First Experiment at the ALBA Synchrotron
The first of seven beamlines at the ALBA synchrotron light facility (Catalonia, Spain) has been put to work.
The first of seven beamlines at the ALBA synchrotron light facility (Catalonia, Spain) has been put to work. The BOREAS line, assigned to studying materials using X-ray spectroscopy, was used in an experiment that studied the magnetic behavior of specific nanoparticles that improve the properties of superconductor tapes so that they can transmit larger amounts of electricity more efficiently.
Researchers Eduardo Solano and Josep Ros, of the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain) Department of Chemistry, together with researchers Jaume Gàzquez, Susagna Ricart, and Teresa Puig of the Superconductors Group, Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (Bellaterra, Spain), are studying the nanostructure of superconductor layers of superconductor ceramic material (YBa2Cu3O7), incorporated with metal oxide nanoparticles. Because the material can be cooled down easily by using liquid nitrogen to maintain its superconductor properties, it allows for the transfer of electricity from one point to another without losing much of the energy, with an efficiency much greater than conventional electric cables.
The project is one of 50 chosen from 203 proposals presented for the seven beamlines. Of the proposals, 167 came from Spain, 30 from other European countries, and the six remaining projects were sent from Asia and the United States.
Getting accurate IR spectra on monolayer of molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.
