Center for Nanoscale Materials

19/08/2024

Dear CNM Community,

We want to inform you that we are closing our page. While it’s been a wonderful platform to connect with you, we’ve decided to focus our efforts on other social media channels where we can engage more effectively and provide you with the best experience possible.

You can still stay connected with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/center-for-nanoscale-materials/

We look forward to continuing our journey with you on that platform, where we’ll be sharing the latest news, updates and exclusive content. Thank you for your ongoing support and for being a part of our community!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us on LinkedIn.

12/08/2024

Congratulations CNM staff and users!

In a recent Physical Review Letters publication, scientists used an ultrafast electron microscope to capture the nanosecond changes in a material during electrical pulsing. Understanding these changes may lead to more energy-efficient electronics.

Check out this Argonne Press Release for more information: https://www.anl.gov/article/novel-ultrafast-electron-microscopy-technique-advances-understanding-of-processes-applicable-to



Authors: Daniel B. Durham, Thomas E. Gage, Connor P. Horn, Xuedan Ma, Haihua Liu, Ilke Arslan, Supratik Guha, and Charudatta Phatak

Affiliations: Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Northwestern University

Scientists used an ultrafast electron microscope to capture the nanosecond changes in a material during electrical pulsing. Understanding these changes may lead to more energy-efficient electronics.

05/08/2024

Congratulations CNM staff and users!

In a recent Science publication, scientists determined the properties of a material in thin-film form that uses a voltage to produce a change in shape and vice versa. Their breakthrough bridges nanoscale and microscale understanding, holding potential for advances in computer memory, lasers for scientific instruments, and sensors for ultraprecise measurements.

Check out this Argonne Press Release for more information: https://www.anl.gov/article/pursuing-the-middle-path-to-scientific-discovery


Authors: Hao Zheng, Tao Zhou, Dina Sheyfer, Jieun Kim, Jiyeob Kim, Travis D. Frazer, Zhonghou Cai, Martin V. Holt, Zhan Zhang, J. F. Mitchell, Lane W. Martin, Yue Cao

Affiliations: Argonne National Laboratory, University of California Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Rice University

Scientists determined the properties of a material in thin-film form that uses a voltage to produce a change in shape and vice versa. Their breakthrough bridges nanoscale and microscale understanding, opening new possibilities for future technologies.

26/07/2024

Congratulations CNM staff and users!

In a recent Nature Communications publication, researchers show how materials change as they are stressed and relaxed. Scientists looking to measure the dynamics of how materials change have developed a new technique that leverages X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. This technique creates “fingerprints” of different materials that can be read and analyzed by a neural network to yield new information that scientists previously could not access. A neural network is a computer model that makes decisions in a manner similar to the human brain.

Check out this Argonne Press Release for more information: https://www.anl.gov/article/scientists-develop-new-artificial-intelligence-method-to-create-material-fingerprints



Authors: James P. Horwath, Xiao-Min Lin, Hongrui He, Qingteng Zhang, Eric M. Dufresne, Miaoqi Chu, Subramanian K.R.S. Sankaranarayanan, Wei Chen, Suresh Narayanan, and Mathew J. Cherukara

Affiliation: Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, University of Illinois

Study shows how materials change as they are stressed and relaxed.

23/07/2024

Congratulations CNM staff and users!

In a recent Nature Sustainability publication, researchers have manipulated the chemical composition of materials to make polymers more recyclable. The team developed a strategy to design biodegradable and recyclable luminescent polymers with high light-emitting efficiencies. They did so by incorporating a chemical called tert-butyl ester into the luminescent polymers which can break down when exposed to heat or mild acid.

Check out this Argonne Press Release for more information: https://www.anl.gov/article/argonneled-research-working-toward-reducing-electronic-waste-with-biodegradable-luminescent-polymers



Authors: Wei Liu, Yukun Wu, Aikaterini Vriza, Cheng Zhang, Hyocheol Jung, Shiyu Hu, Yuepeng Zhang, Du Chen, Peijun Guo, Benjamin T. Diroll, Glingna Wang, Richard D. Schaller, Henry Chan, Jianguo Mei, Sihong Wang, and Jie Xu

Affiliations: Argonne National Laboratory, The University of Chicago, Purdue University, Yale University

The team manipulated the chemical composition of materials to make the polymers more recyclable.

17/07/2024

Come join the CNM team!

The Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) at Argonne National Laboratory is seeking an Assistant Scientist with an emphasis on transformational research enabled through the use and development of advanced electron microscopy techniques.

The candidate will be responsible for two areas of equal emphasis, following a “50/50” model of time commitment both to staff-led science and user research. The first area will be developing a world-leading experimental program based on harnessing the capabilities of advanced electron microscopy techniques with an emphasis on time resolved and in situ methods aligned with CNM strategic scientific directions. Potential research areas include, but are not limited to; systems for sustainable energy harvesting, storage, transduction or catalysis, and novel microelectronics or quantum information sciences.

Check out this link for more information and to apply: https://argonne.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Argonne_Careers/job/Lemont-IL-USA/Assistant-Scientist--NST--Center-for-Nanoscale-Materials_418603

The Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) at Argonne National Laboratory is seeking an Assistant Scientist with an emphasis on transformational research enabled through the use and development of advanced electron microscopy techniques. The CNM is a DOE Office of Science user facility that provides r...

12/07/2024

Congratulations Soham!

Soham Saha, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, is one of three Argonne National Laboratory postdocs invited to the Nobel Laureate Meetings in Lindau Germany. His current research focuses on converting laser light into small, adjustable X-ray sources. He is exploring methods to generate X-rays that would make the beams far easier to access across a range of scientific fields.

Check out this Argonne Press Release for more information about his journey to Lindau:

Soham Saha, Khushi Bhatt and Nirupama Sensharma took different paths to success at Argonne. Now those paths will take an exciting turn together.

09/07/2024

Welcome Jithin!

Jithin Cherunilam is the newest staff member at the Center for Nanoscale Materials. He received his B. Tech. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India. He did his M. Eng. from the School of Electronic Engineering, Dublin City University (DCU) followed by his Ph.D. while working as a researcher at the National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology, Dublin, Ireland. He then worked as the Lab in charge for the Nanomaterials Processing Laboratory at DCU. Before joining Argonne National Laboratory in the Nanofabrication and Devices Group, Jithin worked on contract as the Cleanroom Equipment Engineering Shift Lead at Meta for their Optics and Display Research division within Reality Labs. As the Cleanroom Coordinator at the Center for Nanoscale Materials he will serve as a central person supporting overall operations of the cleanroom and will support a dynamic team of scientists and engineers with diverse expertise in synthesis, processing of materials and nanofabrication as well as users from universities, national labs and industry.

03/07/2024

First light from the APS-U storage ring at APS/CNM Sector 26! Sector 26 houses the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe (https://cnm.anl.gov/pages/hard-xray-nanoprobe) used for materials characterization including X-ray ptychography and microscopy.

Huge thanks to a large collaborative effort made in partnership with Advanced Photon Source X-ray Science Division and CNM colleagues and the APS-Upgrade project team in reaching this milestone!

28/06/2024

Congratulations CNM staff and users!

In a recent Science publication, researchers have discovered the culprit behind the performance fade in nickel-rich cathodes for lithium-ion batteries. The team’s new analysis method was key to the discovery and could help foster electric vehicle batteries with longer driving range and lower cost.

Check out this Argonne Press Release for more information: https://www.anl.gov/article/unlocking-the-mystery-behind-the-performance-decline-in-a-promising-cathode-material



Authors: Weiyuan Huang, Tongchao Liu, Lei Yu, Jing Wang, Tao Zhou, Junxiang Liu, Tianyi Li, Rachid Amine, Xianghui Xiao, Mingyuan Ge, Lu Ma, Steven N. Ehrlich, Martin V. Holt, Jianguo Wen, Khalil Amine

Affiliations: Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory

The first generation of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles has been a remarkable success story. Yet, the question arises: What changes to battery materials will spur further advances to extend driving range and lower costs?

20/06/2024

Welcome Katerina!

Katerina Vriza is the newest staff scientist at the Center for Nanoscale Materials. She holds a BSc in Aviation Electronics Engineering from the Hellenic Airforce Academy and a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Patras. After serving five years as an aviation engineer with the Hellenic Airforce, she pursued an MSc in Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Machine Learning (ML) from the University of Liverpool. She then completed postdoctoral research at the Argonne National Laboratory's Center for Nanoscale Materials, focusing on the development of ML tools and computational simulations for polymer electronics experimentation within the CNM’s self-driving laboratory, Polybot. Now continuing with CNM as a staff scientist, her research will concentrate on autonomous experimentation, developing data mining workflows, and employing AI/ML techniques to explore and understand material structure-property relationships.

11/06/2024

The new CNM newsletter nanoNOW is out! Check out the new issue for more information about the current proposal call, CNM highlights, and upcoming events.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOEANL/bulletins/3a05f70

Argonne National Laboratory