Trapping and storing carbon dioxide underground

Trapping and storing carbon dioxide underground

A team led by the University of Oslo in Norway, in collaboration with the University of Maryland in USA, is investigating how to massively store carbon dioxide (CO2) underground by copying nature. Through a chemical reaction, carbon dioxide can be trapped naturally inside the Earth’s subsurface and stored as solid minerals, called carbonates. The researchers are now carrying out experiments at the ESRF with the aim to accelerate such a process.

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are higher than ever, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels and other anthropogenic activities. This, in turn, increases global temperatures and impacts sea levels and the ocean ecosystems.

A potential solution to this crisis would be to trap and store CO2 underground as solid minerals, which is a natural process that occurs over long periods thanks to the reaction of CO2 with rocks in the Earth’s crust and mantle.

Scientists have been studying the injection of CO2 in the subsurface for years. For example, in Sleipner, in the North Sea, millions of tons of carbon dioxide have been injected into a sandstone geological reservoir in the past fifteen years, where CO2 is stored in liquid form. CO2 can also be stored in solid form through mineralization processes, minimising the risk of leakage. Small-scale ongoing projects, such as Carbfix in Iceland, show promising results but questions of efficiency remain.

“The natural process is very effective but too slow, so we wonder whether we could somehow accelerate it so that large quantities of CO2 could be injected underground, without leakage”, explains François Renard, director of the Njord Centre at the University of Oslo and ESRF user.

The natural process

Atmospheric CO2 and water from precipitations naturally react with rocks present at the Earth’s surface – this process is called weathering. Some of these rocks have been produced by volcanic activity (basalts in Iceland) or were exhumed to the Earth’s surface from the mantle (peridotites). When reacting with CO2 and water, they may dissolve partially over geological time scales, liberating magnesium, iron, and calcium ions that can bind with carbon dioxide, in a process called mineral carbonation, which converts CO2 into minerals. The end product is a calcium, iron or magnesium carbonate, which are stable minerals that effectively trap carbon dioxide into a solid form.

Renard and his team are focusing on storing CO2 in basaltic and peridotite rocks, rich in magnesium and calcium, as they are the most efficient environments for it due to their high reactivity. They make up about 70% of the Earth’s surface and are responsible for 1/3 of the trapping of CO2 from the atmosphere through weathering. Estimates suggest that mid-ocean ridges worldwide can store up to 100,000 Gt of CO2. This is more than 2000 times the annual global emissions of CO2.

Once in the basaltic or peridotite rocks, the CO2 quickly reacts with the divalent cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, and Fe2+) from dissolving minerals in the rock and form carbonate minerals. In comparison, it might take several tens of thousands of years for significant amounts of CO2 to mineralize in a sandstone reservoir. After it becomes a mineral, the carbon will not move over geological timescales.

Carbonation at the ESRF

The team is focused on studying how basalts and peridotites can host large quantities of flows of carbon dioxide mixed with water, which will react with the rock to produce carbonate minerals. 

Read more on ESRF website

New procedure for better thermoplastics

New procedure for better thermoplastics

Bio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the interface between the materials in these blends sometimes requires enhancement to achieve optimal properties. A team from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands has now investigated at BESSY II how a new process enables thermoplastic blends with a high interfacial strength to be made from two base materials: Images taken at the new nano station of the IRIS beamline showed that nanocrystalline layers form during the process, which increase material performance.

Bio-based thermoplastics are considered environmentally friendly, as they are sourced from non-petroleum-based raw materials and can be recycled just like standard thermoplastics. A thermoplastic base material is Polylactic acid (PLA), which can be produced from sugar cane or corn. Researchers around the world are working to optimise the properties of PLA-based plastics, for example by mixing them with other thermoplastic base materials. However, this is a real challenge.

A new process for better blends

Now, a team from the TU Eindhoven led by Prof. Ruth Cardinaels is showing how PLA can be successfully mixed with another thermoplastic. They developed a process in which certain PLA-based copolymers (e.g. SAD) are formed during production, which facilitate the mixing of the two raw materials by forming particularly stable (stereo)-crystalline layers at the interfaces between the different polymer phases (ICIC strategy).

Insights at the IRIS-Beamline

At BESSY II, they have now discovered which processes ensure that the mechanical properties of the mixed thermoplastic are significantly better. To do so, they examined pure 50% blends of the thermoplastics PLA and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as well as samples with the PLA-based copolymers at the IRIS beamline of BESSY II.

Read nore on HZB website

Image: In nano-IR imaging, the layer structures of the pure PVDF/PLLA mixture (left) and with the SAD additive (right)  are clearly distinguishable. The light and dark colours correspond to the PLLA and PVDF phases, respectively. When SAD is added, the domain sizes of the two phases are reduced.

Credit: TU Eindhoven/HZB

MCB JU researchers discovered a mechanism regulating the essential process of hypusination

MCB JU researchers discovered a mechanism regulating the essential process of hypusination

A research team from the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology at Jagiellonian University (MCB UJ), led by dr hab. Przemysław Grudnik, in collaboration with scientists from the Medical College of Wisconsin, has uncovered an unusual role of the ERK1/2 kinases in the regulation of a unique post translational modification, hypusination. This breakthrough not only bridges a gap in our understanding of the mechanisms controlling hypusination, an essential process for the human body, but also reveals a surprising function of ERK1/2. These findings have recently been published in the scientific journal “Cell Reports”.

Hypusination is a highly specific modification of eukaryotic translation factor 5A (eIF5A), and deoxyhypusine synthase (DHPS)  is responsible for catalyzing the first and limiting step of this process. Hypusination enables eIF5A to facilitate the synthesis of other proteins in the cells, which is a fundamental process. Despite its critical function in cellular homeostasis, the regulation of hypusination remains elusive. Researchers at MCB have started to unravel the mechanisms controlling hypusination and have shown the new unexpected finding that the extracellular signal regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) perform a non kinase function by directly interacting with DHPS to regulate hypusination. ERK1/2 are key enzymes in a signaling pathway, which is crucial in regulating cell growth, differentiation, and cell survival in human bodies. Until now, these proteins have been studied for their enzymatic (kinase) activity, which allows them to activate other proteins through phosphorylation (adding phosphate groups).

Researchers at MCB employed cryo-electron microscopy (cryo EM) to study the structure of the DHPS ERK2 complex. The data revealed that ERK2 binds to DHPS at the entrance to its active site, effectively blocking access for eIF5A. The findings also highlight how cellular signaling via the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway modulates ERK1/2 association with DHPS. When this pathway is activated, the interaction between ERK1/2 and DHPS decreases, allowing eIF5A to be hypusinated. Moreover, ERK1/2’s kinase activity controls how much DHPS and eIF5A the cell produces. This discovery provides fresh insights into how cells regulate essential processes such as protein synthesis in response to external signals.

Read more on the SOLARIS website

Image: Dr hab. Przemysław Grudnik (on the right) and Paweł Kochanowski (on the left) are holding a model of the DHPS-ERK2 complex.

Study Unveils Local Geometry of Copper Cations inside the channels of Mesoporous Silica

Study Unveils Local Geometry of Copper Cations inside the channels of Mesoporous Silica

A group of researchers from the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Lorraine, CNRS in France, conducted studies on the ASTRA line at the SOLARIS Centre. In their publication “Revealing the molecular structure of copper phosphonate groups anchored inside SBA-15 silica channels: Theoretical and experimental study,” they described the local geometry of copper cations immobilized by phosphonate groups in the mesoporous silica pores.

Mesoporous silica provides a versatile platform for creating a new generation  hybrid inorganic organic mesoporous materials with pores accommodate distinct organometallic moieties,SBA-15 with propyl phosphonic acid, which serves as anchoring units for two-valent metal ions like copper can be considered a potential candidate in many industrial applications. Rerearchers have demonstrated previously that SBA-propyl-Cu can exhibit quite good Non-linear optical (NLO) response that can be tuned by changing the concentration of the functional unit inside the silica scaffold more over the same material exhibits strong biocidal properties which can be explained by the catalytic action of the copper ion that  effectively converts O2 into the O2* radical,this radical promotes oxidative damage to biomolecules.

Read more on the SOLARIS website

Image: Magnitude of Fourier transform of the EXAFS plotted vs radial distance of the central copper atom to other elements (R). The presented experimental spectrum was juxtaposed with the theoretical fit draw based on two theoretical models (presented at the right) with the assumed contribution and the signals typical for the assumed paths (a).

Protecting northern water supplies from toxic metals in thawing permafrost

Protecting northern water supplies from toxic metals in thawing permafrost

Water released by permafrost contains uranium, arsenic in levels unsafe for drinking

As the climate warms and arctic permafrost thaws, some of the toxic elements locked away in it are starting to emerge and could contaminate the water supplies that many northern communities rely on.

Elliott Skierszkan, a geologist at Carleton University, and his colleagues recently measured the concentrations of naturally occurring uranium and arsenic in water released from permafrost samples collected in the Yukon.Video: Protecting northern water supplies from toxic metals in thawing permafrost

“Our samples had levels of uranium and arsenic in the water beyond what would be considered safe,” he says. The work was published in two papers, in Environmental Science and Technology, and ACS Earth and Space Chemistry.

Using the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan, Skierszkan also probed the chemical composition of the elements in the solid portion of the permafrost. They found that uranium was largely associated with organic carbon in the soil, while arsenic was associated with iron oxides. “The synchrotron was essential to understanding the chemistry of these elements and their potential to be mobilized,” says Skierszkan.

The results showed that the fate of both elements was linked to organic carbon. As the permafrost thaws, the organic matter it contains breaks down, which can release associated uranium. This decaying organic matter can also cause the iron oxides and the arsenic associated with them to dissolve into the water.

Read more on the CLS website

Image: Protecting northern water supplies from toxic metals in thawing permafrost

Credit: Canadian Light Source

The search for the optimal anode material for Na-ion batteries

The search for the optimal anode material for Na-ion batteries

One of the most demanding challenges for Na-ion batteries is finding a suitable anode material that will provide high capacity, while at the same time its structure will not degrade during repeated sodiation and desodiation (processes that occur during the operation of cells). A group of researchers from the AGH University of Science and Technology and the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, conducting research on the ASTRA line, undertook an attempt to find a suitable material, and their studies were published in the journal “Energy Storage Materials”.

Among the many proposed anode materials, antimony attracts the attention of scientists because of its high theoretical capacity and good electrical conductivity. However, at the same time, its significant volume changes during operation can lead to the destruction of the material’s microstructure. A solution to the problem of volume changes can be the application of composite materials, where the matrix alleviates stresses. A research team has obtained a composite material Sb/Sb4O5Cl2/C in which the Sb grains are characterized by a unique shape, branches. This morphology is advantageous for materials characterized by large volume changes when voids between branches are filled during operation. Electrochemical characterization results indicate that the composite material works in a more stable manner than individual phases that work separately. 


Through measurements by multiple techniques, it was possible to determine the exact mechanism of sodiation and desodiation of this composite material. Unique operando XAS measurements during cell operation with the proposed anode material and metallic sodium were carried out on the ASTRA line. Measurements at the SOLARIS synchrotron made it possible to observe and understand the incomplete reversibility of the reaction in the first cycle of the material and to identify the source of the additional capacitance observed in sodiation below 0.4 V and in desodiation above 1.0 V.


The activity of three phases was observed in the proposed composite material: Sb, Sb4O5Cl2, and C, and demonstrated high mechanical integrity of the electrode by providing space for volume changes in the branch-like shape. At the same time, the presence of an amorphous matrix (originating from the products of the sodiated Sb4O5Cl2 phase) allowed for buffer expansion and contraction of the material during operation.

Read more on SOLARIS website

Image: SEM picture of examined material.

Hydrogen: Breakthrough in alkaline membrane electrolysers

Hydrogen: Breakthrough in alkaline membrane electrolysers

A team from the Technical University of Berlin, HZB, IMTEK (University of Freiburg) and Siemens Energy has developed a highly efficient alkaline membrane electrolyser that approaches the performance of established PEM electrolysers. What makes this achievement remarkable is the use of inexpensive nickel compounds for the anode catalyst, replacing costly and rare iridium. At BESSY II, the team was able to elucidate the catalytic processes in detail using operando measurements, and a theory team (USA, Singapore) provided a consistent molecular description. In Freiburg, prototype cells were built using a new coating process and tested in operation. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Catalysis.

Hydrogen will play a major role in the energy system of the future, as an energy storage medium, a fuel and valuable raw material for the chemical industry. Hydrogen can be produced by electrolysis of water in a virtually climate-neutral way, provided this is done with electricity from solar or wind power. Scale-up efforts for a green hydrogen economy are currently largely dominated by two systems: proton-conducting membrane electrolysis (PEM) and classic liquid alkaline electrolysis. AEM electrolysers combine the advantages of both systems and, for example, do not require rare precious metals such as iridium.

Alkaline Membrane (AEM) Electrolysers without Iridium

Now, research teams from TU Berlin and HZB, together with the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg and Siemens Energy, have presented the first AEM electrolyser that produces hydrogen almost as efficiently as a PEM electrolyser. Instead of iridium, they used nickel double hydroxide compounds with iron, cobalt or manganese and developed a process to coat them directly onto an alkaline ion exchange membrane.

Read more on HZB website

Image:The AEM water electrolyser cell works with a newly developed membrane electrode (MEA) that is directly coated with a nickel-based anode catalyst. Its molecular mode of action has been elucidated, and the AEM cell has proven to be almost as powerful as a conventional PEM cell with iridium catalyst.

Credit: Flo Force Fotografie, Hahn-Schickard & IMTEK Universität Freiburg

SOLARIS International Projects – NEPHEWS

SOLARIS International Projects – NEPHEWS

NEPHEWS (NEutrons and PHotons Elevating Worldwide Science), led by SOLARIS, is a project designed to provide scientists with access to world-class European research infrastructures.

The NEPHEWS project integrate two European Users Organisations: ESUO (European Synchrotron and Free Electron Laser User Organisation) and ENSA (European Neutron Scattering Association), with two largest and most advanced consortia, LEAPS (League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources) and LENS (League of advanced European Neutron Sources). This initiative aims to develop a new way of cooperation, where neutron facilities work side by side with LEAPS Infrastructures. Additionally, NEPHEWS empowers users through an innovative User-to-User approach, granting ESUO and ENSA a pivotal role in project development.

The NEPHEWS project offers:

  • Experienced Users: Access to 38,290 hours of beamtime for conducting experiments on project-provided beamlines (TNA Programme);
  • New Users: Opportunities to join experienced user groups, allowing them to collaborate on measurements and enhance their knowledge (Twinning Programme);
  • Young Scientists: Week-long internships at large-scale research centres affiliated with the project, providing essential scientific and research training (ESR Programme);
  • Training Courses: Covering topics such as:
  • Implementing research using synchrotron facilities, neutron facilities, and free electron lasers, along with their complementary roles;
  • Infrastructure access procedures, including guidelines for successful beamtime applications.
  • Training for African Scientists: Selected scientists will receive training and attend the HERCULES school to advance their scientific expertise.

Furthermore, the project aims to establish collaboration with ministries and national funding agencies in developing countries. The objectives include raising awareness about the importance of research funding and fostering cooperation with user communities.

Read more here

New Insights into Air Pollution Formation

New Insights into Air Pollution Formation

A team of researchers at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute/Hamad Bin Khalifa University, the synchrotron sources PETRA III in Hamburg and SOLEIL in Gif-sur-Yvette, the Sorbonne University in Paris, the ETH Zurich, and the PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Science have made a groundbreaking discovery in understanding how air pollution forms at the molecular level. Their investigation, published in the journal Nature Communications, sheds light on the complex chemical processes occurring at the boundary between liquids, in particular aqueous solutions, and vapor in our atmosphere.

The international study focuses on the differences of complex acid-base equilibria (i.e., the ratio between basic and acidic components) inside the bulk of a solution on one hand, and at the very interface between the solution and the surrounding vapor on the other. While it is straightforward to measure acid-base equilibria in the bulk of a solution using state-of-the art methods, determining these equilibria at the boundary between a solution and the surrounding gas phase is challenging. Even though this boundary layer is about one hundred thousand times narrower than a human hair, it plays a very important role in processes that influence air pollution and climate change. Examining the chemistry of the solution-vapor boundary on a molecular scale thus helps to develop improved models for our understanding of the fate of aerosols in the atmosphere and their influence on the global climate.

Read more on DESY website

Image: Combined spectroscopy and atomistic simulations provide an improved understanding of specific molecular-level processes governing air pollution formation (Credit: FHI/MPG. The cloudy background of the image is taken from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, repository image s3v-1280 (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11685/)).

Thomas Feurer elected as future Chairman of LEAPS

Thomas Feurer elected as future Chairman of LEAPS

At their annual meeting, the 16-member organisations of the League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources (LEAPS) elected Prof. Dr Thomas Feurer, Chair of the Management Board of European XFEL, as their future chairman. LEAPS is a strategic initiative that brings together major European synchrotron radiation and free electron laser (FEL) facilities. Through joint efforts, LEAPS seeks to advance photon science and to maximize the impact of accelerator-based light sources in Europe. Feurer will succeed Jakub Szlachetko from the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS, Krakow (Poland). The handover will take place at the next plenary session in October or November next year. Until then, he will enjoy the status of Incoming Chair.

“It is quite an honour for me to serve as the next LEAPS chair”, says Thomas Feurer. “Alongside the 16 members, I will focus on strengthening the network, supporting successful EU applications, and advancing FEL-oriented initiatives. I am excited to turn our shared vision of leveraging our 16 research infrastructures to address societal challenges into a reality.”

Read more on XFEL website

Image: Thomas Feurer from European XFEL elected Chairman of LEAPS

Credit: European XFEL

New research on gut bacteria could lead to helpful new probiotics

New research on gut bacteria could lead to helpful new probiotics

There are trillions of bacteria in the human gut microbiome. When we eat fruits and vegetables, some of these bacteria break down the dietary fiber and provide us with metabolites, small molecules our body can use for energy or cell repair.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan to study a particular bacterium commonly found in the gut of people who eat a plant-rich diet.

The specifics of how bacteria break down our food is still a “black box,” according to Dr. Harry Brumer, the UBC professor who led this research. “Our team is trying to determine what molecular machinery the bacteria have that give them the unique ability to break down dietary fiber,” he said.

Using ultrabright synchrotron X-rays at the CLS and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource in California, Brumer and colleagues determined the three-dimensional structure and function of the proteins and enzymes this bacterium uses to break down food, and the details of that process.

“The CLS made it possible for us to study these mechanics on the atomic level,” said Brumer. “It’s really cool to understand how gut bacteria perform those complex processes and contribute to our health.” The team published their findings in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Read more on CLS website

Chiral magnets in the slow lane

Chiral magnets in the slow lane

A groundbreaking study led by Thorsten Hesjedal, Gerrit van der Laan, and Shilei Zhang from Oxford, Diamond, and ShanghaiTech University has uncovered unexpected slow relaxation processes in chiral magnets, a discovery that challenges the conventional understanding of magnetic dynamics. The study highlights the critical role of topological defects in slowing down the relaxation of non-collinear magnetic states considered for emerging skyrmionics applications.

Exploring non-collinear magnetic orders

Non-collinear magnetic orders, such as spin spirals and skyrmions, have become a central topic in modern magnetism research. These complex magnetic configurations, characterised by twisted spin textures, have topological properties that make them ideal candidates for next-generation spintronic devices. In particular, magnetic skyrmions are small, stable, and can be moved about at minimal energy cost, making them ideal for advanced information storage technologies. 

Typically, when these magnetic textures are disturbed, their relaxation back to equilibrium is believed to occur over a timescale of nanoseconds, as predicted by micromagnetic theories. However, the research team has discovered that under certain conditions, the relaxation processes can extend to hundreds of milliseconds or even seconds.

Revealing the slow dynamics 

In their experiment, the researchers studied the archetypal chiral magnet Cu2OSeO3 using a novel time-resolved resonant elastic X-ray scattering (REXS) technique (Fig a). By applying a pulsed magnetic field and measuring the magnetic order’s response, they were able to capture the entire relaxation process in real-time. Surprisingly, the team found that both the conical and skyrmion lattice phases took up to 0.2 seconds to decay to their equilibrium state – a timescale that is eight orders of magnitude longer than conventional predictions (Fig b). 

This extended relaxation is attributed to the formation of topological defects, such as dislocations and monopoles, located within the magnetic structure. These defects act as localised disturbances, slowing down the relaxation process as the system strives to unwind and return to its lowest energy state. This behaviour contrasts sharply with the rapid dynamics typically expected in magnetic systems and opens up new questions about the underlying physics of topological textures. 

Read more on Diamond website

Image: 3D simulation of the skyrmion lattice. (a) Isosurface visualization (𝑚𝑧=0) of a well-ordered 3D SkX phase. During the relaxation process, topological defects (red dots) emerge that break the local skyrmion strings, as shown in (b) and (c). (d) Shared 2D skyrmion plane, cut from the transparent slices in (a)–(c). The three 𝐐𝑖 wave vectors are shown.

DESY increases cooperation with Indian partners

DESY increases cooperation with Indian partners

DESY delegation visits India as part of India–Germany government consultations and signs an agreement on increasing cooperation with India at PETRA III

DESY and numerous Indian research institutes want to work more closely together in the future. To this end, representatives of these institutes have made an agreement during a delegation visit of the German federal government to New Delhi. In the context of the seventh German–Indian governmental consultations and in celebration of 50 years of Indian-German scientific collaboration, a collaboration agreement was signed in the presence of Federal Minister for Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger and her Indian counterpart, Dr Jitendra Singh. The DESY delegation was led by acting director for photon science Franz Kärtner.

The research centre DESY and numerous research groups in India under the current coordination of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bengaluru have built a successful partnership since 2011 in the form of “India@DESY”, which all participating partners want to strengthen. The goal of the newly signed cooperation agreement is to increase the user participation of Indian scientists, institutes, and cooperation projects at DESY’s research light sources, particularly at the high-brilliance X-ray light source PETRA III. Additionally, India has declared interest in preparing a significant participation in DESY’s future project PETRA IV. The agreement particularly specifies a focus on experiments in the areas of energy, nanotechnology, and materials science.

 India@DESY has been developing since a previous agreement was signed regarding research collaboration in 2011 as part of an earlier major diplomatic delegation led by then Chancellor Angela Merkel. Since the signing of the last agreement, India has invested 25 million euro in a beamline for Indian researchers at PETRA III and over 1400 Indian scientists from more than 60 different institutes have performed over 450 experiments, with more than 360 scientific articles being published within the scope of India@DESY. Many of these publications were regarding energy and catalysis research, aimed at helping India make a sustainable transition. The goal is to redevelop energy production and industrial processes in such a way that they are more environmentally friendly and less taxing on resources, in order to solve longstanding ecological and social issues.

The new agreement covers the next two years of cooperation and focuses on increasing Indian user experiments at PETRA III by 15% while preparing for significant participation in PETRA IV. The agreement includes 4.4 million euro for PETRA III and the planning of numerous workshops targeting research advancements and possibilities for Indian collaboration.

Read more on DESY website

Image: Signing of the cooperation agreement ‘India@DESY’ in New Delhi. Front l-r: Eswaramoorthy Muthusamy, Dean of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research; Franz Kärtner, DESY Acting Research Director for Photon Science. Background, middle: l-r: Jitendra Singh, Indian Minister for Science and Technology; Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Federal Minister for Education and Research

Credit: DESY

Gihan Kamel awarded the John Wheatley Award 2025

Gihan Kamel awarded the John Wheatley Award 2025

SESAME is pleased to announce that three distinguished scientists, Gihan Kamel, Sekazi Mtingwa, and Simon H. Connell, have been named the 2025 recipients of the prestigious John Wheatley Award, which is given biennially by the American Physical Society (APS) to recognise exceptional contributions to capacity building in the Global South through advancing physics research and education. 

Gihan Kamel, principal scientist at SESAME’s Infrared Spectromicroscopy beamline, has been recognised for exceptional contributions to capacity building in Africa, the Middle East, and other developing regions, including leadership in training researchers in beamline techniques at synchrotron light sources and establishing the groundwork for future facilities in the Global South. 

Kamel’s contributions go beyond her role in SESAME: as a prominent member of both SESAME and the African Light Source (AfLS) – a project aiming at establishing Africa’s first synchrotron facility – her efforts have been critical in bridging gaps between SESAME and the African Light Source, resulting in a strong network that promotes cross-border scientific progress. In the words of Gihan Kamel in commenting on the Award: “Science is not meant to stay inside laboratories or published in research papers. Science must have a global mission and must always find its way everywhere despite challenges and disappointments“

Read more on SESAME website

Image: Gihan Kamel

NSLS-II First Light 10th Anniversary

NSLS-II First Light 10th Anniversary

On October 23rd, 2014, the National Synchrotron Light Source II achieved “first light,” the moment when the first X-rays were delivered. Since that moment, the diverse user community, dedicated staff, array of unique beamlines, and illuminating discoveries have only continued to grow. In 2024, NSLS-II celebrate 10 brilliant years since first light and look ahead towards a bright future.

Please find the timeline on NSLS-II website

Magnetization Switching in Highly Magnetostrictive Microstructures

Magnetization Switching in Highly Magnetostrictive Microstructures

Using several x-ray probes at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), researchers learned how the size, shape, and orientation of microstructures affect how they switch magnetization directions in response to an applied voltage.

The work advances our understanding of strain-responsive composite materials for use in energy-efficient electronic applications such as memory devices, sensors, and actuators.

Beyond the current approach

Today’s memory and logic devices require large electric currents to flip magnetic domains that store binary data. Unfortunately, this current-driven approach results in significant energy losses through heating. A more energy-efficient alternative is to control magnetization using voltage, through the use of multiferroic heterostructures—that is, a ferromagnetic layer coupled to a ferroelectric substrate. One promising material for the ferromagnetic layer is an iron-gallium alloy (Fe-Ga, or galfenol), known for its large magnetostrictive effect: its magnetization can significantly change in response to mechanical strain.

Composite Fe-Ga/PMN-PT samples

In this work, researchers explored the magnetoelectric behavior of tiny epitaxial Fe-Ga structures on a piezoelectric (PMN-PT) substrate, using multiple synchrotron x-ray probes. Studying such structures at small scales is vital to understanding how to manipulate them using voltage, with significant implications for the development of energy-efficient applications such as memory devices, sensors, and actuators.

The microstructures were designed to have different sizes (1–6 µm), shapes (square and elliptical), and crystallographic orientations with respect to the PMN-PT. A subnanometer-thick iron seed layer was used to initiate well-ordered Fe-Ga crystal growth, and a platinum capping layer was deposited to prevent surface oxidation.

Previous studies on epitaxial Fe-Ga-based multiferroic heterostructures have demonstrated impressive voltage-driven magnetic reorientation capabilities, but they focused on either continuous thin films or large structures of epitaxial Fe-Ga—far from the small features required for real-world devices.

Multimodal ALS experiments

To visualize voltage-driven magnetic reorientation in the Fe-Ga microstructures, the researchers used photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) at ALS Beamline 11.0.1.1, with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) as a contrast mechanism. This beamline provides the ability to apply a voltage across the sample during measurement—ideal for studying electrically driven magnetic responses—as well as the ability to thin the platinum capping layer to about 0.5 nm just before the measurement.

At ALS Beamline 12.3.2, the researchers used x-ray microdiffraction to measure micron-scale, voltage-induced strains in the piezoelectric substrate. The beamline’s integrated fluorescence mapping capability enabled the researchers to focus on the area right under the Fe-Ga microstructures, essential for correlating the local strains with the magnetic switching events observed using XMCD-PEEM.

Finally, at ALS Beamlines 4.0.2 and 6.3.1, x-ray magnetic spectroscopy was used to gain additional insight into the characteristics of the epitaxial Fe-Ga.

Read more on ALS website

Image: Based on the x-ray microdiffraction data from the PMN-PT substrate, the researchers obtained strain maps corresponding to lattice distortions along the [100]P direction, before and after a voltage was applied.