Connecticut

Researchers at the University of Connecticut, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and Berkeley Lab are collaborating on a new technique to study materials’ molecular structures through X-ray crystallography. Normally, crystallography requires purified samples of the molecule of interest, coaxed into a crystal form. But most molecules form powders composed of jumbled granules, not picture-ready crystals. A new computer algorithm and state-of-the-art laser adapts X-ray crystallography for the many compounds in powder form that scientists seek to study. The research will help identify better materials for quantum computing, sensors, and energy storage.