Show filters
How microtubules take part in cellular signal processing
Researchers at PSI have investigated on the molecular level how the cytoskeleton transmits commands within the cell. Their findings could provide the medical field with new options for intervention in the event of malfunctions within the organism.
Optimising the treatment of eye tumours
The Insel Group and PSI are expanding their collaboration to provide faster and better coordinated access to proton therapy for patients with eye tumours.
Predicting component lifetimes in nuclear facilities
For 30 years, experiments have been providing unique insight into how metals and ceramics degrade under high-energy proton bombardment.
Anisotropic Band-Split Magnetism in Magnetostrictive CoFe2O4
Single crystal spinel CoFe₂O₄ exhibits the largest room-temperature saturation magnetostriction among non-rare-earth compounds and a high Curie temperature (T₍c₎ ∼ 780 K), properties that are critical to a wide range of industrial and medical applications. Neutron spectroscopy ...
Hydrotalcite-pyroaurite solid solution in cement system...
Wang et al., 2025
Hydrotalcite-pyroaurite solid solutions, which are common minerals both in nature and in modern cementitious materials, hold significant potential for waste immobilization and cement properties yet remain insufficiently studied. In this work, we first synthesized a series of hydrotalcite...
X-rays bring high-resolution brain mapping within reach
A new imaging breakthrough could reveal brain connectivity in 3D detail never before accessible.
Clean biogas – measurable everywhere
A new analytical method can detect even tiny amounts of critical impurities.
Swiss PIC technology transfer centre is inaugurated
Jointly founded by scientific and industrial partners with PSI researchers: the Swiss Photonics Integration Center celebrated its inauguration on 24 November 2025.
Following Twin-Formation in 3D Printed Steel
Using hard-xray microscopy to study the deformation of 3D printed steel.
How the cheese-pasta principle could help counter Alzheimer's
PSI researchers have discovered cellular mechanisms that could help to mitigate diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Atoms under pressure
Zurab Guguchia puts pressure on matter – and in doing so, creates exciting quantum effects such as superconductivity at more easily achievable temperatures.
Operando neutron imaging of an alkaline electrolysis cell for mapping gas distributions
Optimizing hydrogen and oxygen transport within porous electrodes is essential for improving the efficiency of industrial alkaline electrolyzers. In this study, we utilize operando dynamic neutron radiographic measurements to investigate ...
Unravelling the coexistence of insulating and metallic-like excitations in SrIrO₃
A team led by researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI used resonant inelastic X-ray scattering to probe spin and charge fluctuations in atomically engineered SrIrO₃. The results revealed that insulator-like and metallic-like modes can simultaneously emerge in a correlated 5d semimetal, advancing the understanding of “strange metal” behaviour in spin–orbit coupled systems.
MADICES Conference at PSI
The MADICES 3 workshop was about bringing representatives from the open research data (ORD) community, including research data management (RDM) platform developers/maintainers, ontology/semantics experts, those leveraging AI/LLM for RDM tasks, and FAIR principles advocators together to discuss (and implement solutions for) the problems hindering the adoption of ORD and FAIR principles and practices in the sciences.
Electric cars and heat pumps can help the Energy Strategy
In future, flexibly operated heat pumps and electric cars could reduce both electricity imports and electricity prices. That is according to a new study by a Swiss research consortium led by ETH Zurich.
From Melt to Martensite
Real-time synchrotron X-ray diffraction reveals how different phases of steel emerge and evolve under the intense heat of laser powder bed fusion.
Reconstruction kinetics and structural evolutions of chromate and...
Zhang et al., 2025
Understanding the early-stage reconstruction of Mg/Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) is critical for enhancing anion immobilization in low-carbon cementitious systems. Here, we combined in-situ and ex-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction analyses to reveal the time-dependent and reversible layered structure transformation of Mg/Al-LDH from calcined Mg/Al-LDH (CLDH) in cementitious environments enriched with...
Terbium duet and other quantum art
To create more stable qubits, PSI researchers make terbium ions perform in pairs. Elsewhere, they are using optical tweezers to position atoms with high precision.
Single-chain polymer nanoparticles for oil solubilization
We report on the oil solubilization of amphiphilic single chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) based on random copolymers composed of oligo(ethyleneglycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) and anthracene methacrylate (AnMA). Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) combined with molecular dynamics simulations reveal ...
Coexistence of Insulatorlike Paramagnon and Metallic Spin-Orbit Exciton Modes in SrIrO3
We probe the spectrum of elementary excitations in SrIrO3 by using heterostructured [(SrIrO3)m / (SrTiO3)l] samples to approach the bulk limit. Our resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements at the Ir L3 edge reveal ...
Hydrogen bonding exacerbates viscoelasticity of amino acid– and betaine surfactant self-assemblies
Many day-to-day materials rely on formulations of surfactants to control flow, texture and application. Inspired by the pairing of bases between DNA strands, we demonstrate enhanced control ...
Both natural and human emissions shape cloud formation high above Earth
What happens inside the CLOUD chamber?
Particulate pollution re-evaluated
A new study provides data from 43 sites across Europe, showing the respective oxidative stress on the lungs.
Advancing nuclear technologies
NUKEM and Paul Scherrer Institute Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Nuclear Research and Collaboration.
Single-Photon-Counting Detection for Soft X-rays Down to 530 eV
The PSI Photon Science Detector Group has developed the first single-photon-counting pixel detector capable of detecting soft X-rays down to 530 eV. This breakthrough was achieved by combining EIGER readout chips with novel inverse LGAD sensors, developed in collaboration with and fabricated at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (Italy). The detector is now in user operation for ptychographic applications, where it has already enabled significant scientific results at the Fe L₃-edge (707 eV) and even at the O K-edge (530 eV), demonstrating superior detection performance compared to commercially available state-of-the-art detectors.
Measuring How Molecules Communicate
A collaboration between PSI and the University of Vienna has resulted in a new experimental method that, for the first time, enables the direct measurement of partial charges in molecules. Partial charges are fundamental to understanding molecular structure, interactions, and reactivity, yet until now no general technique existed to determine them experimentally.
Slowing time and trapping ions
Cornelius Hempel uses quanta to perform calculations on quantum phenomena. While this sounds logical, it’s actually highly complex. His latest coup: a quantum simulator that slows down time.
Disorder begins at the surface of quantum materials
Ultrafast X-rays from SwissFEL reveal unexpected light responses in quantum materials.
Tuning chirality amplitude at ultrafast timescales in chiral CsCuCl3
We quantify “how chiral” a crystal is, and demonstrate its tunability at ultrafast timescales. This achievement does open up a new direction in chirality-related condensed matter physics and on emergent phenomena, which have both attracted significant attention recently.
In-situ neutron tomography study of a dehydrating and hydrating packed bed for thermochemical heat storage
To study the heat and water vapor transport and reaction kinetics in a packed bed of thermo-chemical material on both reactor and tablet level, an in-situ neutron imaging study of a dehydrating and subsequently hydrating packed bed consisting of cylindrical K2 CO3 tablets was performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute ...
Field-Induced Magnon Decay, Magnon Shadows, and Rotonlike Excitations in the Honeycomb Antiferromagnet YbBr3
The search for new quantum many-body phenomena in magnetic materials has a strong focus on highly frustrated systems and the resulting quantum spin-liquid state. However, even unfrustrated magnetic materials show a multitude of unconventional features in their spin excitation spectra. By using the synergy of ...
Data for a better vanadium flow
Scientists at PSI have developed a dynamic database on the global vanadium economy. This is meant to advance the use of special energy storage systems – and thus the energy transition.
ClaySor 2023: Implementation of the 2SPNE SC/CE sorption model and...
Marinich et al., 2025
The ClaySor 2023 model package within the GEM-Selektor software includes an updated version of the two-site protolysis non-electrostatic surface complexation and cation exchange model for illite and montmorillonite, as well as the first implementation of the generalised caesium sorption model for illite. These models have been harmonised with the most recent PSI Chemical Thermodynamic Database 2020, resulting in the updated.....
Generating structured foam via flowing through a wire array
Efficient manufacturing methods could unlock foams with tailored, anisotropic properties. Conventional foam production methods rely on the self-arrangement of bubbles, typically leading to isotropic materials, or involve intricate additive layering processes. This study presents a simple, passive technique to modify the foam structure. A set of thin parallel wires ...
Neutron radiography analysis of water management in a passive proton-exchange membrane fuel cell with superhydrophobic catalyst layers
Water transport in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with superhydrophobic catalyst layers (CLs) has been studied with neutron radiography. Superhydrophobic CLs were deposited by electrospray on the membrane to be tested on the cathode and anode sides of the cells. The cells are operated under ...
HPCP Summer School FHNW/PSI
The institute for Data Science of the FHNW in Brugg - Windisch and AWI department of PSI held a joint course on high performance computing. The course addressed computer science students of FHNW and interested individuals at PSI. Two full days at the FHNW (with Apero) were followed by two full days at PSI using Merlin6 (with tour).
Big heart, acute senses key to explosive radiation of early fishes
X-rays of a 400-million-year-old fossil illuminate a key moment in our deep evolutionary past.
POLIZERO: PSI project shows paths to climate neutrality
The net-zero target is achievable – if Switzerland sets the right political course now.
Carbocation, diradical, and superelectrophile in one molecule?
The pentafluorophenyl cation (C₆F₅⁺) breaks these rules with a borderline “crazy” reactivity.
Discovery of Nodal-Line Superconductivity in Chiral Crystals
Chiral crystals, whose key feature is the structural handedness, host exotic quantum phenomena driven by the interplay of band topology, spin-orbit coupling (SOC), and electronic correlations. Due to the limited availability of suitable chiral-crystal materials, their unconventional superconductivity (SC) remains largely unexplored.
Here, the discovery ...
Ferroaxial density wave from intertwined charge and orbital order in rare-earth tritellurides
The discovery of the axial amplitude mode—commonly referred to as the Higgs mode—in charge density wave systems, such as rare-earth tritellurides, indicates the presence of a hidden order. A theoretical study proposed that this axial Higgs mode arises from a hidden orbital texture of the charge density wave, which produces a ferroaxial charge order.
However, experimental evidence ...
Why Ni-Cu Alloys Fail in 3D Printing
3D printing with nickel–copper alloys holds great promise — but hidden mechanisms can cause them to crack. Our latest study reveals why.
Topological defects determine evolution of charge density wave phase transition
Total scattering signals collected at SwissFEL reveal the role of topological defects when switching properties of a charge density wave material. The defect formation and dynamics after laser excitation reveals new insights into the functionality of quantum materials.
Merlin-7: New model for high-performance computing
An innovative computing cluster is ushering in a new era of computer-aided research at PSI.
PhD student Hao Guo received the SAPhW Poster Award for Best Poster in Clinical Pharmacy at the 2025 Swiss Pharma Science Day
We congratulate Hao Guo for receiving the award of the best poster at the Swiss Pharma Day.
“Watching concrete set is a lot more exciting than you might think”
Grey, hard, boring – for most people, these three words adequately describe concrete as a material. John Provis has a different view. This scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI has devoted his research career to this ubiquitous and economically important building material. He hopes to unlock the secrets of concrete.
PSI’s cement whisperer
John Provis has dedicated his research career to a building material that is far more exciting than you might think.
Manipulating microscopic object with sound
Manipulating microscopic objects with sound: hybrid acoustic tweezers with strong acoustic field were developed and successfully applied for transient mechanical deformation and capturing of biological cells.