National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC)

Groundbreaking advancements in net-zero technology

2023/09/072023/09/12

A transnational collaborative research team, comprising Jeng-Lung Chen, Assistant Scientist, Yu-Chun Chuang, Associate Scientist, and Chung-Kai Chang, Research Assistant from the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) under the purview of the National Science and Technology Council, in partnership with Dr. Lu-Ning Chen, Professor Gabor A. Somorjai, and Dr. Ji Su from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, USA, has dedicated three years to pioneering global advancements in the field of green hydrogen production. Their groundbreaking work centers around the development of a methane pyrolysis catalyst, known as the “nickel-molybdenum-bismuth liquid alloy (NiMo-Bi),” which exhibits high hydrogen production efficiency, excellent stability, and low energy consumption. This study explored the electrostatic charge distribution on the active nickel sites in the molten state, demonstrating the NiMo-Bi liquid alloy’s capability to effectively mitigate the cage effect caused by bismuth. This mitigation facilitates the effective flow of methane to active nickel sites, resulting in efficient hydrogen generation. This outstanding discovery was published in the respected international journal Science on August 25, 2023, emerging as a pivotal driving force for advancing the transition to a net-zero future.

The U.S. research team initially integrated molybdenum into the nickel-bismuth catalyst, resulting in the creation of an innovative catalyst known as NiMo-Bi liquid alloy. Meanwhile, NSRRC scientists engineered an experimental setup tailored for in-situ high-temperature gas-phase reactions. Harnessing the capabilities of the “Quick X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Beamline” and the “High Resolution Powder X-ray Diffraction Beamline” at the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS), the team validated the catalyst’s efficacy by significantly lowering methane pyrolysis temperatures to values as low as 450 °C. They also showed that at an elevated temperature of 800 °C, the selectivity of converting methane into hydrogen reached 100%, maintaining this optimal level for a stable period of 120 hours. This achievement marks a nearly 37-fold improvement in hydrogen production efficiency compared to previous methods. Concurrently, the optimal pyrolysis temperature was significantly reduced from 1065 degrees Celsius to 800 degrees Celsius, resulting in a significant reduction in the energy requirements of the conversion process.

Read more on the NSRRC website

Image: Quick X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Beamline

Dr. Chia-Hung Hsu Assumes Position as NSRRC Director

2022/08/012022/09/08

Dr. Chia-Hung Hsu officially assumes the position as the NSRRC Director on August 1, 2022, for a four-year term. Chairman Minn-Tsong Lin of the NSRRC Board of Trustees (BOT) presided over the directorship handover ceremony between the outgoing Director Gwo-Huei Luo and incoming Director Hsu. The BOT started searching and selecting a new director from January, 2022. Dr. Hsu earned a unanimous decision from the BOT for her wealth of experiences in management and exemplary accomplishments in science.

Director Hsu received her PhD degree in physics from Boston University, and possesses expertise in surface science and thin film X-ray scattering. After completing her postdoctoral research at Harvard University in 1993, she joined the NSRRC and took an active role in building the first X-ray beamline in Taiwan and Taiwan beamlines at SPring-8, Japan. Beside conducting scientific research and developing experimental techniques, she also teaches at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University. She is highly experienced in administrative management through her previous roles as Head of Scientific Research Division, Chief Secretary, and BOT Executive Secretary at NSRRC, as well as a review panel member for physics at the National Science Council, and a council member of the Physical Society of Taiwan.

“NSRRC’s mission is to develop advanced light source technologies and to operate a science user facility that are both excellent and accessible,” said Chairman Lin. “After decades of efforts, NSRRC has empowered the nation through fruitful scientific results from fundamental, innovative and industrial research.”

Read more on the NSRRC website

Image: Dr. Chia-Hung Hsu Assumes Position as NSRRC Director

XRM2022 Hosted Virtually by NSRRC

2022/07/052022/09/13

The International Conference on X-ray Microscopy (XRM), initiated in 1980’s, has evolved into one of the biggest and the most important meetings in the field of X-ray Microscopy. At XRM2016, the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) proposed to host the XRM2020 and stood out from the competition. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, XRM2020 was cancelled and rescheduled to 2022.

To respond to the ongoing COVID-19 and to make it easy to attend, the XRM2022, held from June 19 to 24, ran in All-VIRTUAL mode. The online platforms used for facilitating this virtual event were Whova, Gather Town, and Webex. Whova was like a portal for not only social networking but also linking to all online oral presentations, which were livestreamed through Webex. Gather Town allowed participants to spend time with their communities just as easy as real life by making virtual interactions in a fully customizable spaces with other colleagues, poster presenters and exhibitors.

There were 328 participants from all over the world – 42% from Europe, 40% from Asia and Oceania, and 18% from America. In total, 99 posters were presented and 105 talks (6 plenary, 30 invited, and 69 contributed) were scheduled. The XRM2022 will publish post-conference proceedings. The next XRM conference will be hosted by MAX IV in 2024.

Read more on the XRM2022 website

Preparing yourself for setbacks

2021/12/062021/12/06

Experimental time at light sources is precious. It can also be unpredictable as Ro-Ya Liu, a Beamline Scientist at NSRRC in Taiwan, discovered during her first synchrotron experiment at the Photon Factory in Japan. As setbacks go it was a pretty dramatic one, as you’ll discover in this #LightSourceSelfie. Quinn Carvalho, a PhD student at Oregon State University and a user at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in California, advises light sources users to, “Go into anything with a healthy mentality of optimism, but a realistic sense of what will go wrong. Things will go wrong and you will have to overcome those, so being able to face failure and embrace it and learn from it is much more valuable than fearing it, I think.”

Life in synchrotron radiation research

2021/12/012021/12/02

Including the day an earthquake interrupted my beam time!

Today’s #LightSourceSelfie is brought to you by Ro-Ya Liu, Assistant Research Scientist at NSRRC, operators of the Taiwan Light Source and the Taiwan Photon Source. Ro-Ya’s research area is focused on probing the electronic structure of novel materials by using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. She was inspired by her Master’s supervisor whose eyes shone as he presented his new data on the quantum well state of ultra-high silver thin film. Ro-Ya wanted to experience this spark and purpose in life. After a shaky first experiment (literally shaky due to an Earthquake!), Ro-Ya has done just that during a career that has already involved working at the Taiwan Light Source, the Photon Factory, Spring 8, HiSOR, Elettra, the Advanced Light Source and Diamond Light Source. Ro-Ya is still learning from colleagues including beamline engineers and users coming to conduct experiments at the Taiwan Light Source. Their deep knowledge helps Ro-Ya in her beamline manager role. She is looking to dig deep to acquire this knowledge and continue to find great purpose in her life in synchrotron radiation research.

NSRRC Outstanding Paper Award established to recognize distinguished research teams

2021/11/242022/09/13

The award ceremony for the 1^st NSRRC Outstanding Paper Award was held on November 24, 2021. The research team led by Prof. Hao Ming Chen from National Taiwan University has earned unanimous recognition from the panel of experts and was awarded a trophy and a prize of TWD 300,000. At the ceremony, Dr. Chun-Jung Chen, the NSRRC Deputy Director, endorsed the team’s contribution and breakthroughs for the scientific innovations resulting from using NSRRC light sources.

The former NSRRC Director, Academician Chien-Ten Chen, received the Presidential Science Prize in 2017. He donated the prize, including the trophy and the award money, to the NSRRC, for the purpose of encouraging and rewarding international and domestic research teams to spur significant scientific innovations by using NSRRC synchrotron facilities.

Academician Chen is a renowned physicist who has dedicated himself to exploring science and building avant-garde instruments. He continues to excel in inventing high-resolution spectrometers, as well as developing soft X-ray experimental techniques and applications. Thanks to the full support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Academician Chen was able to lead the whole NSRRC team to accomplish the construction of the Taiwan Photon Source, the most cutting-edge and the largest experimental facilities ever built in Taiwan. The team’s efforts have not only enhanced Taiwan’s international academic status and the competitiveness of scientific research, but will also facilitate science and technology that makes a positive impact on improving human life and well-being.

NSRRC, entrusted with the mission of succeeding Academician Chen’s pursuit for the ultimate of science, installed the solar panels at the current site, and also established the NSRRC Outstanding Paper Award in 2021. To supplement the wonderful donation from Academician Chen, the NSRRC will continue to fund the prize with the revenue from the solar panels. This award presented by Academician Chen will motivate and inspire more research teams to uncover the truth in the universe and solve the global challenges using synchrotron radiation.

This year’s recipient, Prof. Hao Ming Chen’s team was recognized for their research on the development of in-situ techniques for chemical reactions, which was granted long-term support by the Ministry of Science and Technology. In particular, they reported that an iron catalyst with activity equaling or exceeding that of the precious metals by measurements of synchrotron techniques. The stabilization of dispersed single iron ions in the +3 oxidation state was shown to be key. Their findings on this novel catalyst were unprecedented and could significantly reduce the cost of catalysts. The research results were published in the world’s leading journal, Science, in 2019.

Read more on the NSRRC website

Possible detection of hydrazine on Saturn’s moon Rhea

2021/06/012021/07/07

We present the first analysis of far-ultraviolet reflectance spectra of regions on Rhea’s leading and trailing hemispheres collected by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph during targeted flybys. In particular, we aim to explain the unidentified broad absorption feature centred near 184 nm. We have used laboratory measurements of the UV spectroscopy of a set of candidate molecules and found a good fit to Rhea’s spectra with both hydrazine monohydrate and several chlorine-containing molecules. Given the radiation-dominated chemistry on the surface of icy satellites embedded within their planets’ magnetospheres, hydrazine monohydrate is argued to be the most plausible candidate for explaining the absorption feature at 184 nm. Hydrazine was also used as a propellant in Cassini’s thrusters, but the thrusters were not used during icy satellite flybys and thus the signal is believed to not arise from spacecraft fuel. We discuss how hydrazine monohydrate may be chemically produced on icy surfaces.

New insights into bioinspired optical crystal materials

2021/01/122021/02/25

A collaborative research team, led by NSRRC scientist Dr. Wei-Tsung Chuang and user Prof. Yeo-Wan Chiang in Materials and Optoelectronic Science at National Sun Yat-Sen University, used TLS 23A1 and TLS 01C2 of the NSRRC to conduct research on bioinspired artificial optical crystal materials. Their latest findings were published in Journal of Materials Chemistry C and were highlighted with an illustration on the inside front cover of the issue.

Helical nanostructures are fascinating subjects in physical, chemical and biological fields, but the fabrication of three-dimensional helical structural templates of metamaterials at submicron scale is still a tricky issue. Their structures are too large to be made by molecular synthesis, and also too time-consuming to process by top-down approaches. On the other hand, the bottom-up strategy offered by self-assembly block copolymers requires synthesis of ultrahigh molecular weight with monodispersion in chiral blocks, and the control of twisting power of helices is a big challenge.

Read more on the NSRRC website

Image: The research of Dr. Wei-Tsung Chuang and Prof. Yeo-Wan Chiang on bioinspired optical crystal materials using Taiwan Light Source was selected as a cover image of Journal of Materials Chemistry C.

NSRRC users and scientists develop novel materials for high-rate vehicle batteries

2020/10/162020/11/01

An international team coordinated by the user of National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), Professor Cheng-Hao Chuang from the Tamkang University, has developed novel materials for high-rate lithium (Li) ion batteries that can be charged in minutes. Prof. Chuang discovered that the use of black phosphorus (BP) as the active anode for high-capacity Li storage could realize ultra-fast and convenient charging for e-mobility. It takes less than two minutes to recharge the battery for an incredible energy storage with a driving range of 560 kilometers, surpassing gasoline-powered cars’ long-standing advantages of quick-refueling and long driving ranges. The outstanding research result was published in the world’s top journal Science on October 9th, 2020.

Read more on the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Centre website

Image: Schematic of BP-graphite particles/polyaniline. Credit: NSRRC

Synthetic fibre triumphs steel

2020/10/062020/10/07

Industrial high-strength fibre has been extensively used in daily lives. In addition to the well-known carbon fibre, “aramid fibre” has become the most comprehensive application and the largest production for the high-strength, flame retardant, and corrosion resistant fibre. Thus strong fibre is considered irreplaceable in fields such as national defense, aerospace, automotive, and energy materials. For flourishing market demand, an annual output of aramid fibre is nearly 100K tons in the word. Only several countries, including the US, Japan, Russia, and South Korean, however, are capable of mass production. Among them, the US and Japan occupy 90% market share.

Developing by DuPont company, “Kevlar” is an aramid fibre with currently the world’s leading high-strength fibre. Their strength is 5 times stronger than steel, with merely 1/5 the density of steel. In fact, the light-weight bullet proof clothing is mostly made by Kevlar.

Read more on the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center website

Image: Customized “mini wet-spinning machine”. Credit NSRRC

NSRRC Users Prof. Yuh-Ju Sun and Dr. Chwan-Deng Hsiao Solved the Mystery of Brain Calcification

2020/09/032020/09/17

A research team led by the NSRRC user, Prof. Yuh-Ju Sun (Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology at National Tsing Hua University) has identified the molecular mechanism of phosphate transporter, which offers a glimmer of hope for dementia treatments. Prof. Sun collaborated with another NSRRC user, Dr. Chwan-Deng Hsiao (Academia Sinica), and revealed the structure of the sodium dependent phosphate transporter. This discovery marked a significant milestone for the studies on membrane proteins, and the research result was published in the prestigious journal Science Advances in August 2020.

Read more on the NSRRC website

Image: Prof. Yuh-Ju Sun and her collaborator Dr. Chwan-Deng Hsiao solved the structure of membrane proteins, paving the way for a better treatment of dementia.

How did birds escape from mass extinction? NSRRC discovered the secret hidden within their teeth!

2020/05/072020/09/02

The research team consists of Dr. Wang Chun-Chieh and Mr. Chiang Cheng-Cheng from the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), Dr. Li Zhiheng and academician Dr. Zhou Zhonghe from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Prof. Huang E-Wen from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NCTU, and Mr. Hsiao Kiko from Mr. Fossil, spent 3 years on the research and analysis of the tooth evolution from Theropoda, a dinosaur clade that is most related to ancient birds, to ancient birds, using synchrotron Transmission X-Ray Microscopy (TXM). It is the first time in history that the research team discovered the Porous Mantle Dentin of ancient birds has deteriorated and disappeared, which confirmed that the transformation of feeding habits of birds fortunately helped them to escape from a mass extinction event. The research result was published in the international journal BMC Evolutionary Biology on April 21st.

Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction Event

How did birds, descendants of dinosaurs, escape from the mass extinction before 65 Mya, has always puzzled scientists. When meteorites struck the earth, the already frequent volcanic eruptions led to a significant amount of dust entering the atmospheric layer, which blocked the sun and hindered photosynthesis for plants, thus induced further severe impact to the global ecosystem. When plants no longer received energy from the sun, herbivores began dying due to no food sources, which eventually led to the successive extinction of carnivores. This series of food chain collapses resulted in the extinction of 75% of organisms on earth, for which the spotlight lies on the mass extinction of non-avian dinosaurs (Birds is the only survived dinosaur lineage).

Read more on the NSRRC website

Image: Fossil specimens of Sapeornis of Avialae and Microraptor of Theropoda during early Cretaceous.

Asia-Oceania Forum for Synchrotron Radiation Research in Tawain

2019/11/252019/11/25

The Asia-Oceania Forum for Synchrotron Radiation Research (AOFSRR) was formally established in 2006. The current members include Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its objective is to strengthen collaboration among the synchrotron radiation (SR) facilities and to promote SR sciences and accelerator-based research in the Asia-Oceania region.

Image: Students performed experiments and analyzed data at various endstations.

Taiwan-Germany experimental facility

2019/05/072019/05/13

National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) announces that a new, state-of-the-art experimental facility – TPS 45A Submicron Soft X-ray Spectroscopy Beamline, is officially opened. As one of the beamlines at the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS), it delivers soft X-ray with high brilliance, low emittance, and ultra-high spectra resolution, which is ideal for studying and developing novel materials, such as superconducting, nano and magnetic materials.
The ceremony was addressed by Deputy Minister Yu-Chin Hsu of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Director Gwo-Huei Luo of NSRRC, Chien-Te Chen (member of the NSRRC Board of Director), Director Liu Hao Tjeng of Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (MPI CPfS), Vice President Chii-dong Ho of Tamkang University (TKU), Director Thomas Prinz of German Institute Taipei (DIT), and Peilan Tung of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

>Read more on the NSRRC website

Image: Grand opening, ribbon cutting ceremony.

SRI 2018 in Taipei

2018/08/222018/09/24

The 13th International Conference on Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation (SRI 2018), attended by more than 850 participants from 25 countries, was hosted by the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) between June 10 to 15 at the Taipei International Convention Center. On the 11th, the Conference Chair, Director Shangjr Gwo of NSRRC, opened the conference, followed by a speech given by the vice president of the nation, Dr. Chien-Jen Chen.

The triennial SRI conference is a large and the most significant international forum, organized by the community of worldwide X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) and synchrotron radiation (SR) facilities, to provide opportunities for discussions and collaborations among scientists and engineers around the world involved in development of new concepts, techniques, and instruments related to SR and XFEL research. Subsequent meetings were hosted by countries with the most advanced light source facilities in Europe, America and Asia-Pacific region.

>Read more on the NSRRC website

Image: Vice President Chien-Jen Chen gave a speech in the opening session.

Amazing Aka adventure at the Taiwan Photon Source

2018/08/182018/09/24

NSRRC works hand in hand with the Golden Bell Award winner to successfully blend entertainment with scientific education in an exciting animated film “Aka’s adventure: the secret of light”.

The National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) successfully hosted the “Taiwan Photon Source 2018 Open House Science Event” – a special film screening of the fine animated movie “Aka’s adventure: the secret of light” on Saturday August 18, 2018. Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基), the winner of the Best Animation Program Golden Bell Award Li-Wei Chiu (邱立偉) and nearly 600 attendees gathered for this special event.

NSRRC is dedicated, not only to the pursuit of cutting edge research, but also to making science more accessible to the general public. This animated film is a first attempt by the NSRRC to reveal the achievements of frontier science using entertainment media. They have demonstrated how the distance between science and the general public can be shortened and brought to a whole new level. The seeds of scientific knowledge can easily be planted in the minds of youngsters.

>Read more on the NSRRC website

Image: A group photo of Science and Technology Minister Chen Liang-gee (陳良基), Director of the NSRRC Gwo-Huei Luo (羅國輝), former Director of the NSRRC Shangjr Gwo (果尚志) and movie director Li-Wei Chiu (邱立偉) from Studio2.