Scientific Highlights
Bright white coloring of Pacific cleaner shrimp revelead
In a study published in Nature Photonics, researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, explain the bright, white-colored stripes from Pacific cleaner shrimps, one of the most efficient white reflectors found in nature.
Progress of the X06DA-PXIII beamline upgrade: First light in the optics hutch
On June 7, 2023, the PXIII project team successfully shone the first light into the optics hutch at the upgraded X06DA-PXIII beamline. It is an essential first step for testing new hardware and software solutions that will be implemented at SLS2.0.
Tender X-rays show how one of nature’s strongest bonds breaks
Short flashes of an unusual kind of X-ray light at SwissFEL and SLS bring scientists closer to developing better catalysts to transform the greenhouse gas methane into a less harmful chemical.
Tuning magnetoelectricity in a mixed-anisotropy antiferromagnet
Control of magnetization and electric polarization is attractive in relation to tailoring materials for data storage and devices such as sensors or antennae. In magnetoelectric materials, these degrees of freedom are closely coupled, allowing polarization to be controlled by a magnetic field, and magnetization by an electric field, but the magnitude of the effect remains a challenge in the case of single-phase magnetoelectrics for applications.
Mirror, mirror on the wall…
…. Now we know there are chiral phonons for sure
A compact gas attenuator for the SwissFEL ATHOS beamline realized using additive manufacturing
Gas attenuators are important devices providing accurate variation of photon intensity for soft X-ray beamlines. In the SwissFEL ATHOS beamline front-end the space is very limited and an innovative approach has been taken to provide attenuation of three orders of magnitude up to an energy of 1200 eV. Additive manufacturing of a differential pumping system vacuum manifold allowed a triple pumping stage to be realized in a space of less than half a meter. Measurements have shown that the response of the device is as expected from theoretical calculations.
Polymer electrolyte water electrolysis: Understanding the microstructure of a core-shell based anode catalyst layer
Reducing precious metal loading in the anodic catalyst layer (CL) is indispensable for lowering capital costs and enabling the widespread adoption of polymer electrolyte water electrolysis (PEWE). This work presents the first three-dimensional reconstruction of a TiO2-supported IrO2 based core shell catalyst layer, using high-resolution X-ray ptychographic tomography at cryogenic temperature of 90 K. The high data quality and phase sensitivity of the technique have allowed the reconstruction of all four phases namely pore space, IrO2, TiO2 support matrix and the ionomer network, the latter of which has proven to be a challenge in the past.
Dr Christian Wäckerlin is appointed as assistant professor at EPFL
Dr Christian Wäckerlin (*1983), currently Research and Teaching Associate at EPFL and Project Leader at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), as Assistant Professor of Physics in the School of Basic Sciences. Christian Wäckerlin’s research focuses on nanoscience and quantum engineering.
A close look at temperature profiles during laser 3D printing
Operando X-ray diffraction was used to measure process zone temperatures in laser powder bed fusion and compared with finite element simulations.
Deciphering the Mechanism of Crystallization of UiO-66 Metal-Organic Framework
Zirconium-containing metal-organic framework (MOF) with UiO-66 topology is an extremely versatile material, which finds applications beyond gas separation and catalysis. By means of in situ time-resolved high-resolution mass spectrometry, Zr K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction it is showed that the nucleation of UiO-66 occurs via a solution-mediated hydrolysis of zirconium chloroterephthalates, whose formation appears to be autocatalytic.