Energiewende

Co oxides with perovskite-related structure are particularly promising, cost-effective OER catalysts. However, the increasing Co demand by the battery industry is pushing the search for Co-free alternatives. Here we investigate the potential of the Co-free layered perovskite family RBaCuFeO_5+δ (R = 4f lanthanide), where we identify the critical structural and electronic variables leading to high OER catalytical performance. The employed methodology, based in the use of advanced neutron and X-ray synchrotron techniques combined with ab initio DFT calculations allowed to reveal LaBaCuFeO_5+δ as new, promising Co-free electroctalyst. Moreover, we could show that this material can be industrially produced in nanocrystalline form. We believe that the reported results and methodology may contribute to the implementation of new technologies aimed to generate energy with lower carbon emissions, and can also inspire the scientific community in their search of other Co-free materials with good OER electrocatalytical properties.

Using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, we devise special processing strategies to ‘program’ the thermal stability of the as-printed alloy, such that it is possible to decide, a priori, how the material’s microstructure will evolve upon heat treatment

One of the challenges in modern research on the fabrication of non-fullerene acceptor based organic solar cells is the availability of very efficient hole transport layers (HTLs). A new approach that avoids mutual solubility issues is to deposit the HTL from a suspension of doped organic nanoparticles. Surface-sensitive TEY-STXM measurements at the PolLux beamline characterised the homogeneity of the dopant in the nanoparticles and develop efficient nanoparticle HTL materials for organic solar cells.

The objective of this project was to determine the contribution from a variety of obstacles to moving dislocations to the nano-indentation stress necessary to initiate plastic flow. The obstacles are characterized by different length scales. Among these characteristic lengths, there are those associated with the material microstructure such as grain size, dislocations density, irradiation-induced defects, and those related to the size of the plastic zone beneath the indenter, or equivalently to the size of the indent. Thus, we can classify the size effects into two categories: structural size effect and indentation size effect (ISE). The underlying idea is to quantify and separate these two effects on the unirradiated material first to be able to properly isolate the contribution of the irradiation defect on the measured hardness from the tests on irradiated materials.

Dr. Cornelius Hempel, head of the Ion Trap Quantum Computation group at LNQ’s ETHZ-PSI Quantum Computing Hub, spoke to SRF to explain how quantum computers work and how future versions of these devices can be used to solve some of the big problems of our time. 

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are crucial regulators of gene expression, often composed of defined domains interspersed with flexible, intrinsically disordered regions. Determining the structure of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes involving such RBPs necessitates integrative structural modeling due to their lack of a single stable state. In this study, we integrate magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and small-angle scattering data to determine the solution structure of ...

Microcalcifications, small deposits of calcium-containing minerals that form in breast tissue, are often, but not always, a warning sign of breast cancer. The relationship between microcalcifications and cancer has not been fully understood thus far. Researchers discovered now that the relationship between microcalcifications and tumors seems to be linked to the presence of a particular mineral called whitlockite, which is rich in magnesium and is found in microcalcifications only in the absence of tumors.

The MNE (Micro and Nano Engineering) conference is a prestigious annual event that serves as a global platform for experts, researchers, and innovators in the field of micro and nanotechnology. This conference brings together leading minds from academia and industry to share cutting-edge research, exchange ideas, and explore emerging trends and breakthroughs in the world of micro and nanoengineering.

Two-dimensional arrays of magnetically coupled nanomagnets provide a mesoscopic platform for exploring collective phenomena as well as realizing a broad range of spintronic devices. In particular, the magnetic coupling plays a critical role in determining the nature of the cooperative behavior and providing new functionalities in nanomagnet-based devices. Here, we create coupled Ising-like nanomagnets ...

The interplay between spin-orbit interaction and magnetic order is one of the most active research fields in condensed matter physics and drives the search for materials with novel, and tunable, magnetic and spin properties. Here we report on a variety of unique and unexpected observations in thin multiferroic Ge_1−xMn_xTe films.