The Advanced Photon Source
a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility

Splitting water using renewable electricity to produce green hydrogen is seen by many as essential for achieving net-zero carbon emissions. A group of scientists has recently demonstrated a new type of low-cost catalyst that could slash the cost and boost the efficiency of green hydrogen production through water splitting.

Additive manufacturing, otherwise known as 3D printing, has become an essential tool of manufacturing. The most prominent method for the creation of large-scale metallic parts is directed energy deposition (DED), in which lasers or other energy sources are used to melt a powder stream or wire feedstock to deposit the material layer by layer on the build platform. A team of scientists used hard X-ray techniques and multi-physics modeling to penetrate the process of a little-studied wire-laser DED technique.

Many disease-causing bacteria secrete toxins that directly target human cells while others target the helpful symbiotic bacteria that protect the human body. A recent study determined the three-dimensional structure of a particular toxin, offering insights into combating the deleterious effects of thousands of similar toxins found in many disease-causing bacteria.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has a remarkable ability to evade our immune system. Efforts to understand the structural basis for this immune evasion have been challenged by the envelope glycoprotein’s (ENV) poor solubility and instability that have made it difficult to purify and crystallize. Research from a team at Duke University and the University of Chicago has provided new findings on the microsecond dynamics of the ENV structure that could jumpstart the next round of vaccine development.

Scientists have identified a plant protein with an unexpected mechanism for producing a class of molecules that have therapeutic potential in various diseases, including cancer. Once better understood with further research, it might be possible to harness the chemical processes of the protein to bioengineer new medicines.

Rippled β-sheet structures may be useful tools for the creation of improved biomaterials, such as more stable hydrogels for drug delivery, and may have therapeutic uses in understanding or perhaps treating diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes. Recent research has extended our understanding of rippled β sheet structures at the atomic level.

Quantum materials are increasingly being explored for their exotic properties. One phenomenon called an electronic flat band can occur in quantum materials with just the right geometric structure. These bands enhance electron-electron interactions that produce unusual and technologically important behavior. 

Scientists have long wondered how the initial chemical reactions of life began and why some reactions, like that for DNA polymerization, persisted while others did not. Recent work conducted at the APS found some answers to these questions that improve our understanding of the origins of life.

Three-dimensional carbon superstructures are useful in a wide variety of applications, including batteries, catalysis and gas storage. Now scientists have come up with an easy and inexpensive way to make one- and two-dimensional versions of the same material.  

An international research team dedicated to eliminating malaria used the Advanced Photon Source to study monoclonal antibodies bound to antigen peptides. They discovered that one of the four binding modes leads to inhibitory antibody activity. 

Escape Artist:  Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source sheds light on the ways in which compromised immunity may render SARS-CoV-2 fitter and capable of evading the immune system.