Observing gold’s atomic structure change at extreme pressures

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and their collaborators conducted experiments with gold to learn more about the unexpected structures and properties it would adopt under high pressure. The results, which show gold switching structure at 10 million times the Earth’s atmospheric pressure, are essential for planetary modeling and fusion science.

Diamond exhibits surprising nanoscopic heat traps

New research shows that diamond—although known for being the best natural heat conductor on Earth—at the atomic scale it can briefly trap heat in unexpected ways. The findings could influence how scientists design diamond-based quantum technologies, including ultra-precise sensors and future quantum computers.

High-precision analysis of 2D materials microstructures achieved using electron microscopy and machine learning

A research team led by National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, has, for the first time, produced nanoscale images of two key features in an ultra-thin material: twist domains (areas where one atomic layer is slightly rotated relative to another) and polarities (differences in atomic orientation) by combining scanning transmission electron microscopy with artificial intelligence.