Imaging applications using SR continue to be developed and advanced for mapping of biological structures and potential use as diagnostics in disease detection. Spectroscopic methods are used to study elemental distributions relevant for detection of contamination in biological systems. Collectively,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9s09z94h Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Osborn, Lydia Inman, Jamie L Ralston, Corie Y https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7899-0951 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9837z4tq Shark vertebral bodies (centra) possess remarkable resistance to millions of cycles of large in vivo strains exceeding 4 to 8%. These strains are enormous for a mineralized tissue, and it appears that the centra evolved to achieve this performance through a hierarchy of structures spanning dimensions from centimeters to nanometers. At the 1μm scale, blocks cut from centra and imaged with synchrotron microCT demonstrate that the centra tissue consists of closely spaced, mineralized trabeculae. An outstanding question is: How do these trabeculae deform to accommodate these large strains. This paper presents recently obtained synchrotron microCT results on in situ loading of blocks of shark centra and examines the deformation modes of the interconnected array of trabeculae. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9837z4tq Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Stock, Stuart R Parker, Jason T https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0468-9701 Passerotti, Michelle S Natanson, Lisa J Parkinson, Dilworth Y https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1817-0716 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vc817xc The dehydrogenation of alkanes to alkenes is an appealing strategy for upgrading abundant hydrocarbons, yet it is constrained by the inherent challenge of cleaving two inert C(sp³)-H bonds with selectivity and without overoxidation. We report a cooperative photocatalytic dehydrogenation of unactivated cycloalkanes under visible light irradiation enabled by a new dinuclear uranyl complex supported by an oxidatively stable germanotungstate, [NBu ^<i>n</i> ₄]₈[(UO₂)₂(GeW₁₀O₃₄(µ₂-OH)₂)₂]·(CH₃)₂CO (1). The uranyl complex catalytically converts cyclooctane to cyclooctene under ambient conditions with a TON per molecule of 44 and 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene to phenanthrene with a TON of 73 per molecule, using 1 mol% 1 in MeCN solution, under 427 nm irradiation, using [S₂O₈]^2- or chloranil (C₆Cl₄O₂)... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vc817xc Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Tanuhadi, Elias Herrera, Gabriel Conour, Cambell S Arnold, Polly L https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6410-5838 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/17b9x1nn Protein oxidative footprinting, using hydroxyl radical labeling detected by bottom-up proteomics, has progressed from an emerging method to a widely used approach in structural biology. Hydroxyl radicals generated from hydrogen peroxide (via photolysis, Fenton chemistry or electrochemistry) or directly from water (via X-rays, plasma or gamma rays) irreversibly encode structural information within protein side chains, which is read out using standard liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry workflows. Quantitative changes in labeling report on solvent accessibility and reveal effects of protein–protein interactions, ligand binding, protein folding, conformational changes or applied stress. Comparing labeling patterns between states provides detailed maps of structural changes and interaction sites. Over the past decade, oxidative footprinting has proven valuable as a solution-phase and in-cell method for protein structure analysis. This Perspective summarizes best practices for... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/17b9x1nn Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wecksler, Aaron T Wang, Lingfei Bernstein, Lisa J Huang, Richard Y-C Gupta, Sayan Kristensen, Line G https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7819-2861 Ralston, Corie Y https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7899-0951 Sobott, Frank Sun, Yan Brenowitz, Michael Farquhar, Erik R Chance, Mark R Kuang, Xinyi Cynthia Gross, Michael L Jones, Lisa M Novak, Petr Misra, Sandeep K Sharp, Joshua S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0dg4z35k There is considerable interest in developing high-performance electrolytes for rechargeable lithium batteries. For practical applications, the electrolyte must support large dc currents. However, the parameters most often reported in the literature, conductivity, κ, and current fraction, ρ+, reflect ion transport in the limit of infinitesimal currents. In this limit, the efficacy of an electrolyte is given by the product κρ+. The limiting current density, i lim, is the maximum current density that can be applied across an electrolyte; the cell voltage diverges if the applied current density exceeds i lim. This parameter reflects ion transport in the limit of large dc currents and is therefore of practical interest. It would therefore be convenient if i lim could be predicted from measurements of κρ+. In order to explore this possibility, we studied six malonate-based polymers and PEO at a fixed salt concentration (r = 0.08) and temperature (90°C) using symmetric cells with planar... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0dg4z35k Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jana, Rounak Gido, Lily A Patel, Vivaan Abdo, Emily E https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7811-7837 Makkar, Shreya https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5962-6269 Bowen, Michael S Balsara, Nitash P https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0106-5565 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9k41b5x9 Macroscopic quantum coherence emerges when bosons condense into a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC)1, 2, 3, 4–5. Excitons are a long-sought solid-state route to high-temperature BECs with strong interactions, electrical tunability and potentially multicomponent spinor order, but conclusive evidence for equilibrium condensation has remained elusive. Here we report evidence for two-component exciton BECs in MoSe2/hBN/WSe2 electron–hole bilayers6, 7, 8–9 by probing the spin–valley susceptibility of constituent electrons and holes. This heterostructure hosts equilibrium exciton fluids with four spin–valley flavours. Magneto-optical spectroscopy in a dilution refrigerator reveals three exciton condensate phases with distinct flavour polarizations. At zero magnetic field, the many-body ground state is a coherent superposition of two condensed intravalley exciton flavours. Under a magnetic field, the intravalley exciton condensate first switches to a two-component intervalley condensate... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9k41b5x9 Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Qi, Ruishi Li, Qize https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2352-0370 Nie, Jiahui Xia, Ruichen Kim, Haleem Lim, Hyungbin Xie, Jingxu Taniguchi, Takashi Watanabe, Kenji Crommie, Michael F MacDonald, Allan H Wang, Feng https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8369-6194 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82s758c6 Four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) enables mapping of diffraction information with nanometer-scale spatial resolution, offering detailed insight into local structure, orientation, and strain. However, as data dimensionality and sampling density increase, particularly for in situ scanning diffraction experiments (5D-STEM), robust segmentation of structurally consistent behavior across sequential measurements becomes essential for efficient and physically meaningful analysis. Here, we introduce a clustering framework that identifies crystallographically distinct domains from 4D-STEM datasets. By using local diffraction-pattern similarity as a metric, the method extracts closed contours delineating spatially contiguous regions. This approach produces cluster-averaged diffraction patterns that improve signal quality while reducing data volume by orders of magnitude, enabling rapid and accurate orientation, phase, and strain mapping. We demonstrate... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82s758c6 Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lee, Serin Ribet, Stephanie M McCray, Arthur RC https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6077-4698 Barnum, Andrew Dionne, Jennifer A Ophus, Colin https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2348-8558