Research at the Advanced Light Source may lead to four-bit magnetic cells housed on nanoscale metal disks, instead of the two-bit magnetic domains of standard magnetic memories. In magnetic vortices, parallel electron spins point either clockwise or counterclockwise, while in their crowded centers the spins point either down or up. “From the scientist’s point of view, magnetism is about controlling electron spin,” says Peter Fischer of the Materials Sciences Division, who leads the work at beamline 6.1.2. Four orientations could provide multibits in a new kind of memory. The next step is to control the states independently and simultaneously. More>
Posts Tagged ‘Materials Sciences Division’
How Magnetic Whirlpools Multiply Memory
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013Research Opportunities Plentiful for Next Generation Batteries
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Steve Visco of the Materials Sciences Division had encouraging words for young scientists at the recent national meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans on the opportunities to be had in next generation battery research. In describing the enormous progress his own start-up company, PolyPlus, has made in developing lithium-metal batteries with unprecedented energy density, he explained why the ever-growing need for electrical energy storage will require continued innovation and development in battery research. “The U.S. will need to innovate, both in the development of step-change energy storage technologies and in cost-competitive manufacturing of those products,” he said. More>
An Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting
Friday, May 17th, 2013
Peidong Yang of the Materials Sciences Division led the creation of the first fully integrated artificial photosynthesis nanosystem. Atmospheric carbon dioxide reaching its highest level in at least three million years is a sobering reminder of the need for carbon-neutral renewable energy sources. Artificial photosynthesis, in which solar energy is directly converted into chemical fuels, is regarded as one of the most promising of solar technologies if hydrogen can be produced cheaply enough to compete with fossil fuels. This starts with an integrated system for solar water splitting. Also working on this project were Hao Ming Chen and Chong Liu. More>
MSD Hosts May 21 Screening of Sundance Documentary ‘Connected’
Friday, May 17th, 2013Have you ever faked a restroom trip to check your email? Slept with your laptop? Or become so overwhelmed that you just unplugged from it all? In the documentary “Connected,” director Tiffany Shlain takes audiences on an exhilarating rollercoaster ride to discover what it means to be connected in the 21st century. The Materials Sciences Division is hosting a screening of film on Tuesday, May 21 at 4 p.m. in the Building 66 Auditoirum. A Q&A with Shlain (founder of Webby Awards) and Ken Goldberg (professor of New Media at UC Berkeley) will follow the screening. More>
MSD’s Rob Ritchie Receives Acta Materialia Gold Medal Award
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
The 2014 Acta Materialia Gold Medal Award will go to Robert Ritchie of the Lab’s Materials Sciences Division. The award, sponsored by the publishing company Elsevier, includes a cash honorarium for $5,000 and is considered one of the most prestigious prizes in the field. Along with fellow MSD researcher Tony Tomsia, Ritchie has recently developed a lightweight ceramic material with an unprecedented combination of strength and toughness by mimicking the structure of abalone shells. More>
Materials Sciences Safety Near-Miss Program A Hit
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
It takes guts to share your mistakes and near misses with your colleagues. Who wants to look foolish when they can keep mum, silently vowing not to repeat said mistake? The Material Science Division (MSD) not only gets people to freely admit their mistakes and near misses, but it rewards the year’s best close call in an annual competition. “We’ve learned a lot of things and identified some significant problems since we started the near-miss program six years ago,” said Rick Kelly, MSD safety coordinator. More>
Matt Francis Talks Food and Fat at Local Café as Part of MSD ‘Actual Science’ Series
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
Fat is one of the most important elements of food when it comes to flavor, cooking, and nutrition, but few of us know the reasons why. In an effort to change that, and to share his love of both chemistry and cooking, materials scientist Matt Francis recently gave a lively introduction to the chemistry of fat at the Actual Café in Oakland. More>
Volunteers Sought for Garber Park Habitat Restoration Day
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
Employees who enjoy the great outdoors are invited to join Materials Sciences Division employees on Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon, to participate in Garber Park Restoration Day. The 13-acre park is located in the hills behind the Claremont Hotel. Volunteers will help park stewards remove non-native plants (which helps fire prevention) and cage baby buckeye, maple and oak trees to prevent destruction by deer. Send e-mail here to sign up. More>
Saturday Nano-High Talk on Bad Sugars and its Adverse Affect on Health
Friday, May 10th, 2013
Employees are encouraged to invite their high-school aged children to attend the next Nano-High lecture on “Bad Sugars: Addictive and Hazardous to Your Health.” The talk, presented by UC San Francisco professor Robert Lustig, takes place tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in 1 Pimentel Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. Lustig is a world leader in the study of nutrition-based metabolic disease and in particular the role of excess sugar in the disruption of normal metabolism. He says the “wrong” kinds of foods can lead to premature aging, debilitating diseases, and shortened lifespan. More>
Register now for JCAP’s Solar-Fuels Summer School
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) will hold a weeklong summer school on solar fuels, starting June 17. All are welcome to attend lectures from leading experts in surface chemistry and physics, to be held each morning in the Building 50 Auditorium. To attend the full school, including hands-on laboratory and instrument-training workshops, registration is required. More>
