Researchers from the Interface Science Department (ISC) of the Fritz Haber Institute and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have provided insight into the significant morphological changes that Cu surfaces undergo during the electrochemical reduction of CO₂, which influences the type of products formed. This combined theory (UCLA)-experimental ISC-FHI) study highlights the importance of specific surface defects, that are created and transformed in the course of the reaction, for enhancing the efficiency of CO₂ conversion into industrially valuable chemicals.

Researchers have observed hydrogen and deuterium molecules in tiny spaces called picocavities using advanced spectroscopy. This study reveals unique differences between the molecules due to quantum effects, potentially aiding future research in energy storage and quantum technologies.

An international team of scientists have utilized photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) to study alanine, a chiral amino acid, in water. This research reveals how alanine's molecular structure changes with pH levels and demonstrates the potential of PECD for understanding solvated chiral molecules under biologically relevant conditions.
 

From operando electron microscopy images to atomistic models: Machine Learning assisted analysis in the age of big data