MSE 2025 | U.S. DOE Office of Science(SC)

Simulated predicted shape distribution for magic-sized silver clusters (purple insets) assembled at different solvent temperatures. These predictions can guide experiments to target seeds for crystal growth.

Molecular Modeling Reveals How Nanocrystals Take Shape

The shape of tiny silver seeds made of fewer than 200 atoms depends on their precise size and temperature and defines the shape of the final nanoparticle.

In a strange metal (translucent box), electrons (blue marbles) lose their individuality and melt into a featureless, liquid-like stream.

Can Electricity Flow Without Electrons?

Strange metals defy the 60-year-old understanding of electric current as a flow of discrete charges.

A cartoon of robot-enabled inorganic materials synthesis. The robot selects powder precursors based on new criteria, mixes them by ball milling, moves them to an oven, and measures the results with X-ray diffraction to determine the phase purity.

New Approach to Materials Synthesis—with Quick Validation by a Robotic Lab

Inorganic precursors chosen based on new criteria led to higher phase purity for 32 out of 35 target materials synthesized in a robotic laboratory.