A hidden form of rare earth element cerium identified in fossil fish bones under the sea

A hidden form of rare earth element cerium identified in fossil fish bones under the sea

Rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) are essential to modern technologies, yet we know little about how they concentrate at the Earth’s surface, particularly in marine sediments, which hold vast reserves.

REY are enriched in deep-sea mud by several billion times compared to seawater, and, from a fundamental perspective, determining the chemical forms of REY is critical to understanding one of the highest levels of metal partitioning on Earth. 

The sedimentary component hosting REY consists of biogenic and authigenic fluorapatite (FAp, Ca5(PO4)3F). When fish die, their bones and teeth accumulate on the seafloor, allowing biogenic FAp to adsorb REY from seawater and pore fluids over extensive periods, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of years, during the diagenesis process. Until now, scientists thought cerium just replaced calcium atoms in the bone structure. However, scientists led by the ESRF have found otherwise.

ESRF scientist Alain Manceau and his team, in the framework of his ERC Advanced Grant Deep-SEE, analysed several tens of fossil bones and teeth handpicked at 1.94 and 4.70 meters depth below the seafloor in a sediment core (16GC) collected in the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone. They found that cerium actually forms a completely different local structure within the fish remains, separate from that of calcium. This structure is a new kind of cerium-phosphate compound precipitated in an amorphous phase at the surface of FAp nanocrystals.

The team used the techniques of X-ray fluorescence mapping, to see the location of cerium, and high-energy-resolution fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy (HERFD-XAS), to track how the cerium atoms bond to other atoms nearby, in the newly built ID24-DCM.

Read more on ESRF website

Diamond scientists win RSC prize for chemistry-aware AI software

Diamond scientists win RSC prize for chemistry-aware AI software

Four scientists from Diamond have been awarded the Materials Chemistry Horizon Prize for their work on accelerating data-driven chemical materials discovery.

The winning AI for Materials team includes Diamond’s Phil Chater, Francesco Carla, Chris Nicklin, and Jonathan Rawle.

The prize honours their exceptional work in developing chemistry-aware artificial intelligence software. The work includes applying this advanced technology to data-driven materials discovery and providing open-source materials databases and language models for the global scientific community.

The team from Diamond were very pleased to contribute to this project that involved a large multinational team. It has been a great collaborative effort to develop the use of artificial intelligence in materials discovery.

Chris Nicklin, Diamond’s Deputy Director of Physical Sciences

Diamond’s four winners were part of a team that includes AI-experts from Cambridge and US supercomputing specialists at Argonne National Laboratory, supported by researchers from around the globe. This included scientists from ISIS Neutron and Muon Source and the Research Complex at Harwell.

The team developed ChemDataExtractor, the first chemistry-aware text mining tool. The materials-domain-specific language software provides an interactive way for scientists to ask questions, similar to the ChatGPT model.

They were able to demonstrate data-driven materials discovery in less than one year, vastly reducing the average 20 year timeframe it usually takes industry to discover new material for a given application.

The resulting high-quality experimental databases and chemistry-specific language models will now help guide scientific decisions and speed up research. To mark their achievements, the team will receive a trophy, and each team member will be presented with a special individual token. Additionally, their remarkable work will be showcased in a special video.

Rea more on Diamond website

Better heating method makes legumes easier to digest

Better heating method makes legumes easier to digest

While they have been part of our human diet for centuries, legumes like peas and beans are ultimately seeds for the next generation of plants. To protect themselves from being eaten by animals and insects, they contain “antinutrients” that are hard for animals – and humans – to digest.

These antinutritional compounds – which include tannins, lectins, trypsin inhibitors, and phytic acid – are broken down when beans and peas are heated. However, the large ovens that food processing companies currently use to heat beans and peas are inefficient. They can burn the outside before the inside has reached a temperature hot enough to deactivate the antinutrients.

Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering have identified a new heating method – using radio frequency (RF) waves – that appears to be both more effective and efficient than the approach currently used in the industry.

Tolen Moirangthem, a PhD student from the group, compares RF waves to microwaves. “When you put a cup of water in the microwave, the water heats up, but the cup doesn’t. The same is true for the pea—the water inside heats up, but the rest of the pea doesn’t.”

Scientists call this process “selective heating,” because it can heat some areas within a material but not others. It seems to help maintain the desirable nutritional properties in pea or bean, which can break down with regular heating methods. And unlike the long heating times of traditional processes, the RF heating method only takes a few minutes.

The team hypothesized that during RF heat treatment, the water inside a legume expands and turns into steam, which would cause the pores inside to explode from the pressure. In turn, this would create larger pores in the samples, as well as more pores in total, as the steam looked for ways to escape.

Using the Canadian Light Source at the USask, the research group confirmed that the beans treated with RF heat did in fact have more pores, and the heating method reduced the amount of an antinutrient (proteins called trypsin inhibitors)—by 81 per cent.

Read more on CLS website

The role of methanol in large icy moons uncovered

The role of methanol in large icy moons uncovered

Scientists led by the ESRF find that the volatile compound methanol in icy moons gets trapped in hydrates at high pressure and low temperature. This finding is crucial for understanding evolution of subsurface oceans and interpreting data delivered by current and future space missions. The results are out in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Icy moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn are some of the most intriguing bodies in our Solar System, as several of them are known to host liquid oceans beneath their frozen surfaces. Besides the Earth, these are the only places in the Universe, where the presence of liquid water has been confirmed. Subsurface oceans are the prime targets in search for extraterrestrial life and are central to several ongoing and upcoming space missions. Already launched ESA’s JUICE and NASA’s Europa Clipper missions will start exploration of Jupiter’s moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in less than a decade, while NASA’s rotorcraft Dragonfly will start its journey to Saturn’s moon Titan in 2028.

One of the most striking features of these icy moons is the size of their hydrospheres. For example, the largest moon Ganymede is believed to have ~1000 km deep hydrosphere, resulting in pressures at its base that are around 17 times higher than in the Earth’s ocean. Such high pressures can cause crystallization of the oceans at the bottoms. While many organic volatile compounds are expected to be present in the interior of icy moons, their fate at high pressures remains poorly understood.

Methanol, CH3OH, is a volatile of particular interest due to due to its expected abundance and debated role in ocean crystallization. Typically, it is considered as a powerful antifreeze agent that inhibits formation of ice and hydrates and contributes to long-term survival of the subsurface oceans. However, recent studies suggested that in chemically complex environments and in presence of promoters, small amounts of methanol can be incorporated in hydrate structures at low temperatures.

Now scientists led by the ESRF and in collaboration with the Laboratory of Planetology and Geosciences in Nantes (France), the University of Washington – Seattle (USA) and the University of Bayreuth (Germany) and have studied the fate of methanol in large icy moons. The team used high-pressure, low temperature, in situ single crystal X-ray diffraction on beamline ID15b.

“Our experiments show that, at high pressure, large amounts of methanol can be stored in hydrates that serve as a storage of methanol over geological timescales”, explains Anna Pakhomova, lead author and scientist at the ESRF.

Read more on ESRF website

Spin-Charge Conversion in Sb2Te3-based heterostructures

Spin-Charge Conversion in Sb2Te3-based heterostructures

Spin-charge interconversion (SCIC) refers to the conversion of pure charge currents into pure spin currents and vice versa. These fundamental phenomena can be exploited to generate and manipulate electronic states for use in spin-based logic and memory devices. A wide variety of materials with high spin-orbit coupling, including topological insulators (TIs), are emerging as promising candidates for the implementation of SCIC devices. Although TIs are insulating in the bulk, they exhibit spin-polarized conductive electronic states localized on their surfaces. These states, known as topological surface states (TSSs), exhibit spin-momentum locking, meaning their spin and momentum directions are mutually orthogonal in reciprocal space. This property of TIs makes them particularly attractive for the design of efficient SCIC devices. TSSs are robust against nonmagnetic disorders, such as defects and impurities, but are disrupted by the proximity of magnetic materials, which are essential parts of SCIC device. To practically utilize TI in devices, it is necessary to devise a method to separate the TI from the magnetic material while keeping the TSS properties unaffected.

In this study, we explored Au and Al metals, which are widely used in the electronics industry, as spacer materials between a TI (Sb2Te3) and a magnetic (Co) film. Both materials have large spin diffusion lengths and, therefore, are suitable for supporting spin-polarized currents. Spin-pumped ferromagnetic resonance imaging (SP-FMR) studies showed that a high rate of spin-to-charge conversion is detected in a device based on the Sb2Te3/Au/Co heterostructure, while no conversion is observed when considering the Sb2Te3/Al/Co heterostructure.

To understand this difference in functional behavior, we analyzed the electronic and chemical properties of the interface between the TI and the Au and Al layers by performing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) experiments and core-level analysis at the high-resolution VUV-Photoemission beamline of Elettra. Au and Al were thermally evaporated under ultrahigh vacuum conditions onto in-situ exfoliated Sb2Te3 single crystals. 

Read more on Elettra website

Hydrogen storage in MXene: It all depends on diffusion processes

Hydrogen storage in MXene: It all depends on diffusion processes

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as MXene are of great interest for hydrogen storage. An expert from HZB has investigated the diffusion of hydrogen in MXene using density functional theory. This modelling provides valuable insights into the key diffusion mechanisms and hydrogen’s interaction with Ti₃C₂ MXene, offering a solid foundation for further experimental research.

Hydrogen is an energy carrier that can be produced in a climate-friendly way by electrolysis of water using ‘green’ electricity. However, storing hydrogen is not that easy. MXene could be a promising solution. MXene are compounds of metal and nitrogen or carbon that form a two-dimensional hexagonal structure, giving them special physical and chemical properties. Atoms and molecules, such as hydrogen, can be stored both in and between the 2D layers. ‘However, we know that hydrogen atoms and even molecules form complex bonds in MXene and on its surfaces,’ says Prof. Dr. Norbert Nickel, a physicist at HZB. When storing hydrogen, it is also important that the hydrogen bound in the material can be released when needed.

Previous neutron scattering experiments have shown that hydrogen can be stored in the MXene material Ti3C2. However, in 2024, Nickel calculated exactly how the hydrogen orbitals interact with the titanium and carbon orbitals using density functional theory. These results shed light on the nature of hydrogen’s chemical bonding and how temperature affects the diffusion process (see Annalen der Physik, 536, 2400011 (2024)). Nevertheless, quantum mechanical calculations of the interactions between hydrogen atoms and molecules with Ti₃C₂ show that the simple model of chemical bonding is insufficient to describe hydrogen’s bonding properties.

Recently Nickel analysed the chemical orbitals in more detail: the calculations showed that interstitial hydrogen atoms and molecules form s-like bonds with neighbouring titanium atoms and s-p hybrid orbitals with neighbouring carbon atoms.

Read more on HZB website

Image: Schematic representation of the Ti3C2 crystal lattice with hydrogen and the associated bonding orbitals. Left: normal to the c-axis; right: perpendicular to the c-axis.

Credit: N. Nickel / HZB

A New Twist for Superconductivity in Bilayer Graphene

A New Twist for Superconductivity in Bilayer Graphene

Using the Advanced Light Source (ALS) to study twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) systems, researchers found intriguing spectroscopic features in a superconducting “magic-angle” TBG—features that are absent in non-superconducting TBG.

The results provide crucial information on superconductivity in magic-angle TBG for next-gen electronics and advanced energy technologies.

Searching for the science behind the magic

Two-dimensional materials like graphene give scientists great flexibility in engineering electronic properties because they can be stacked like sheets of paper. Besides choosing what materials to stack and in what order, researchers can manipulate the electrical and optical properties of these stacks by controlling the twist angle between layers. Because of this versatility, two-dimensional materials provide an ideal platform for investigating the complex interplay between phenomena such as band topology, strong electron correlation, magnetism, and superconductivity, all of which are relevant to next-gen electronics and advanced energy technologies.

So-called “magic-angle” twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) attracts broad research interest primarily because of its surprising and unusual superconducting properties, which resemble those of high-temperature superconductors. The superconductivity in MATBG devices is thought to arise from flat bands that form in a material’s electronic band structure when two layers of graphene are twisted at a “magic” angle of about 1.08 degrees. Flat bands indicate a high density of states, which significantly enhances electron interactions and the resulting potential for exotic phenomena. Despite intensive experimental efforts, the origin of MATBG superconductivity remains elusive.

Advanced micro-ARPES at the ALS

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is a powerful tool for probing the fine electronic structure of materials and has played a pivotal role in unraveling the mechanisms of high-temperature superconductivity and discovering novel topological quantum materials. However, due to the microscale dimensions of MATBG devices, traditional ARPES techniques, typically limited to a spatial resolution of hundreds of microns, cannot be directly applied. Persistent efforts have led to the development of advanced micro- and nano-ARPES techniques, extending ARPES research to sub-micrometer quantum materials and devices.

Here, researchers systematically characterized the electronic structure of several twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) devices using micro-ARPES at ALS Beamline 7.0.2 (MAESTRO), where a world-leading nano-ARPES system has also been developed. The high-quality moiré superlattice and superconductivity of these devices were characterized by a group at Princeton University.

Read more on ALS website

Image: Artistic depiction of a twisted bilayer graphene system. A very slight twist in the alignment of the two graphene layers creates a moiré pattern—a periodic modulation of the electronic environment that can give rise to exotic behaviors such as superconductivity. Advanced nanoscale probes provide important clues as to the connections between electronic structure and material properties.

Efficient Upcycling of Plastic Waste into Useful Liquid Fuels

Efficient Upcycling of Plastic Waste into Useful Liquid Fuels

Plastic waste is a serious problem, especially with items meant to be used once and then thrown away. Such plastics are tough to break down, and current recycling methods either use a lot of energy or expensive materials. In this study, researchers aimed to develop a more sustainable, efficient, and selective approach for converting polyolefins (i.e., polyethylene and polypropylene, used in plastic bags and packaging) into valuable liquid chemicals.

“What we discovered is a simple way to turn this kind of plastic into useful liquid fuels, like components of gasoline or diesel, without needing high heat, rare metals, or added chemicals,” said Zhenzhen Yang, a Research and Development Associate in the Chemical Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “This could be a big step toward turning plastic waste into something valuable instead of letting it pile up in landfills or oceans.”

The researchers studied a reaction mixture containing low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and AlCl3/NaCl, a special type of molten salt that can act like a super-reactive soup, breaking down the plastic efficiently. Using soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at Advanced Light Source (ALS) Beamline 7.3.1 combined with nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, the researchers probed the chemical bonding of aluminum species both at the surface (10 nm deep) and in the bulk (beyond 100 nm). The mixture was quenched (the reaction was halted) at different intervals without any post-treatment, to allow observation of the mixture’s evolution over time.

Read more on ALS website

Image: The efficient conversion of plastic (polyethylene) to gasoline was achieved under mild conditions using commercially available AlCl3-containing molten salts in a reaction medium.

Key mechanisms in amorphous iridium oxides for next-generation water electrolysis

Key mechanisms in amorphous iridium oxides for next-generation water electrolysis

A multidisciplinary team from institutions in Germany, Argentina, and Spain has revealed new understanding of amorphous hydrous iridium oxides (am-hydr-IrOx) and their role in sustainable energy production. Using advanced synchrotron techniques, the researchers monitored both electronic and geometric structures of these materials under real operating conditions. Their findings, published in Energy & Environmental Science, could lead to more efficient and durable catalysts for green hydrogen production.

Water electrolysis plays a crucial role in converting renewable energy from sources like wind and solar into hydrogen. A key challenge in this process is the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which requires highly effective anode catalysts. While iridium-based materials are the gold standard for OER catalysts in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEM-WE), iridium’s scarcity raises significant concerns about their long-term scalability. Among the most promising candidates are amorphous hydrous iridium oxides (am-hydr-IrOx), though their study with some wide-spread techniques, like x-ray diffraction, is challenging, because of their lack of long-range atomic order. Moreover, most structural models used to explain the limiting (electro)chemical mechanisms of am-hydr-IrOx are based on ordered crystalline phases, making them inadequate for understanding amorphous materials.

A new study, published in Energy & Environmental Science, combines synchrotron-based characterization techniques with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to develop a comprehensive model for amorphous hydrous iridium oxides. The collaborative work involved researchers from Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin and the Fritz-Haber-Institut in Germany, and the ALBA Synchrotron. By investigating hydrous iridium oxide thin films (HIROFs), the researchers showed that iridium dissolution can occur spontaneously and is thermodynamically driven, and is not always a direct consequence of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

The team prepared HIROF thin films through controlled electrochemical oxidation of metallic iridium substrates using cyclic voltammetry. This process created a highly porous, hydrated am-hydr-IrOx with a disordered three-dimensional structure containing numerous edges and bulk defects. As revealed in the study, these features enhance OER activity, but they also contribute to material instability.

Ex situ characterization using cryo-TEM confirmed the amorphous and porous nature of the films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed hydroxyl groups and a progressive increase in iridium oxidation state with increasing film thickness. Electrochemical measurements helped define three distinct potential regimes-–pre-redox, redox and OER regimes—, which mark important transitions in the catalyst’s structural and electronic behavior.

To understand atomic-scale transformations, the researchers applied in situ and operando spectroscopic techniques at two synchrotron beamlines: KMC-3 at BESSY II (Germany) and NOTOS at ALBA. They performed in situ Ir L₃-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structures (EXAFS) under electrochemical control to monitor changes in iridium oxidation state and Ir–O bond lengths. The results showed progressive oxidation and structural distortion as the applied potential increased. Operando Fixed Energy X-ray Absorption Voltammetry (FEXRAV) established a direct link between electronic transitions and electrochemical activity. Near-ambient pressure hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-HAXPES) provided complementary surface-sensitive insights into oxidation states at hydrated conditions.

To explain their observations, the team developed a novel atomistic model — a hydrogen-terminated nanosheet structure — that departs from previous crystalline-based approaches. This model offers a more accurate representation of the amorphous phase and, when used in DFT simulations, revealed diverse reactive sites that affect OER activity and iridium dissolution differently.

The research established a dual-mechanistic framework where deprotonation and oxidation drive the OER pathway, while a separate, independent process leads to spontaneous Ir loss through defect formation. Both mechanisms exist simultaneously and evolve as the applied potential changes. When compared with operando EXAFS measurements, the simulated structures showed strong agreement, validating the model and identifying probable active sites and degradation pathways.

Read more on ALBA website

MAX IV and BESSY II initiate new collaboration to advance materials science

MAX IV and BESSY II initiate new collaboration to advance materials science

Swedish national synchrotron laboratory MAX IV and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) BESSY II light source announce the signing of a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The new MoU establishes a framework to strengthen cooperation for operational and technological development in the highlighted fields of accelerator research and development, beamlines and optics, endstations and sample environments as well as digitalisation and data science.

The new agreement increases accessibility and overall opportunities for users to conduct advanced materials science investigations at MAX IV and BESSY II in a smooth, integrated manner. Facility collaboration through project-based initiatives may include, among others, reciprocal exchange of knowledge, instrumentation development and usage, data handling, scientific and technical staff, research initiatives, and PhD programme activities.

“Decades of collaboration between Sweden and HZB—rooted in, for example, shared work on energy-relevant materials and enabling methods and technologies—have continually advanced our field. The MoU we sign today gives MAX IV and HZB a solid platform to keep advancing synchrotron science into the 2030s and beyond,” says Olof Karis, Director of MAX IV.

Read more on MAX IV website

Image: MAX IV and HZB after signing the MoU. From left Olof Karis, Director at MAX IV, Antje Hasselberg, authorized signatory at HZB and Bernd Rech, Scientific Director at HZB.

Credit: HZB / Ronja Gründke

Long-Life, Ultra-Fast Charging Zinc-Ion Battery with Stable Performance over 10,000 charge–discharge cycles

Long-Life, Ultra-Fast Charging Zinc-Ion Battery with Stable Performance over 10,000 charge–discharge cycles

This study contributed to advancing Aqueous Zinc-Ion Battery (AZIB) technology by developing a novel vanadium (V)-based cathode material that offers both high specific capacity and long offers both high specific capacity and long cycle life.

Research Background and Goals

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used as key energy storage devices across various industries, ranging from consumer electronics to electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage systems (ESS), due to their high energy density and excellent cycle life. However, lithium’s scarcity, high cost, and associated fire hazards have led to growing demand for next-generation alternatives.
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries, which use water-based electrolytes, are emerging as promising candidates due to their superior safety, cost-effectiveness, and high volumetric energy density. Nonetheless, they face critical limitations: structural degradation of the cathode material during repeated charge-discharge cycles results in rapid performance decline. In particular, vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), a commonly used cathode material, offers high theoretical capacity but suffers from poor structural stability and limited. It also undergoes dissolution and re-precipitation during cycling, degrading its electrochemical performance.
To address these challenges, this study proposes a new vanadium-based cathode material—Na2V6O16・2H2O (NaVO)—prepared by pre-intercalating sodium ions (Na+). This material stabilizes the structure and enhances the electrochemical performance of AZIBs.

Methods

The research focused on a structural stabilization strategy via Na+ pre-intercalation to improve the electrochemical performance of AZIBs. NaVO was synthesized through a sonochemical method, which expanded the interlayer spacing and allowed Na⁺ ions to function as structural pillars, thereby enhancing cycling stability.
The material’s physical and chemical characteristics were thoroughly analyzed, including real-time structural monitoring using synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were employed to evaluate charge transfer resistance and rate capability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that NaVO exhibits a significantly lower Zn2+ diffusion energy barrier compared to V2O5 , as well as reduced structural expansion—key advantages for long cycle life. Furthermore, Na+ ions were found to suppress dendrite formation on the Zn anode surface.

Results and Discussion

The study evaluated the effectiveness of cation pre-intercalation in improving the structural integrity and electrochemical performance of vanadium-based cathodes. Through a simple and efficient sonochemical synthesis method, Na+ ions were successfully intercalated into V2O5 to form NaVO, expanding the interlayer distance to approximately 4.3–8.4 Å.
This structural modification led to significant performance enhancements. A NaVO/Zn battery demonstrated a specific capacity of 126.3 mAh g-1 at a high current density of 10 A g⁻¹ and retained 91.8% of its capacity even after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles. hese results represent 1.68- and 1.99-fold improvements over conventional V2O5 cathodes.
In-situ analyses revealed the mechanisms underlying the performance improvements. The flexible valence change of vanadium during Zn2+ insertion and extraction contributed to structural stability, while Na+ ions served as internal pillars to maintain structural integrity. The expanded interlayer spacing facilitated faster Zn2+ insertion, improving rate performance. DFT simulations further confirmed that Na+ pre-intercalation is crucial for enhancing structural stability and ion diffusion, thereby improving the overall electrochemical performance of vanadium-based cathodes.

Read more on PAL website

ALS Captures Structure of Engineered Protein, Opening New Options to Treat IBD

ALS Captures Structure of Engineered Protein, Opening New Options to Treat IBD

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affects more than three million people across the United States, costing the nation’s healthcare system about $8.5 billion in 2018. IBD occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy bowel tissue, leading to inflammation and damage.

The exact cause of IBD is unknown but is characterized by long-term inflammation. While many factors can influence inflammation, Interleukin-10 (IL-10), a specialized protein, plays a role in regulating the immune response in the human body and has potential to treat inflammation-related conditions. Unfortunately, wild-type IL-10 is complicated. It possesses a dual nature and can initiate both pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways. It is also ephemeral, only lasting three hours in the human body.

“Natural proteins can be problematic as biotherapeutics, because these compounds often have a limited half-life and toxicity,” said Glen Spraggon, executive director of Structure Bioinformatics and Data Science at the Novartis Biologics Research Center and senior author on the study. “We decided to try to combine the positive properties of antibodies—half-life and good manufacturability—with the functional properties of IL-10.”

Spraggon and his colleagues grafted a modified IL-10 protein into the complementary determining regions (CDR) of an antibody. Through this process, they engineered six graft variants. One graft (GFT-IL10M) had the desired properties, but the actual molecule structure of the design remained unclear. The joints in the graft connecting the antibody and IL-10 are incredibly flexible. The team crystallized the engineered sample and analyzed it at the Advanced Light Source Beamline 5.0.3. They used the diffraction data to define the three-dimensional structure of the IL-10 fusion protein at the atomic level.

“We love to have a visual to understand the molecular structure of what we have actually created in the lab,” said Spraggon. “This structure confirmed how, with this fusion approach, we largely change the signaling profile of the molecule, biasing it away from its pro-inflammatory nature towards anti-inflammatory.”

Read more on ALS website

Image: Molecular rendering of the engineered graft of IL-10 (red) with an antibody (blue/yellow). Structural analysis of GFT-IL10M using X-ray Crystallography at the ALS provided insight into its improved anti-inflammatory properties. The designed biotherapeutic enhanced monocyte activation whilst minimizing pro-inflammatory signaling observed in wild-type IL-10which also stimulates B, T, and NK white-blood cells.

Credit: Michael DiDonato/Novartis Biomedical Research

Closing a gap in the race toward HIV vaccine development

Closing a gap in the race toward HIV vaccine development

Work to develop a vaccine to protect against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been underway for four decades but we still have no effective vaccine. Treatments have been developed that allow people infected with HIV to live long and healthy lives, but a vaccine could prevent new infections, affecting about 1.3 million people annually worldwide, and could potentially eradicate the disease.

Unfortunately, vaccine development has been plagued by challenges related to the evasive tactics of the virus, which mutates very quickly, and difficulties in obtaining a structure for the main envelope protein of the virus, Env, which was finally solved by electron microscopy and crystallography in 2013. HIV vaccine researchers have come to the conclusion that ideal vaccine immunogens designed to generate a protective immune response should elicit antibodies that can recognize HIV via a number of target sites on the Env protein. Broadly neutralizing antibodies to each of these sites have been identified in some people infected with HIV-1 and in some animal models but efforts to elicit this broad antibody recognition of the diverse HIV strains and subtypes in response to a vaccine have not been successful.

A recent study from a group at the Ragon Institute, Scripps Research Institute, Leipzig University, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, UC San Diego, Moderna, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides insights into antibody-based HIV vaccine development that could lead to the identification of vaccine immunogen candidates to elicit such broadly neutralizing antibodies.

Scripps Research investigators used resources of the National Institute of General Medical Science and National Cancer Institute Structural Biology Facility (GM/CA) at beamline 23-ID-B of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory.

The research started with the observation that a broadly neutralizing antibody called 10E8 has excellent HIV neutralization properties but does not recognize self-antigens. This is an undesirable feature, as earlier antibodies to this membrane-proximal external region (MPER) site did. During an immune response that leads to the development of antibodies, precursor B cells that make a certain type of antibody are activated by the antigen they recognize (e.g., a viral protein), undergo mutations that increase their affinity for the antigen, and then start expanding to produce more of these cells.

With 10E8, the researchers identified precursors of the antibody, before these affinity mutations, and engineered immunogens to specifically activate these rare 10E8-class precursor B cells. This technique is called germline targeting.

To test their new immunogens, the researchers created mice that express the 10E8-class precursor B cells, which are normally only found in humans. They found that these B cells were functioning normally in mice, but when they immunized the mice with an immunogen designed to activate their targeted 10E8-class precursors B cells, they didn’t see the expansion they had hoped for, even though they could show that the B cells had high enough affinity to be activated.

Read more on APS website

Image: Orientation of mature 10E8 Fab in relation to the MPER peptide (heavy chain, white; light chain, dark gray; MPER peptide, purple; top left) and surface rendering and positioning of the critical YxFW residues of HCDR3 (bottom left), representative GT10.2-10E8UCAH mAb in complex with a glycan-knockout (KO) version of 10E8-GT10.2 (heavy chain, yellow; light chain, dark gray; targeted MPER graft with GT mutations, purple; top center; structure aligned and oriented to the MPER peptide as in the top left) and designed binding pocket (green) and engagement of the GT10.2-10E8-UCAH mAb HCDR3 (yellow) compared to mature 10E8 HCDR3 (white; bottom center) and representative GT10.2-WT mAb in complex with 10E8-GT10.2 (heavy chain, red; light chain, dark gray; targeted MPER graft with GT mutations, purple; top right) and binding pocket (green; bottom right).

Slow iron hopping through magnetite follows one specific path

Slow iron hopping through magnetite follows one specific path

An international team at DESY and the synchrotron radiation source SOLEIL in France has uncovered the special way in which iron diffuses in the near-surface region of magnetite. By using specially designed thin-films of this iron-oxide, containing the isotope 57Fe, hopping of iron atoms through the crystal lattice was studied by nuclear forward scattering carried out at the PETRA III beamline P01. Surprisingly, the results show that most of the iron hops only through octahedral sites in the crystal lattice. Despite the uncovered low energy barrier, the diffusion process is very slow. The outcome of this study provides new insights addressing the stability of magnetite when used in various applications such as magnetic nanoparticles.

As iron-containing minerals are abundant in the Earth’s crust, iron oxides have permeated many different aspects of the world around us. Magnetite (Fe3O4) is a common iron ore and the oldest magnetic material known to mankind. Its magnetic properties have probably been used in compass-like instruments since the Middle Ages. At present, magnetite nanoparticles have emerged as a very promising material in medicine, either for drug delivery, imaging or cancer therapy by hyperthermia. Each of these applications makes use of magnetite’s magnetic properties: External magnetic fields can be used for steering drug-containing nano-vehicles for contrast-enhancements in magnetic resonance imaging and to destroy cancerous tumours by heating through the Joule effect.

Modern nano-fabrications techniques used to synthesise iron oxides are faced with the problem of their relative stability. It is difficult to control the formation of single-phase magnetite (Fe3O4) versus maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) and hematite (α-Fe2O3), as the structure and oxidation states of iron atoms of these iron oxides are slightly different. In fact, the barriers for transformation of one phase into the other are so low, that even at room-temperature over time unwanted phase transformations can take place. These can have dramatic consequences for the magnetic properties in a particular application. Even less is known about how the phase stability is affected by the surrounding atmosphere which, depending on the application, can be airy or even watery. The fundamental process for these phase transformations is the diffusion of iron within the solid-state material. To study near-surface cation diffusion, an isotopically labelled thin-film was prepared on a magnetite single crystal. The structure of similar thin-films was studied at SOLEIL beamline SixS to be able to correlate structural defects and cation diffusion. Among the different oxides, iron is directly surrounded by either four or eight oxygen atoms which are called tetrahedral and octahedral co-ordination, respectively. Being both, isotope and site selective, nuclear forward scattering at PETRA III beamline P01 showed that not only the temperature-induced diffusion is very slow, but also that it predominantly takes place in the slightly bigger octahedral sites.

Read more on DESY website

Image: An isotopically labelled magnetite thin-film was prepared and temperature induced cation transport was site-selectively observed by nuclear forward scattering.

Credit: Steffen Tober, DESY

Last meal reveals eating habits of Australian sauropod

Last meal reveals eating habits of Australian sauropod

Key Points

  • Research led by Curtin University has confirmed that at least some sauropods were plant eaters
  • The investigation is believed to be the first identification of gut contents in a sauropod
  • Advanced imaging techniques at the Australian Synchrotron and Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering provided supporting evidence of the gut content

International research led by Curtin University and supported by ANSTO, has identified and studied the first sauropod dinosaur gut contents found anywhere in the world. The stomach content was preserved with a reasonably complete skeleton of the Australian Cretaceous species Diamantinasaurus matildae found in Winton Queensland.

Imaging on the Imaging and Medical beamline at the Australian Synchrotron and the neutron tomography instrument Dingo at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering provided supporting evidence of the stomach contents, known as a cololite, and the first sauropod skin found in Australia, which was found associated with the cololite. 

The investigative team, led by Curtin University and Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, included ANSTO, University College London (UK), University of Colorado Boulder (US), University of New England (Aus), Swedish Museum of Natural History, and CSIRO. 

“Our interpretation of this specimen as the preservation of a genuine cololite rests on the physical properties of the rock, studies of the burial decay and preservation processes that affect animal and plant remains as they become fossilised, micro-computed tomographic, and geochemical evidence, as well as the abundance of plants within the cololite relative to other rocks in the site,” explained Dr Jospeh Bevitt, a co-author on the paper published in Current Biology.

“Sauropod dinosaurs are iconic, unmistakable, and include among their ranks the largest terrestrial animals of all time, including Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Argentinasaurus ,” he added.

“There has been little doubt since the 1870s that they were herbivorous, or plant-eating. However, the specific plants eaten by sauropods, and the heights above ground at which they fed, have remained obscure. This is because of the lack of direct fossil evidence in the form of gut contents— until now,” said Dr Bevitt, an expert in analysing fossilised remains of dinosaurs and other prehistoric fossils.

The Diamantinasaurus cololite allowed the research team to draw several overarching conclusions. At least some sauropods were herbivorous, a confirmation that supported more than 150 years of scientific theory. 

Sauropods did not engage in much processing of food in their mouths, which also supported scientific consensus. 

Read more on ANSTO website

Synchrotron light reveals hidden benefits in cobalt-free battery materials

Synchrotron light reveals hidden benefits in cobalt-free battery materials

An international study led by researchers at the ALBA Synchrotron has analysed the effect of cobalt removal from Lithium-rich cathodes using operando multi-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The research, published in Materials Today Energy, reveals that Cobalt-free cathode compositions outperform those with cobalt by reducing oxygen release and improving structural stability. These results point towards a new avenue for sustainable and high-performance battery technologies.

The development of more sustainable and efficient energy storage solutions is one of the main challenges facing society today. At the heart of these initiatives are lithium-ion batteries, powering electric vehicles and enabling sustainable renewable energy storage systems. Their widespread use is driven by their high energy density, stability, and greater efficiency compared to other technologies.

Transition metals like nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), and cobalt (Co) are frequently used in lithium-ion battery cathodes because they promote electrochemical reversible redox reactions, providing high energy density and reliable performances. However, these compositions also suffer from voltage fade and structural instability, leading to performance degradation over multiple cycles. Cobalt was thought to play a particular crucial role in stabilizing the layered structure of these cathode materials by improving electronic conductivity. Yet, its high cost, limited supply, and safety concerns have driven researchers to look for alternatives to reduce or eliminate cobalt from cathodes while enhancing battery performance.

This study, led by researchers at the ALBA Synchrotron, used advanced operando X-ray spectroscopy techniques to observe how cobalt removal affects the material at the atomic level, uncovering key structural and electronic transformations in real time. The main innovation lies in the multi-modal experimental approach, where multi-edge operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy coupled the results obtainable from both the x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectral regions. Moreover, the hard x-ray operando absorption data collected at CLAESS beamline have been coupled with high-resolution transmission X-ray microscopy in the soft x-ray energy range conducted at MISTRAL beamlines, in both cases ALBA beamlines. This approach allowed the researchers to better understand the charge compensation mechanisms during cycling and the specific role of each transition metal and oxygen species.

The study compared two lithium-rich NMC cathodes. NMC is a layered oxide material made of nickel, manganese and cobalt. One of the studied cathodes presented a low cobalt content and the other was Co-free variant, both synthesized via co-precipitation followed by a solid-state reaction. These cathodes were assembled into coin-cell batteries to assess their electrochemical performance through charge and discharge cycles. During cycling, the researchers employed operando multi-edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) to monitor real-time oxidation state changes in transition metals and, indirectly, on the oxygen species. Automated big data post processing has been applied. While the XANES region have been analysed with advanced statistical methods, automated fitting techniques were also exploited to extract complementary quantitative information from the EXAFS signals. Additionally, full-field Transmission X-ray Microscopy (TXM) was used to analyse nanoscale morphological and structural transformations.

The combination of all these techniques provided critical insights into Co’s role in stabilizing the layered structure along cycling and how its absence impacts battery performance.Operando XANES measurements confirmed that in the Co-free material, nickel undergoes a more complete and faster oxidation process during the first charge cycle, which enhances charge compensation and reduces irreversible oxygen loss. The X-ray Microscopy analysis further revealed that removing Co suppresses the formation of the Mn spinel phase in the bulk of the material particles, a key factor in capacity fading. The finding explained the reasons of the observed higher capacity retention over many charging cycles in the Co-free cathode, making it a strong candidate for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

These findings identify a pathway toward more sustainable, high-performance lithium-ion batteries without relying on scarce and expensive cobalt.

“The study confirms that cobalt-free cathodes can outperform those with cobalt and provides a deeper understanding of the involved mechanisms. The use of advanced X-ray spectroscopy techniques allowed us to further refine cathode materials and enhance their efficiency and longevity”, says Laura Simonelli, group leader at the CLAESS beamline and main author of the study.

As the demand for cleaner energy storage solutions rises, this research contributes to the ongoing development of safer, more affordable, and environmentally friendly battery technologies.

Read more on ALBA website