The Molecular Foundry is a Department of Energy-funded nanoscience research facility that provides users from around the world with access to cutting-edge expertise and instrumentation in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.
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Untangling a strange phenomenon that both helps and hurts lithium-ion battery performance
New research offers the first complete picture of why a promising approach of stuffing more lithium into battery cathodes leads to their failure. A better understanding of this could be the key to smaller phone batteries and electric cars that drive farther between charges.
Drug Sponge Could Minimize Side Effects of Cancer Treatment
Foundry users are developing a polymer sponge that doctors could insert into the bloodstream to absorb excess drugs and prevent the dangerous side effects of toxic chemotherapy agents or even deliver higher doses to knock back tumors, like liver cancer, that don’t respond to more benign treatments.
Untangling a Strange Phenomenon that Both Helps and Hurts Lithium-ion Battery Performance
Users and staff at the Molecular Foundry have found that oxygen oxidation, the process that gives lithium-rich batteries greater capacity, also causes them to fail.
Engineering Living Scaffolds for Building Materials
Foundry staff and users have engineered a set of bacteria that can irreversibly attach hard or soft materials to the cell surface with controllable density.
Gelatin Guides the Self-Assembly of Transition Metal Carbides for Hydrogen Electrocatalysis
Foundry users and staff have developed a method to make a new, cheap and effective catalyst that can generate hydrogen gas by electrocatalysis.
Foundry Staff Take a Break with Annual Staff Retreat
Foundry staff took some time from the day to day operations of the Foundry to convene at the Chabot Space and Science Center for their annual retreat.
Foundry research featured in the 2018 Energy & Environmental Science HOT Articles Collection
The article by Foundry staff and users reviews the strengths and weaknesses of strategies for creating nanoporous hydrogen storage sorbents.
Foundry’s DEI Committee Hosts Holiday Multicultural Potluck
At the close of 2018, the Foundry’s DEI Committee hosted a multicultural potluck to celebrate the coming holidays. Over 50 different dishes were featured, with dishes coming from all over the globe. We look back on this fun experience through a photo essay of the event.
Nanocrystals Get Better When They Double Up With MOFs
Foundry staff and users have designed a dual-purpose material out of a self-assembling MOF-nanocrystal hybrid that could one day be used to store carbon dioxide emissions and to manufacture renewable fuels.
Darren Lipomi, Berkeley Lab
Mechanical Properties of Stretchable Semiconducting Polymers for Energy & Virtual Touch
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
67-3111 Chemla Room
Before and After: Grain Boundary Transitions at the Atomic Scale
Molecular Foundry users and staff added silver to a grain boundary in a copper material and directly observed a grain boundary transition deliberately caused by modifying the chemistry of the material.
Daniele Filippetto, Berkeley Lab
Challenges and Opportunities in Ultrafast Electron Scattering
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
67-3111 Chemla Room
Karl Berggren, MIT
Superconducting Nanowires for Single-Photon Detection, Electronics,
and Microwave Plasmonics
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
67-3111 Chemla Room
Karen Davies, Berkeley Lab
Cryo-electron Tomography to Understand Nanoscale Structures in Cells
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
67-3111 Chemla Room
Happy Holidays from the Molecular Foundry!
As 2018 comes to a close, the Foundry wishes that your holiday season be merry and bright.
Microscopy provides a closer look at promising next-generation magnetic storage medium
Foundry industry user Western Digital has determined how nanoparticle size and composition affects the magnetic properties of nanomaterials.
Foundry Winter Seminar Series Begins January 15, 2019
The Foundry seminar series features a lineup of eight distinguished speakers whose research interests span the field of nanoscience. Seminars are on Tuesdays at 11 am. Lauren Greenlee will headline the group as the joint Foundry/ALS speaker, giving a talk on March 12.
A Peptoid Mimic That Can Bind Multi-metallic Clusters
Foundry staff and users have created a new peptoid design that makes a protein-mimic capable of binding to multi-metallic molecules.
Using Jiggly Jell-O to Make Powerful New Hydrogen Fuel Catalyst
Foundry users and staff have created a cheap and effective new catalyst can generate hydrogen fuel from water just as efficiently as platinum. The catalyst is manufactured using a self-assembly process that relies on a surprising ingredient: gelatin, the material that gives Jell-O its jiggle.
Foundry in Focus - Fall 2018 Newsletter
Foundry Director, Jeff Neaton, shares highlights and updates from the Molecular Foundry as 2018 comes to a close.
Foundry Industry Users Opus12 win R&D100 Special Recognition Award
Opus 12 is an alumnus of Berkeley Lab’s Cyclotron Road program and uses the Foundry’s characterization expertise in developing a device that can recycle carbon dioxide into renewable fuels.
Nanostructured Metal Hydrides for Hydrogen Storage: Progress and Future
An international team of Foundry users and staff have reviewed the progress of research in the area of nanostructured metal hydrides for hydrogen storage. Their work was featured on the cover of Chemical Reviews.
Scientists Bring Polymers Into Atomic-Scale Focus
A team of Foundry users and staff have captured detailed images of synthetic peptoid polymers using cryo-electron microscopy and computer simulations.
Silver tarnishing inspires semiconductor synthesis
Foundry staff and users have used the chemistry of tarnishing to create a simple method to make a silver-based semiconductor, dubbed "mithrene", that displays the optical and electronic properties of 2D materials in bulk 3D structures.
Bringing Polymers into Atomic-Scale Focus
A team of Foundry users and staff have discovered bacteria in the human gut that can transport electrons across their cell wall using a method different from other known electrogenic bacteria.
Announcing the Winners of the 2018 NanoArt Image Contest!
In celebration of National Nano Day, the Foundry Community and the general public have selected the winners of the Foundry’s 2018 NanoArt Image Contest. The top 3 placements in each category will be professionally printed and displayed in the Molecular Foundry lobby.
New Capabilities for Quantum Information Science at the Molecular Foundry
The Foundry has received two awards from DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences to develop research infrastructure to advance quantum information science.
Foundry’s DEI Committee Brings Together Family and Science Together at Annual Ice Cream Social
This event, organized and hosted by the Foundry’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, featured interactive science activities for all ages and ice cream in an effort to bring together the diverse Foundry community of staff, users, postdocs, students and their families.
“Through the Looking Glass”- A Breakdown of 3D Atomic Imaging
Foundry user Brooke Kuei wrote a piece about Faculty scientist Mary Scott’s recent talk at the Lab’s Interdisciplinary Instrumentation Colloquium, explaining the techniques that Mary uses to image materials with atomic resolution in 3D.
Thomas Hermans, University of Strasbourg
Wall-less Fluid Transport, Pumping, and Mixing Using Liquid ‘Anti-tubes’
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Foundry Hosts Area-wide Networking Event for Operations and Administrative Staff
The Foundry’s Career Development Committee hosted a career panel and networking event for Energy Sciences Area (ESA) operations and administrative staff. It was an opportunity to hear from panelists who have had diverse and interesting career paths at Berkeley Lab, as well as to meet colleagues from other ESA divisions.
Gut Bacteria Found to Have a Shocking Secret
A team of Foundry users and staff have discovered bacteria in the human gut that can transport electrons across their cell wall using a method different from other known electrogenic bacteria.
Chiral Ferrimagnetism in Amorphous Thin Films
Experimental evidence of chiral ferrimagnetism in amorphous Gd-Co films
Tess Smidt, Computational Research Division, Berkeley Lab
Toward the Systematic Generation of Hypothetical Atomic Structures: Neural Networks and Geometric Motifs
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Foundry Industry User Megan Gentes wins 2018 Lab Runaround
Megan Gentes of Heliotrope won the women's division of the annual Runaround with a time of 11:12 minutes. Congratulations Megan!
Join the Molecular Foundry in Celebrating #NationalNanoDay on 10/9!
Join the Foundry on social media in celebrating #NationalNanoDay! We'll be hosting a live video stream with Foundry scientists Emory Chan and Sinéad Griffin, and launching the 'People's Choice' voting round for the Foundry's NanoArt Image Contest.
Foundry User Frances Arnold wins 2018 Chemistry Nobel Prize
As a Foundry user, Frances Arnold of Caltech obtained samples from the Biological Nanostructures facility to study directed evolution of electron transport proteins.
Irfan Siddiqi, Materials Sciences Division, Berkeley Lab/UC Berkeley
Molecular Foundry/ALS Joint Seminar: The Challenge of Gregarious Qubits
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Building 66 Auditorium
Tour the Molecular Foundry from Home with Our New Virtual Tours
Check out our new virtual tour experiences of a few of the Foundry's facilities. Explore the spaces on your computer, phone, or in virtual reality with a VR viewer!
Foundry's Sinéad Griffin Wins First Place in Inaugural Lab-Wide Research Slam
Foundry scientist Sinéad Griffin won first place at the first annual Lab-Wide Research Slam with a talk titled, "Dark Matters".
Thomas Kelly, CAMECA Instruments, Inc.
Atom Probe Tomography
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Michael Grabe, UCSF
Insight into How Membrane Proteins Bend Membranes to Conduct Ions and Lipids
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Gut Bacteria's Shocking Secret: They Produce Electricity
A team of Foundry staff and users discovered that a common diarrhea-causing bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, produces electricity using an entirely different technique from known electrogenic bacteria, and that hundreds of other bacterial species use this same process.
Molecular Foundry Fall Seminar Series Begins on September 11
The next Molecular Foundry seminar series features a lineup of eight distinguished speakers whose research interests span the field of nanoscience (Tuesdays at 11am). Irfan Siddiqi will headline the group as the joint Foundry/ALS seminar speaker, giving a talk on October 16.
Self-assembly of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and Nanocrystals into Open Network 2D Structures
An international team of Foundry staff and users have created a method to direct the self-assembly of MOFs and nanocrystals into new types of 2D structures.
Metal-Organic Frameworks with the Highest Electron Charge Mobilities Ever Observed
A group of Foundry users and staff have developed a procedure to make a metal-organic framework (MOF) with the highest electron charge mobility ever observed.
Phase-transition-induced p-n junction in single halide perovskite nanowire
Created a current-rectifying p-n heterojunction in single CsSnI3 nanowire via a localized phase transition from n-type yellow to p-type black phase and attributed the majority carrier type change to distinctly different formation energies of ionic vacancies in these two phases.
Torsional Instability in The Single Chain Limit of A Transition Metal Trichalcogenide
Creation of isolated chains of NbSe3 with structural torsional waves not found in bulk crystals.
Guiding kinetic trajectories between jammed and unjammed states in 2D colloidal nanocrystal–polymer assemblies
Controlled jamming/unjamming of colloidal nanocrystal (NC) assemblies confined to a liquid–liquid interface by competitive ligand association.
Foundry Industry Users Mosaic Materials Receive Funding from DOE
DOE recently provided $80 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development. Foundry Industry users Mosaic Materials were one of the 36 recipients.
Getting a Charge Out of MOFs
A research team of Foundry users and staff has developed a modular metal-organic framework with highest electron charge mobilities ever observed.
Dong Yu, UC Davis
Superfluid-like Exciton Condensation in Topological Insulators
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Sinéad Griffin, Molecular Foundry/Materials Sciences Division, Berkeley Lab
How Nanoscience Can Teach Us About the Origins of the Universe
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Shelley Claridge, Purdue University
Standing, Lying, and Sitting: Transforming the Cell Membrane to Interface with Synthetic Nanomaterials
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Foundry in Focus: Summer 2018 Newsletter
Foundry Director, Jeff Neaton, shares highlights and updates from the Foundry in the latest issue of the Foundry in Focus newsletter.
Oxygen Vacancies Matter in the LaNiO3 Metal–Insulator Transition
A team of Foundry staff and users have found that oxygen vacancies cannot be neglected when considering the metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) in LaNiO3 films.
Foundry Industry Users Opus 12 Named Finalists in R&D100 Awards
The R&D100 awards honor the latest and best innovations, identifying the top technologies of the past year. Winners will be announced at a special event in Florida in November.
Light-Emitting Nanoparticles Could Provide Safer Way to Image Living Cells
A team of Foundry staff and users has demonstrated how light-emitting nanoparticles, developed at Berkeley Lab, can be used to see deep in living tissue. Researchers hope they can be made to attach to specific components of cells to serve in an advanced imaging system that can pinpoint even single cancer cells.
Follow the Foundry's Annual User Meeting Through Our Live Blog or on Twitter
Follow along the Annual User Meeting with us as our guest-bloggers share snapshots of their meeting experience on our live blog, or join us on Twitter (@molecularfndry)!
Transforming Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) into Ultrastable Crystalline Porous Structures
Foundry staff and users have developed a method that makes COFs, highly-customizable porous frameworks, more sturdy and gives them new properties.
A New Nanoparticle Design for Imaging with Ultralow Powers of Near Infrared Light
Foundry staff and users have developed alloyed upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) that can be excited with low-powered lasers for sensitive and non-toxic imaging.
Scientists 'Squeeze' Nanocrystals in a Liquid Droplet Into a Solid-Like State – and Back Again
A team of Foundry staff and users has found a way to make a liquid-like state behave more like a solid, and then to reverse the process.
New Competition for MOFs: Scientists Make Stronger COFs
Foundry staff and users have used a chemical process discovered decades ago to make the linkages between COFs much more sturdy, and to give the COFs new characteristics that could expand their applications.
Splitting Water: Nanoscale Imaging Yields Key Insights
A team of Foundry staff and users have pioneered a technique that uses nanoscale imaging to understand how local, nanoscale properties can affect a material’s macroscopic performance as part of the effort to identify materials suitable for artificial photosynthesis.
A Profile of Foundry User Tess Smidt, Current Luis Alvarez Fellow in Computing Sciences
To nonscientists, Tess Smidt describes herself as an "atomic architect." And as Berkeley Lab's 2018 Luis W. Alvarez Fellow in Computing Sciences, she's designing a neural network that can automatically generate novel atomic crystal structures. This work is an extension of her graduate research at UC Berkeley, where she worked with Jeff Neaton's group at the Foundry.
Ultrathin Membrane Both Isolates and Couples Living and Non-Living Catalysts
A research team co-led by the Foundry's Caroline Ajo-Franklin has developed a novel nanoscale membrane embedded with molecular wires that simultaneously chemically isolates, yet electrochemically couples, a microbial and an inorganic catalyst on the shortest possible length scale.
Using Machine Learning to Search Science Data
Foundry Staff are helping researchers from the Computing Sciences Area and UC Berkeley to develop innovative machine learning tools to pull contextual information from scientific datasets and automatically generate metadata tags for each file. Scientists can then search these files via Science Search, a web-based search engine for scientific data that the Berkeley team is building.
Near-field Imaging of Nanoantennas Inside Integrated Heat-assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) Devices
A team of Foundry staff and industry users have visualized the behavior of nanoantennas inside heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) memory devices using top-down and bottom-up approaches.
Tracing Interstellar Dust Back to the Solar System's Formation
A team of Foundry staff and users determined that samples of interplanetary particles from Earth's upper atmosphere contain dust from the initial formation of the solar system.
Shape-shifters: Peptoids Unexpectedly Change Shape When Forming Nanosheets
An international team led by Foundry researchers and involving three teams of users has discovered that peptoids can change shape when they form a nanosheet.
Scientists Create Continuous Microlasers with Nanoparticle-Coated Plastic Beads
An international team of scientists led by Foundry researchers has found a way to convert nanoparticle-coated microscopic plastic beads into lasers smaller than red blood cells.
Foundry User K. Barry Sharpless Named 2019 Priestley Medalist
Foundry user K. Barry Sharpless, recipient of the 2001 Nobel prize in Chemistry, will receive the Priestley medal in 2019 from the American Chemical Society. He is being honored for inventing catalytic, asymmetric oxidation methods and pioneering click chemistry.
Foundry's Colin Ophus Receives DOE Early Career Research Award
Ophus is one of six scientists from Berkeley Lab who have been selected to receive funding from DOE's Early Career Research Program. His award is for "Imaging Beyond the Shot Noise Limit With Quantum Electron Microscopy," selected by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
Scientists Create Continuously Emitting Microlasers With Nanoparticle-Coated Beads
Foundry staff and users have found a way to convert nanoparticle-coated microscopic beads into lasers smaller than red blood cells. These microlasers, which convert infrared light into light at higher frequencies, are among the smallest continuously emitting lasers of their kind ever reported.
Foundry's Alison Hatt and Caroline Ajo-Franklin Selected as 'Women @ The Lab' Honorees
Alison and Caroline are being recognized for their dedication, talent, STEM contributions, and commitment to the Lab's mission. The awards ceremony will be on July 9, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
Foundry Users Trace Interstellar Dust Back to Solar System's Formation
Experiments conducted at the Foundry helped to confirm that samples of interplanetary particles – collected from Earth's upper atmosphere and believed to originate from comets – contain dust leftover from the initial formation of the solar system.
Neil McKeown, University of Edinburgh
Porous Organic Materials Without a Framework
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
From Comets to Space Dust: Foundry's Extraterrestrial Research
From moon rocks to meteorites, and from space dust to a dinosaur-destroying impact, Berkeley Lab has a well-storied expertise in exploring samples of extraterrestrial origin.
Non-Crystal Clarity: Scientists Find Ordered Magnetic Patterns in Disordered Magnetic Material
A team of Foundry staff and users has confirmed a special property known as "chirality" – which potentially could be exploited to transmit and store data in a new way – in nanometers-thick samples of multilayer materials that have a disordered structure.
Shape-shifters: Peptoids Unexpectedly Change Shape When Forming Nanosheets
Peptoids can readily self-assemble into nanosheets, which gives them a great deal of potential for use in a range of fields. Recently, an international team of researchers led by Foundry scientists discovered that peptoids can change shape when they form a nanosheet.
There's a New Microscope in Town: ThemIS, anyone?
Staff and users at the Molecular Foundry now have access to a unique new microscope that combines atomic-scale imaging capabilities with the ability to observe real-world sample properties and behavior in real time.
Bing Gong, University at Buffalo
Biomimetic Structures Based on Predictable Controlled Self-Assembly & Folding
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Graphene Layered With Magnetic Materials Could Drive Ultrathin Spintronics
New measurements reveal exotic spin properties that could lead to new form of data storage.
Foundry in Focus - Spring 2018 Newsletter
Foundry Director, Jeff Neaton, shares highlights and updates from the Foundry in the latest issue of the Foundry in Focus newsletter.
Baking Bauxite Rocks to Solve A Global Health Crisis
A team of Foundry users has further developed their simple, inexpensive method for removing excess fluoride from groundwater.
Foundry Hosts Annual Safety Retreat
Foundry staff and users take a break from lab work to focus on safety and continue to grow the Foundry's safety practice and culture.
Ricardo Ruiz, Western Digital Corporation
Molecular Foundry/ALS Joint Seminar: Self Assembly and Directed Assembly of Polymer-Grafted Nanocrystals via Solvent Annealing
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Building 66 Auditorium
Joshua Schrier, Haveford College
Data-driven Approaches to Discover Reactions and Uncover Mechanisms for Exploratory Materials Synthesis
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Nanoparticle Breakthrough Could Capture Unseen Light for Solar Energy Conversion
An international team of scientists led by Foundry researchers has discovered the mechanism of how coating nanoparticles with organic dyes greatly enhances their ability to capture near-infrared light and to reemit it in the visible light spectrum.
A New Protein Mimic That Helps Injured Lungs Breathe
A Foundry user has bioengineered peptoids that perform equal to or better than existing lung surfactant replacements.
Shelley Minteer, University of Utah
Enzymatic Bioelectrocatalysis for Energy and Electrosynthesis Applications
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Foundry's Tracy Mattox Featured for Her Outreach Work and Creating "Nancy Nano"
Foundry researcher Tracy Mattox created Nancy Nano and a series of e-books as a way to engage students around the fifth-grade level about nanoscience. She was inspired to create the character by her outreach work with the Lab’s Workforce Development & Education group.
Foundry User Develops Protein Mimic to Help Injured Lungs Breathe
Foundry user Annelise Barron has bioengineered an effective protein mimic that could lead to better, cheaper treatments for acute lung injuries.
Foundry Staff Participate in SSURF Congressional Visits and Science Expo
Foundry staff joined other user facilities from the Society for the Science at User Research Facilities in Washington D.C.
Foundry’s Teresa Williams heading to Washington DC for Policy Fellowship
Teresa Williams has been selected as a Congressional Fellow by the American Chemical Society and will join the 2018-2019 cohort of the Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program run by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Anastassia Alexandrova, UCLA
Nano-cluster Catalysts: Differential Fluxionality, Statistical Ensemble of Metastable States, and Electronic Effects Determine Activity and Selectivity
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Building Diversity in Tech: Foundry's Rita Garcia Attends LGBTQ-Focused Tech Summit
The Foundry’s Rita Garcia, Chair of the Foundry’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, attended this year’s Lesbians Who Tech Summit and came away inspired.
New Membrane Can Easily Separate Air into Its Primary Components
A team of Foundry staff and users have developed a new polymer membrane for air separations. Their work was recently featured on the back cover of Angewandte Chemie.
Foundry's Teresa Williams to Speak on Her Experience in Science Diplomacy With TechWomen
Teresa will give a talk about her recent trip to Egypt with TechWomen, and will moderate a panel of Berkeley Lab researchers who have served as professional mentors in the program.
Peter Hommelhoff, University of Erlangen
Ultrafast Electron Control: From the Accelerator on a Chip to Strong-field Physics in Graphene
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Nanoparticle Breakthrough Could Capture Unseen Light for Solar Energy Conversion
A team of Foundry staff and users demonstrate how organic dyes work as antennas to help harness, convert light.
Non-destructive click reactions for quantum dots
A team of Foundry staff and users have used a combinatorial approach to broaden the scope of synthetic chemistry possible on quantum dot (QD) nanocrystals.
Judy Cha, Yale University
Phase Transformations of Nanoscale Systems Using in situ TEM
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Foundry Spring/Summer 2018 Seminar Series Starts May 1
The next Molecular Foundry seminar series features a lineup of eight distinguished speakers whose research interests span the field of nanoscience (Tuesdays at 11am). Ricardo Ruiz from Western Digital Corporation will headline the group as the joint Foundry/ALS seminar speaker.
Valleytronics Discovery Could Extend Limits of Moore’s Law
A team of Foundry users has discovered useful new information-handling potential in samples of tin(II) sulfide (SnS), a candidate "valleytronics" transistor material that might one day enable chipmakers to pack more computing power onto microchips.
A Core-Shell Nanotube Array for Artificial Photosynthesis
Foundry users, along with staff, have developed a fabrication method to make a square-inch sized artificial photosystem, in the form of an inorganic core-shell nanotube array, that implements a key design principle of natural photosynthesis.
Sugar-Coated Nanosheets Selectively Target Pathogens
A team of Foundry staff and users have developed a process for creating ultrathin, self-assembling sheets of synthetic materials that can function like designer flypaper in selectively binding with viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens.
Foundry Hosting Urban Bike Safety Workshop on April 24, 2018
Learn urban bicycling techniques from the Pros at Bike East Bay
Foundry Industry User featured in New Cyclotron Road Video
Ray Weitekamp and his company polySpectra has developed a resin for 3D-printed plastic that is simultaneously very tough — so it can take impact, it’s not brittle — and can also withstand high temperatures.
Microscopy Society of America awards Foundry's Chengyu Song
The Foundry's Chengyu Song has been awarded the Chuck Fiori Award for Outstanding Technologist in the Physical Sciences.
Mapping Battery Materials with Atomic Precision
An international team led by Foundry researchers showed how the ratio of materials that make up a lithium-ion battery electrode affects its structure at the atomic level, and how the surface is very different from the rest of the material.
The Foundry's Teresa Williams Helps to Inspire a Culture of Mentorship and Networking in Egypt
Teresa joined a delegation of 16 female Bay Area scientists and technology professionals on a recent trip to Egypt through TechWomen, a mentoring and exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State.
Molecular Foundry hosts Secretary of Energy Rick Perry
Energy Secretary Rick Perry met with Foundry scientists and industry users during his tour of the Molecular Foundry
Foundry Users and Staff Print All-Liquid 3-D Structures
A team of Foundry staff and users have developed a way to print 3-D structures composed entirely of liquids. Using a modified 3-D printer, they injected threads of water into silicone oil — sculpting tubes made of one liquid within another liquid. This marks an important first step toward liquid electronics.
Mapping Battery Materials With Atomic Precision
An international team led by Foundry staff mapped the atoms of battery materials and explored how composition affects structure.
New Nanoprobes for Imaging Stem Cells
Foundry users and staff have created new nanocrystals for imaging stem cells that are bright and not toxic to the cells. Their work was recently featured as a cover article in Small.
Foundry User Emily Tow Featured for World Water Day
Foundry User Emily Tow talks about her project to treat municipal wastewater in an energy-efficient way and bring it up to drinking water standards. At the Foundry, she is looking at biofouling of membranes used to treat wastewater.
Sugar-coated Peptoid Nanosheets Selectively Detect Multivalent Proteins
A team led by Foundry researchers has developed a method to engineer the surface of peptoid nanosheets, mimicking some of the properties of cell membranes, to interact with multivalent proteins.
Quantum Confined Ultrathin CsSnI3 2D Nanoplates
Developed the synthesis of CsSnI3 lead-free halide perovskite nanoplates while developing understanding of the stability of CsSnI3
Foundry Users Confirm Century-Old Speculation on the Chemistry of a High-Performance Battery
A team of Foundry users has discovered a novel chemical state, first proposed about 90 years ago, that enables a high-performance, low-cost sodium-ion battery. The battery could quickly and efficiently store and distribute energy produced by solar panels and wind turbines across the electrical grid.
Foundry's Brett Helms quoted in Science article
The news article focuses on recent developments in battery technologies, highlighting advances in lithium-sulfur batteries.
Foundry in Focus: a New, Quarterly Newsletter
Foundry Director, Jeff Neaton, launches the inaugural issue of "Foundry in Focus", a quarterly newsletter with information about recent research, as well as news, special events, and more.
Vincent Conticello, Emory University
Peptide and Protein Nanomaterials: The Design Challenge
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Annelise Barron, Stanford University
Peptoid Mimics of Lung Surfactant Proteins and Antimicrobial Peptides
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Tiny Diamond Anvils Trigger Chemical Reactions by Squeezing
Foundry scientist Nate Hohman part of research team who has developed the first chemical reactions that can be triggered by mechanical pressure alone.
Tuning Magnetic Frustration in a Dipolar Trident Lattice
A team of Foundry users and researchers have designed and fabricated a nanomagnet array in which competing, “frustrated” magnetic interactions can be directly tuned, enabling detailed studies of the system’s properties.
Opportunity Travel Grants Now Available for Eligible Proposals in 2018
The Molecular Foundry is pleased to offer a limited number of need-based Opportunity Travel Grants to eligible users, in support of approved Standard proposals starting in 2018.
Imaging Flexible DNA 'Building Blocks' in 3-D
Foundry researchers, along with users from the Ohio State University, have generated 3-D images from 129 individual molecules of flexible DNA origami particles. Their work provides the first experimental verification of the theoretical model of DNA origami.
New Instruments and Capabilities at the Foundry
New instruments in our Imaging, Organic, and NCEM facilities are or soon will be available for use.
New Study Indicates Greater Capacity for Carbon Storage in the Earth's Subsurface
A team of Foundry scientists and users have shown that carbon dioxide can penetrate the inner layers of some non-swelling clay minerals which make up the dominant clays in the Earth’s deep subsurface.
Doubling Down on Energy Storage with Novel Metal-Oxide Magnesium Battery
New research by a team of Foundry users and staff brings magnesium batteries one step closer to reality.
Michael Grünwald, University of Utah
Self-assembly of complex structures - insight from computer simulations
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Origins of Singlet Fission in an Organic Solar Cell
Foundry staff and users have pinpointed the mechanism behind an ultrafast and efficient process that spawns several carriers of electrical charge from a single particle of light in organic solar cells.
Gang Han, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Small and Bright: Tailoring Luminescent Nanoparticles in Biology
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
New Discovery Could Improve Organic Solar Cell Performance
Science team of Foundry staff and users unravels the mystery of a multiplier mechanism in an organic crystal.
Lynden Archer, Cornell University
Interfacial Transport and Stability of Reactive Metal Electrodes in High-Energy Batteries
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Coupling Experiments and Theory to Build a Better Battery
A team of Foundry staff and users has reported that a new polymer used in lithium-sulfur batteries allows a doubling in capacity compared to a conventional lithium-sulfur battery, even after more than 100 charge cycles.
Shirley Meng, University of California, San Diego
Molecular Foundry/ALS Joint Seminar: Enabling High Energy Long Life Rechargeable Batteries by Advanced Materials Diagnosis and Operando Characterization
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Building 66 Auditorium
Foundry Industry User Secures Funding from Boeing
Industry user Richard Wang, whose startup Cuberg enables safe, high-performance batteries for critical applications, has recently closed a second round of seed funding, led by Boeing HorizonX Ventures.
Foundry Staff Retreat to... the Zoo!
In a new annual tradition, the Foundry's operations and scientific staff gathered for a two-day retreat, this time at the Oakland Zoo.
Let the good tubes roll
Inspired by biology, a team of Foundry users has created new tiny tubes that could help with water purification and tissue engineering studies.
X-Rays Reveal ‘Handedness’ in Swirling Electric Vortices
Foundry users used spiraling X-rays to observe, for the first time, a property that gives left- or right-handedness to swirling electric patterns in a layered material called a superlattice.
Lukas Eng, Technische Universität Dresden
Nanoscale Topologies in Multiferroics – From Bloch & Néel-Type Skyrmions to Conductive Domain Walls
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
DOE Under Secretary for Science Visits Molecular Foundry
Paul Dabbar, DOE Under Secretary for Science, toured the Foundry during his recent trip to Berkeley Lab and met some of the Foundry's industry users as part of his visit.
Introducing Nancy Nano!
Foundry Scientist Tracy Mattox has written a series of books featuring 'Nancy Nano', a nanoparticle who explains the science being done at the Molecular Foundry.
ACS Scholars Program Highlights Career Path of Foundry's Caroline Ajo-Franklin
The ACS Scholars Program awards scholarships to underrepresented minority students majoring in undergraduate chemistry-related disciplines. Foundry Scientist Caroline Ajo-Franklin has been featured as an alumnus of the program.
Foundry Winter 2018 Seminar Series Starts January 23
The next Molecular Foundry seminar series features a lineup of eight distinguished speakers whose research interests span the field of nanoscience (Tuesdays at 11am). Shirley Meng from UC San Diego will headline the group as the joint Foundry/ALS seminar speaker.
New X-Ray Probe Shines Light on Interfaces
A team of Foundry users and staff have developed a new spectroscopy technique that employs X-rays from a free electron laser to measure the properties of interfaces that may be hidden within a material.
Olga Ovchinnikova, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Multimodal Chemical and Functional Imaging of Nanoscale Transformations Away from Equilibrium
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
67-3111 Chemla Room
Happy Holidays from the Molecular Foundry!
The Foundry gives thanks for the little things in life and wishes you and yours a warm and happy holiday season.
New Hybrid Supercapacitor is Super-Charged
In work that could lead to alternatives to lithium batteries, Foundry users, working with staff, have developed a method to make a supercapacitor that has the highest energy density of any comparable system.
New Hybrid Supercapacitor is Super-Charged
A team of Foundry scientists and users have developed a way to make a new kind of supercapacitor by coating carbon nanotube electrodes with titanium disulfide.
Multicultural Feast at the Foundry
The Molecular Foundry hosts staff and users from around the world belonging to a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds. To highlight and celebrate this diversity, the Molecular Foundry’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee hosted its first ever Multicultural Thanksgiving Potluck where participants were encouraged to bring favorite dishes and stories from their culture to share with their colleagues.
A New Composite Polymer Membrane for Capturing CO2
Molecular Foundry users and scientists have developed a new nanocrystal-polymer composite membrane that can quickly and efficiently separate CO2 from N2 gas.
Highly Stable Nanorod Suprastructures of a Graphene Oxide– Polymer–CsPbX3 Perovskite Nanocrystal Composite
Nanorod composites with remarkably stable photonic properties are assembled from CsPbX3 perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) and polymer-grafted graphene oxide (g-GO).
X-Rays Provide Key Insights on Path to Lithium-Rich Battery Electrode
A team of Foundry scientists and users created a comprehensive picture of how the same chemical processes that give lithium-rich battery cathodes their high capacity are also linked to changes in atomic structure that sap their performance.
Foundry user awarded ALS Klaus Halbach Award
User Dmitriy Voronov was awarded for his pioneering work in the area of advanced x-ray gratings
New Catalyst Gives Artificial Photosynthesis a Big Boost
Foundry users and staff develop a catalyst that converts electrical energy to chemical energy at 64% efficiency.
Foundry Users Highlighted By APS for Marie Curie's 150th Birthday
In November, the editors of the Journal of Physical Chemistry (JPC) highlighted female physical chemists who have contributed to JPC and the field of physical chemistry.
Foundry Science Featured in the Annual Report for the National Nanotechnology Initiative
This year's NNI supplement to the President's 2018 budget highlighted work by Foundry scientists, showcasing how atomic electron tomography was used to map 23,196 atoms in a Fe-Pt nanoparticle.
Foundry Industry User Etosha Cave Named One of 7x7 Magazine's "Hot 20" List of Bay Area Innovators
Opus 12 is working to develop an industrial-scale reactor that has the power to upcycle CO2 waste. Using only water and electricity, they transform CO2 into new products.
Opportunities for scientific innovation at the water-energy nexus.
The Foundry’s Jeff Urban reviews how developing technologies could impact future water and energy use.
New Studies on Disordered Cathodes May Provide Much-Needed Jolt to Lithium Batteries
Foundry users report major progress in cathodes made with so-called “disordered” materials, a promising new type of lithium battery.
Solving a Magnesium Mystery in Rechargeable Battery Performance
A team of Foundry scientists and users have discovered a new kind of chemical reactivity in next-gen battery components that were previously thought to be compatible.
Atomic-Scale Structure and Composition of Organo-Lead Halide Perovskites
Molecular scale understanding of local structure and its influence on solar cell performance.
Diversifying Nanoparticle Assemblies in Supramolecule Nanocomposites Via Cylindrical Confinement
Fabrication of complex 3-D nanoparticle assemblies enabled a Au helical ribbon-like assembly with chiral plasmonic response several orders of magnitude higher than that of natural chiral materials.
Molecular Arrangement and Charge Transfer in C60/Graphene Heterostructures
Charge transfer between C60 and graphene is sensitive to the nature of the underlying supporting substrate and to the crystallinity and local orientation of the C60
Foundry Scientists Solve a Magnesium Mystery in Rechargeable Battery Performance
Foundry scientists have discovered a surprising set of chemical reactions involving magnesium that degrade battery performance even before the battery can be charged up. The findings could steer the design of next-gen batteries.
Foundry welcomes the winners of the 2017 Inno'Cup Jr
The winners of this year's competition for young innovators in France visited the Foundry as part of their first prize trip to San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
Work by Foundry’s Ron Zuckermann Featured in News Magazines
New simulations suggest that life's first molecule was a protein, not RNA, and Zuckermann's work with peptoids may be able to prove it. His work has been featured in Scientific American and Quanta Magazine.
Foundry Hosts International Group of Journalists
On Oct. 29, the Foundry hosted a group international journalists who were attending the 10th World Conference of Science Journalists.
Screening for Disease or Toxins in a Drop of Blood
Foundry industry users developed a multinozzle emitter array, a silicon chip that can dramatically shorten the time it takes to identify molecular components within small volumes of biological samples, such as blood or urine.
Industry user PepsiCo Explores Future Food Products
Global food and beverage giant PepsiCo has been using the Foundry to explore some useful and novel solutions for barrier enhancement in their flexible packaging materials.
Lai-Sheng Wang, Brown University
Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Boron Clusters: From Planar Structures to Borophenes and Borospherenes
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
67-3111 Chemla Room
Kamil Godula, UC San Diego
Chemical Methods for Tailoring Glycan Interactions at the Cell-Matrix Interface
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
67-3111 Chemla Room
Foundry's Peter Ercius is Recipient of a 2017 Director's Early Scientific Career Award
The Director’s Awards program recognizes significant achievements of Berkeley Lab employees. Each year, Lab employees submit nominations, which are then reviewed by a Lab-wide Director’s Awards committee.
Foundry Welcomes 2017 TechWomen Delegates and Hosts Tunisian Researcher
The Foundry's Teresa Williams is once again hosting an emerging leader through the State Department’s mentoring program, designed to foster a global network of female scientists.
Study on Graphene-Wrapped Nanocrystals Makes Inroads Toward Next-Gen Fuel Cells
A team of Foundry scientists have determined how graphene-coated magnesium hydride is able to store and release hydrogen gas safely and easily.
Nanoparticle Surfactants for Structured Liquid Processing
Produced the first sub-micron, shape-persistent, all-liquid bicontinuous structures using interfacial formation, assembly and jamming of nanoparticles surfactants (NPSs)
Strain-engineered growth of two-dimensional materials
Developed a new method to achieve built-in and tunable strain in two-dimensional materials directly via growth.
Reimagining Hydrogen: A Small Molecule with Large-Scale Ideas
Foundry researchers pursue low-cost, efficient technologies for hydrogen storage
Maria Chan, Argonne National Laboratory
Co-refinement of Nanostructures by Combining First Principles Modeling and X-ray and Electron Measurements
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
67-3111 Chemla Room
Foundry Work Brings Nobel-Winning Cryo-EM Into Sharper Focus
Advances in detector technology made at the Foundry's National Center for Electron Microscopy played a key role in the 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry, honoring the development of cryo-EM.
Nanoparticle Supersoap Creates ‘Bijel’ With Potential as Sculptable Fluid
Foundry users and scientists used nanoparticle surfactants to create a new type of “bijel,” a material that holds promise as a malleable liquid with applications in liquid circuitry, energy conversion, and soft robotics.
Foundry users share their #myfoundrystory
Join us on social media this week, and on Mondays through our fall proposal cycle, to hear Foundry users share their #myfoundrystory. At the 2017 Annual User Meeting, users recorded videos highlighting the research they do, why they use the Foundry, and what they love about the Foundry and Berkeley Lab.
Lena Fitting-Kourkoutis, Cornell University
New Frontiers in Cryo-Electron Microscopy: From Probing Low Temperature Electronic Phases to Processes at Liquid/Solid Interfaces
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
67-3111 Chemla Room
Stephen Jesse, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Imaging in the Information Dimension: From Ultrafast SPM to Atomic Scale Assembly
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
67-3111 Chemla Room
Copper Catalyst Yields High Efficiency CO2-to-Fuels Conversion
Molecular Foundry users have developed a new electrocatalyst that can directly convert carbon dioxide into multicarbon fuels and alcohols using record-low inputs of energy. The work is the latest in a round of studies coming out of Berkeley Lab tackling the challenge of creating a clean chemical manufacturing system that can put carbon dioxide to good use.
New Study on Graphene-Wrapped Nanocrystals Makes Inroads Toward Next-Gen Fuel Cells
A study led by Molecular Foundry researchers provides insight into the atomic details of the crystals’ ultrathin coating and how it serves as selective shielding while enhancing their performance in hydrogen storage.
Caroline Ajo-Franklin, Molecular Foundry
Nanomaterials for Molecularly-Precise Bioelectrocatalysis and Biosensing
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
67-3111 Chemla Room
First demonstration of efficient, light-powered production of fuel via artificial photosynthesis
In a big step toward sun-powered fuel production, Molecular Foundry users have used artificial photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons at efficiencies greater than plants. The achievement marks a significant advance in the effort to move toward sustainable sources of fuel.
Bringing Atomic Mapping to the Mainstream
Mapping the internal atomic structure of nanoparticles just got easier thanks to a new computer algorithm and graphical user interface. The advancement brings a new tool to the field of electron tomography that may expand the usefulness of techniques used to assemble detailed 3-D images by scanning them with a beam of electrons.
Preventing Thin Film Dewetting via 2D Capping
Demonstrated that a monolayer 2D capping layer with high Young’s modulus effectively suppresses dewetting of underlying polymer, metal, and organic semiconductor thin films.
Formation of a Photovoltaic Material from Precursor to Crystal
Foundry users determine how lead iodide perovskite thin films form in real time, from the liquid precursor stage through crystallization.
Aeron Hammack, Epibiome
The Growing Threat of Antibiotics Resistance, and the Use of Microbial Surveillance and Bacteriophage Based Therapeutics to Combat the Trend
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
67-3111 Chemla Room
Foundry Hosts Family Fun Day
Over one hundred people attended the Molecular Foundry’s first ever family science day and ice cream social. The event was organized and hosted by the Molecular Foundry’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee in an effort to bring together the diverse community of staff, users, postdocs, students, and their families.
Foundry Users Fine-Tune System to Create ‘Syngas’ from CO2
Foundry users have developed a new recipe for creating synthesis gas mixtures, or syngas, that involves adding a pinch of copper atoms sprinkled atop a gold surface.
X-ray Footprinting Solves Mystery of Metal-Breathing Protein
A Foundry-led team of scientists have discovered the details of an unconventional coupling between a bacterial protein and a mineral that allows the bacterium to breathe when oxygen is not available.
Molecular Foundry Fall Seminar Series Begins September 12
The next Molecular Foundry seminar series features a lineup of eight distinguished speakers whose research interests span the field of nanoscience (Tuesdays at 11am). Michael Fetcenko from BASF Battery Materials will headline the group as the joint Foundry/ALS seminar speaker.
X-ray Footprinting Solves Mystery of Metal-Breathing Protein
Molecular Foundry scientists have discovered the details of an unconventional coupling between a bacterial protein and a mineral that allows the bacterium to breathe when oxygen is not available.
Michael Fetcenko, BASF Battery Materials
Molecular Foundry/ALS Joint Seminar: Status and Critical Challenges of Battery Materials for e-Mobility and Energy Storage
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
67-3111 Chemla Room
Scientists Bring Visual ‘Magic’ to Light
Foundry users Magic Leap Inc., working with Foundry scientists, have developed new, versatile ways to control and enhance the light-bending properties of synthetic optical nanostructures.
New Results Reveal High Tunability of 2-D Material
A science team at the Molecular Foundry has precisely measured some previously obscured properties of moly sulfide, a 2-D semiconducting material also known as molybdenum disulfide or MoS2. The team also revealed a powerful tuning mechanism and an interrelationship between its electronic and optical, or light-related, properties.
Scientists Developing Innovative Techniques for High-Resolution Analysis of Hybrid Materials
In an effort to better study a promising class of materials that could energize the solar cell industry, Molecular Foundry users have developed a new method of analyzing the material’s molecular-scale structure.
Mimicking Nature with Designer Molecules
Molecular Foundry hosts 10th Peptoid Summit for researchers who are investigating new directions in
biologically inspired polymer research, focusing on synthetic chains of molecules termed “peptoids.”
New Model of Chemical Building Blocks May Help Explain Origins of Life
A research team from the Molecular Foundry and Stony Brook University have developed a computational model explaining how certain molecules fold and bind together to grow longer and more complex, leading from simple chemicals to primitive biological molecules. The research gives a testable hypothesis about early prebiotic polymers and their evolution.
Making Polymer Chemistry 'Click'
Scientists using Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry develop fast chemistry that unlocks a new class of polymers.
Berkeley Lab Highlights Molecular Foundry Intern in Lab Video Series
Foundry intern Daniel Durham talks about his experience working at Berkeley Lab this summer.
New Results Reveal Extensive Tunability of 2-D Materials
Molecular Foundry users and scientists have developed a new method to directly measure the band gap of MoS2, which is 30% higher than expected. The study also discovered how to tune optical and electronic properties in a 2-D material.
Foundry Users Discover Unique Thermoelectric Properties in Cesium Tin Iodide.
A newly discovered collective rattling effect in a type of crystalline semiconductor blocks most heat transfer while preserving high electrical conductivity – a rare pairing that scientists say could reduce heat buildup in electronic devices and turbine engines, among other possible applications.
Photo-Activated Catalyst Turns CO2 into Ingredients for Fuel
Foundry Users developed a light-activated material that can chemically convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide without generating unwanted byproducts. The technology could help generate fuel and other energy-rich products using a solar-powered catalyst while mitigating levels of a potent greenhouse gas.
DOE Oppenheimer Leadership Program visits the Foundry
The DOE’s Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program develops the next generation of leaders in the science and energy fields. The initiative brings together exceptional early- and mid-career professionals who have the potential to contribute significantly to DOE’s work.
Controlling Light with Optical Metasurfaces
Industry users and Molecular Foundry scientists have created two silicon-based optical metasurfaces that are more versatile and offer more control over light than previous designs.
Spatially Resolved Multi-Color CsPbX3 Nanowire Heterojunctions via Anion Exchange
Developed a method to fabricate spatially resolved multi-color CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) semiconductor nanowire heterojunctions with high resolution.
DOE's Self Assembly Efforts Embodied by Molecular Foundry Research
The Foundry's work on biomimetic polymers (a.k.a. peptoids) was used as the poster child for the DOE's self assembly portfolio. The feature article, "No Assembly Required: Nanoparticles that Put Themselves Together" talks about how DOE-supported scientists are coaxing tiny particles into making new, customized materials.
