Sauver la musique grâce aux rayons X
La SLS joue B.B. King, le King of the Blues! En collaboration avec le Montreux Digital Project, des bandes sonores historiques sont numérisées au PSI.
Permettre l’utilisation quotidienne de batteries lithium-air performantes
Les faisceaux de neutrons et la lumière synchrotron révèlent les processus chimiques qui se jouent dans les batteries lithium-air.
Additive manufacturing of alloys with programmable microstructure and 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
Quality control of future transistors: Tackling the challenge of looking at atoms buried in silicon without moving them
Tackling the challenge of looking at atoms buried in silicon without moving them
X-rays make 3D metal printing more predictable
Insights into the microscopic details of 3D printing from the Swiss Light Source SLS could propel the technology toward wider application
Solidification modes during additive manufacturing
The thermal conditions during laser-based additive manufacturing are inferred from high-speed X-ray diffraction data and can be linked to a model for rapid solidification.
Thermal cycling during 3D laser printing
High-speed in situ X-ray diffraction is used to measure temperature profiles and cooling rates during 3D printing of a a Ti-6Al-4V single-track wall.
In situ alloying during additive manufacturing
In situ alloying is an effective method to engineer microstructures of additively manufactured Ti6Al4V3Fe alloys.
Thermal and phase evolution during laser powder bed fusion of Al-Sc-Zr elemental powder blends
The reaction of elemental scandium and zirconium powders with liquid aluminum is observed directly via operando X-ray diffraction during laser 3D printing. This work demonstrates that elemental blends can be used to create fine-grained crack-free Al-alloys and highlights the importance of feature size.
Une simulation pour faire avancer les travaux de déblaiement à Fukushima
Une nouvelle simulation des débris radioactifs les plus dangereux de la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima devrait faire avancer les travaux de déblaiement.
Direct observation of crack formation mechanisms with operando Laser Powder Bed Fusion X-ray radiography
Operando high-speed X-ray radiography experiments reveal the cracking mechanism during 3D laser printing of a Ni superalloy.
Full-field X-ray absorption tomography reveals the chemical structure of defects in metal-organic frameworks
Cryo-full-field XANES computed tomography was used to visualize the presence and distribution of a second coordination polymer of reduced copper coordination within defect-engineered HKUST-1 MOF crystals. Observations encourage a revisitation of the structure-property relationships of defect-engineered MOFs.
Comment les catalyseurs vieillissent
La structure du matériau utilisé dans les catalyseurs en industrie chimique se modifie au fil des ans. Des chercheurs du PSI ont étudié ce phénomène au moyen d’une nouvelle méthode.
Vue en trois dimensions de l’intérieur de catalyseurs actifs
La spectroscopie de rayons X in operando permet de jeter un coup d’œil à l’intérieur de réacteurs chimiques en fonction. Des chercheurs de l’Institut de technologie de Karlsruhe (KIT), à l’Institut Paul Scherrer PSI et à l’European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) en France, appliquent avec succès cette méthode.
Operando X-ray diffraction during laser 3D printing
Ultra-fast operando X-ray diffraction experiments reveal the temporal evolution of low and high temperature phases and the formation of residual stresses during laser 3D printing of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The profound influence of the length of the laser-scanning vector on the evolving microstructure is revealed and elucidated.
Inside Batteries
Lithium ion batteries (LIB) are essential in modern everyday life, with increasing interest in enhancing their performance and lifetime. Secondary particles of Li-rich cathode material were examined with correlated ptychographic X-ray tomography and diffraction microscopy at different stages of cycling to probe the aging mechanism.
Moving Atoms by Photodoping
Understanding how and how fast we can drive atoms to create a structural phase transition is of fundamental interest as it directly relates to many processes in nature. Here we show that a photoexcitation can drive a purely structural phase transition before the energy is relaxed in the material that corresponds to a “warmer” equilibrated state.
Active Sites of supported bimetallic nano-Catalysts
Dynamic Structural Changes of Active Sites in Pt–Ni Bimetallic Catalysts Revealed by a Multimodal Approach
HERCULES at the Swiss Light Source
In the week of March 18-23 PSI welcomes 20 PhD students and postdocs taking part in the HERCULES 2018 school on Neutron and Synchrotron Radiation. They will attend lectures and perform two days of practical courses at several beam lines of the Swiss Light Source.
Making the world go round - a look into the structure of a prominent heterogeneous catalyst
Fluid catalytic cracking catalysts, which are composite particles of hierarchical porosity, were examined using ptychographic X-ray tomography. These particles are essential to the conversion of crude oil into gasoline. Examination of catalysts at decreasing levels of catalytic conversion efficacy allowed the detection of possible deactivation causes.
Chemical Imaging to Spy on Malaria Parasites
Unique insights into the adolescence and metabolism of a Malaria parasite in a human red blood cell are obtained by a new chemical imaging methodology – in situ correlative X-ray fluorescence microscopy and soft X-ray tomography.
Fate of Plutonium through a Geological Reactive Barrier
Natural geological and engineered barriers play a key role in protecting the environment and the anthroposphere from the hazardous impact of deposited waste or spreading contaminants. Such natural geological and engineered barrier materials are commonly complex and heterogeneous. In-situ multimodal microscopic studies under conditions relevant to deep geological formations are crucial to identify the reactive components and reaction pathways or to validate proposed immobilization mechanisms. The present study demonstrated that a simplistic description by a sole reactive component is not an adequate representation of the geochemical reactivity responsible for the immobilization of plutonium within a natural Clay Rock barrier. Multimodal chemical imaging studies on intact, undisturbed systems are absolutely essential to ascertain the geochemical reactivity for relevant geochemical conditions and settings.
Detecting and utilizing minority phases in heterogeneous catalysis
Highly active phases in carbon monoxide oxidation are known, however they are transient in nature. Here, we determined for the first time the structure of such a highly active phase on platinum nanoparticles in an actual reactor.
The chemical state of 79Se in spent nuclear fuel
An interdisciplinary study conducted at different PSI laboratories (LES,AHL, LRS, SYN) in collaboration with Studsvik AB (Sweden) demonstrates that selenium originating from fission in light water reactors is tightly bound in the crystal lattice of UO2. This finding has positive consequences for the safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste repository planned in Switzerland, as it implies (contrary to previous assumptions) that the safety-relevant radionuclide 79Se will be released at extremely low rates during aqueous corrosion of the waste in a deep-seated repository.By Enzo Curti (PSI-LES)
Researchers find key to zinc rich plants to combat malnutrition
The diet in many developing countries is lacking zinc, but researchers have just solved the riddle of how to get more zinc into crop seeds. The discovery has been published in Nature Plants, and the research was led by University of Copenhagen.By Johanne Uhrenholt Kusnitzoff
Watching lithium move in battery materials
In order to understand limitations in current battery materials and systematically engineer better ones, it is helpful to be able to directly visualize the lithium dynamics in materials during battery charge and discharge. Researchers at ETH Zurich and Paul Scherrer Institute have demonstrated a way to do this.
La structure de la maladie du béton
a été décryptée
Quand ponts, barrages et autres ouvrages en béton se retrouvent striés de fissures sombres au bout de quelques décennies, c’est que la maladie du béton est à l’œuvre. Des chercheurs de l’Institut Paul Scherrer PSI et de l’Empa viennent de réussir à décrypter au niveau atomique la composition du matériau qui apparaît dans ces fissures. Ils ont découvert un agencement atomique cristallin, inconnu à ce jour.
Prêts pour le SwissFEL
Depuis des années, des chercheurs du PSI testent des méthodes d'expérimentation, qui permettront au laser à rayons X SwissFEL d'inspecter des matériaux novateurs, destinés aux appareils électroniques. Grâce à une astuce bien particulière, ils arrivent à produire à la Source de Lumière Suisse (SLS) du PSI une lumière aux propriétés analogues à celles du SwissFEL. Les scientifiques ont ainsi réussi à montrer que, fondamentalement, les expériences prévues étaient possibles. Ils ont aussi proposé la construction au SwissFEL d'une station de mesure à cet effet.