Fundamentals of Nature

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI are looking for answers to essential questions concerning the underlying structures of matter and the fundamental principles of nature. They study the composition and properties of elementary particles – the smallest building blocks of matter – or investigate the structure of biological molecules and how they perform their function. The knowledge gathered in this way opens up new approaches to finding solutions in science, medicine and technology.

Find out more at Overview Fundamentals of Nature

Die Bewerbungsfrist für den Swiss Technology Award endet am 09. August 2024.

Schweizer Technologiepreis: Swiss Technology Award

Im Rahmen der jährlichen Swiss Innovation Plattform «open-i» im November in Zürich wird auch in diesem Jahr der «Swiss Technology Award» in drei Kategorien verliehen: 

Erfinder: Sie haben bei Ihren Forschungs- oder Entwicklungsarbeiten einen Durchbruch erreicht und sind auf dem Weg, mit einem Prototyp die Funktionsfähigkeit Ihrer Idee zu zeigen. Ihre Priorität liegt schwerpunktmässig im Bereich der Technologie und noch nicht so sehr beim Businessplan

Start-ups: Sie haben die Umsetzung Ihrer Idee bereits mit einer Betriebsstruktur konkret in die Hand genommen. Ihre Technologie bzw. Ihr Produkt ist definiert, Prototypen existieren idealerweise. Sie haben sich eingehend mit den Finanzierungs-, Produktions- und Vermarktungsmöglichkeiten auseinandergesetzt und können einen soliden Businessplan vorweisen.

Industry Innovation: Sie sind eine etablierte Firma mit einem bestehenden und erfolgreichen Produkteportfolio. Durch Ihre F&E-Aktivitäten bringen Sie immer wieder neue, überzeugende Lösungen auf den Markt, welche klare Vorteile im Bereich von ökonomischer und / oder gesellschaftlicher / sozialer / ökologischer Nachhaltigkeit bringen. Durch neue technologische Entwicklungen, den Einsatz von neuen Materialien oder Verfahren und / oder allgemein eine bessere Ressourceneffizienz tragen Sie zur Lösung globaler Herausforderungen bei und erschliessen neue Märkte oder schonen Ressourcen.

Read more
In situ and operando X-ray spectroscopy enables a better understanding of the enhanced oxygen evolution reaction activity of CoOx nanocatalysts coupled with CeO2.
•Energy and Climate

Insights into the superior oxygen evolution reaction activity of CoOx/CeO2 composite electrocatalyst

CeO2 significantly enhances the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of CoOx, although the mechanism behind this synergy is still unclear. Here, operando hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy (hXAS) is applied to monitor the Co-K edge and Ce L3 edge in CoOx/CeO2 to shed light on the evolution of Co and Ce oxidation states during OER. In addition, ex situ soft XAS (sXAS) characterizations provide information on the irreversible surface-specific transformations of the Co L3 edge as well as the O K edge.

Read more
LEC Highlight
•Energy and Climate

Real-Time Insights into Sodium-Ion Battery Chemistry

Identification of gaseous decomposition products from irreversible side-reactions enables understanding of inner working of rechargeable batteries. Unlike for Li-ion batteries, the knowledge of the gas-evolution processes in Na-ion batteries is limited.  Our study revealed that Na-ion cells develop a less stable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) compared to Li-ion cells due to higher solubility of SEI constituents in Na-electrolytes. 

Read more
Dutsov Pic

Anomalous spin precession systematic effects in the search for a muon EDM using the frozen-spin technique

In the paper, the international muEDM collaboration at PSI discusses systematic effects of the most sensitive measurement of the muon's electric dipole moment (EDM). Scientists from Europe are developing a prototype experiment using the frozen-spin technique (FST) to achieve unprecedented sensitivity. The FST meticulously aligns a magnetic field with a perpendicular electric field so that the muon's spin orientation always follows its momentum. This enhances the sensitivity to the muon EDM by about 3 orders of magnitude compared to the best result from the muon g-2 experiment at Brookhaven National Lab. 

The paper addresses systematic effects that could mimic an EDM signal when E- and B-fields are not perfectly aligned, adjusted, or stable over time. While most effects cancel out when reversing the magnetic field, some residual effects the specifications for the fields' uniformity, stability, and orientation,
which are challenging but achievable.

Read more
cvjetinovic

Removal of ionic and colloidal 110 mAg from radioactive wastewater using radiografted chelating adsorbents

Nuclear power plays a crucial role in a sustainable future due to its ability to generate large amounts of low-carbon electricity, which is essential for mitigating climate change. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear energy produces minimal greenhouse gas emissions, helping to reduce the overall carbon footprint of power generation. However, the main concern is the inevitable accumulation of nuclear waste, and this needs to be properly addressed. With the anticipated increase in the number of operating nuclear power plants around the world it is essential to develop new materials and technologies for nuclear waste management. In our latest study we have developed and tested new radiografted materials as potential 110mAg adsorbents. This silver radionuclide is a very elusive contaminant in the pressurized water reactors (PWR) and represents a major problem for normal operation. Additionally, 110mAg possess a significant danger to the environment, if not removed completely from the PWR wastewater.

Read more
Ansunielli

Towards fast ptychography image reconstruction of EUV masks by deep neural networks

In this study, we explore and demonstrate a rapid method for actinic patterned EUV mask inspection based on a deep neural network (DNN) architecture which exploits a-priori information of the photomask sample. We aim to achieve fast, high-quality image reconstruction of an EUV mask by using comparatively few diffraction patterns in a formalism consistent with the ptychography approach.
We tested our prior-primed DNN method on both synthetic and experimental data, demonstrating that the sample can be reconstructed fast and with high fidelity, allowing us to map out the mask defects down to a size of about 40 nm. 

Read more
Mapanao

Design and Preclinical Evaluation of a Novel Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Radioligand Modified with a Transthyretin Binder

Radioligands targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) are currently used in the clinics to treat patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Continuous investigations are, nevertheless, conducted to design new small molecule-based radioligands and improve their respective pharmacokinetic properties. Various strategies have been devised to reasonably prolong the blood circulation, which would result into enhanced tumor accumulation and radiation dose delivered to eliminate the cancer cells. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the incorporation of a transthyretin binder (TB-01) in the tumor uptake of the resultant PSMA-targeted radioligand.

Read more
OPTIMADE logo
•Future Technologies

International collaboration lays the foundation for future AI for materials via the OPTIMADE standard

Materials research
Data Science

Artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating the development of new materials. A prerequisite for AI in materials research is large-scale use and exchange of data on materials, which is facilitated by a broad international standard. A major international collaboration including researchers from the LMS laboratory now presents an extended version of the OPTIMADE standard.

Read more

Topic Overview