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

Gold Nanorods Enable Rapid Transformations of Lipid Structures:  Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source has shown that if tiny gold nanorods are incorporated in lipid lattices, near-infrared light can be used to switch the structural properties of the lipids, which could provide significant benefits for applications in targeted drug delivery.

New Insights of How the HIV-1 Assembles and Incorporates the Env Protein:  Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source advances the understanding of key mechanisms of viral assembly and viral envelope protein incorporation.

Understanding the Flow of Spin Currents Across Interfaces:  Researchers trying to make smaller, faster computer processors and other devices are looking to spintronics, but they need to understand exactly how spin current flows across the interfaces between materials. Using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source researchers have shown a strong connection between how spin current propagates through an interface between a heavy metal and a ferromagnet, and the induced magnetic state of the heavy metal.

Boosting Lead-Contaminated Soil Microbial Health with Biochar:  Lead contamination in soil poses a serious threat to human health, especially for children. A variety of experiments, including some that used the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source, show that biochar could play a valuable role in shaping healthier soil microbial communities by both sequestering lead through sorption and formation of insoluble minerals, and serving as microhabitats for various microbial species.

Colloidal Crystal Engineering with DNA Permits the Synthesis of Crystals from Nanoparticle Mixtures:  One avenue for continued improvement of light-emitting diodes uses nanoparticles as building blocks for alloy colloidal crystals. Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source demonstrates a technique based on colloidal crystal engineering with DNA that synthesizes three-dimensional finished crystals composed of DNA-modified nanoparticles in both ordered and random arrangements.

Designing Drugs to Inhibit Coronaviruses:  Coronaviruses pass from animals to humans causing disease outbreaks including the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers used a variety of techniques, including studies at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source, to explore the development of compounds that can inhibit a group of coronaviruses called subgroup 2, work that may lead to new antiviral drugs to combat the current pandemic and future coronavirus outbreaks.

New Structures of Malaria Fighting Antibodies Lead to New Options for Vaccine Development:  COVID is now just one of the many endemic infectious diseases that we live with―and it may not be the most prevalent. Researchers conducting experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source are making significant strides in understanding the structures, binding sites, and interactions of malaria-fighting antibodies. The insights gained through this research may lead to new, more effective vaccines, with improved longevity and efficacy.

Understanding the Structural Implications of Genetic Mutations in Heart-Muscle Disease:  There are currently no effective treatments for cardiomyopathies of the heart muscle, but researchers are focused on correcting muscle contraction problems based on the structural basis of the defect. Work by users of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source provides a deeper understanding of the effects of cardiomyopathy-causing gene mutations on heart muscle contraction that could lead to the development of new therapies for this potentially life-threatening disease.

Elastic Properties of Iron-Rich Melts in the Low-Velocity Zones of Earth’s Mantle:  To understand Earth’s internal composition and structure, researchers track seismic and sound waves as they travel through the planet. Research carried out in large part at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source can shed light on the nature of the two low-velocity zones in Earth’s mantle and may someday help reveal the seismic detectability of deep magmatism on the Moon and Mars.

Nanoparticles Improve 3-D Laser-Printed Parts: The process laser powder bed fusion can produce complex 3-D metallic parts that are often difficult or impractical to produce using conventional manufacturing techniques. Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source constitutes a major step towards improving laser powder bed fusion -based 3-D printing and its widespread adoption by industry.

Earthly Rocks Point Way to Water Hidden on Mars:  An iron-rich mineral species that was debunked in the 1920s turns out to be extremely common on Earth, suggesting the existence of a substantial water reservoir on Mars, according to studies at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source.