Dear Colleagues,

Thank you to everyone who helped make the joint 2025 Advanced Photon Source (APS)/Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) Users Meeting a resounding success. The week was filled with vibrant discussions, cutting-edge science and a strong sense of community. From the CNM keynote by Deji Akinwande (University of Texas at Austin) to the dynamic session on artificial intelligence at user facilities, the meeting highlighted how these facilities continue to be a hub for innovation.

I'm also pleased to welcome newly elected members of the CNM User Executive Committee: David Barton (Northwestern University), Alan Dibos (Argonne) and Yue Li (Argonne). Their perspectives will help shape our strategy and ensure that CNM remains responsive to the evolving needs of our user community. I extend my sincere thanks to the outgoing members for their dedicated service.

Whether you are part of the CNM team, an active user or a potential collaborator, your contributions and ideas are essential to our mission. Together, we are pushing the boundaries of nanoscience and enabling discoveries that will shape the future.

Warm regards,

Gary Wiederrecht
Interim Director
Center for Nanoscale Materials
Argonne National Laboratory

Building Blocks of Innovation: Light-induced Symmetry Changes in Tiny Crystals

Breakthrough in light-matter interactions allows researchers to create materials with tailored properties, unlocking unprecedented control over their optical and electronic properties.

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New Nanoscale Technique Unlocks Quantum Material Secrets

Argonne researchers have developed a cutting-edge technique to study atomic vibrations near materials interfaces, opening doors to new quantum applications in computing and sensing.

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Self-driving Lab Transforms Materials Discovery

Argonne researchers use Polybot, an AI-driven automated materials laboratory, to produce high-conductivity, low-defect electronic polymer thin films.

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INTRODUCING: New CNM User Portal

We are excited to introduce a new CNM User Portal, designed to provide easy access to all registration, proposal and training information in one place.

If you have any questions, suggestions or issues with the new portal, please email the CNM User Office. We value your input!

LEARN ABOUT CNM TOOLS & CAPABILITIES 

Liliana Stan Retires After a Distinguished Career at CNM

After 14 impactful years at Argonne, Liliana Stan is retiring from her role as principal engineering specialist at CNM. A materials scientist, Stan has been instrumental in advancing physical vapor deposition and atomic layer deposition synthesis techniques with applications spanning memory devices, sensors, flexible electronics and nanophotonics.

Since joining Argonne in 2010, she has supported over 300 user projects and 500 users, while authoring more than 74 publications and holding six patents. Her deep expertise and generous mentorship have left a lasting mark on the CNM community. Congratulations, Liliana — and thank you for your remarkable contributions!

CNM Welcomes New Staff Scientist Daniel Durham

Daniel Durham joined CNM in February. His research focuses on leveraging dynamic and multimodal electron microscopy capabilities to elucidate the nanoscale phenomena underlying materials systems critical for energy and microelectronics applications. Prior to joining CNM, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Materials Science division at Argonne, where he focused on using in situ and ultrafast electron microscopy to study nanoscale dynamics in electronic materials, including strongly correlated materials and ferroelectrics. Durham earned a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.

CNM Welcomes New Staff Scientist Yizhong Huang

Yizhong Huang joined CNM in April. Huang will leverage multiple on-site capabilities — including cryogenic quantum measurement and nanofabrication — to advance research in hybridizing electron qubits, superconducting qubits, solid-state spin qubits and magnons for quantum information science. Before joining CNM, he studied epitaxial rare earth spins in thin film materials for their potential as quantum nodes and explored using electrons trapped by noble gas solids as qubits. Huang earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Hohai University and a doctoral degree in electrical engineering from Xiamen University. He pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago.

Congratulations to CNM Inventors on Recent Patents

The following researchers were recently awarded U.S. patents for innovations developed at Argonne:

Anirudha Sumant (CNM) and Venkata Aditya Ayyagari (former CNM user and postdoc) patented a method for achieving long-term superlubricity on steel surfaces using MoS₂-GO coatings — paving the way for advances in bearing technologies.

Elena Shevchenko (CNM), Supratik Guha (Argonne/CNM user) and Diana Berman (CNM user) received a patent for a technique to create low-refractive-index layers for antireflective coatings that can be used in lenses, solar cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Students Work With CNM Scientists Through ESRP Program

From January to May 2025, CNM staff mentored 75 local high school students across seven projects through the Exemplary Student Research Program (ESRP). Designed to enrich AP and honors STEM courses, ESRP gives students and teachers the chance to work alongside scientists on real research, culminating in poster presentations at the APS/CNM Users Meeting.

This year’s topics ranged from carbon dioxide conversion using single-atom catalysts to quantum applications of TiO₂ thin films.

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Image: 2025 ESRP students presented their work at the APS/CNM User Meeting. (Image by Seth Hammond/Argonne National Laboratory.)

Now Hiring

Interested in translating science into innovation? CNM is hiring! Check out available job openings at CNM and build your career at Argonne.

EXPLORE

Lab Safety Reminder: Wear Your Safety Glasses

Always check the placard outside each CNM lab for required personal protective equipment (PPE). If safety glasses are listed, you must wear them, unless your Standard Operating Procedure allows an exception, like microscope use. Glasses are provided outside every lab.

Questions? Contact CNM Environment, Safety and Health Coordinator Jim Young or the CNM User Office.

CNM Acknowledgement 

A friendly reminder: The CNM acknowledgment statement must be included in all published reports of work conducted here as using the full acknowledgement is critical to our sponsor. Guidance on best practices and standard acknowledgment statements are available online.

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Take the Survey — Tell Us What You Think!

We want to know what has worked well for you at CNM and what you'd like to see more of in the future. For example, in response to users’ suggestions to increase the duration of approved projects, CNM user proposals are now active for 18 months instead of 12.

Your feedback is important to us!

QUICK 5-MIN SURVEY