Researchers from Universitat Politècnica de València, Universidad de La Laguna, Universidad de Cantabria and the ALBA Synchrotron have published a new work on high pressure chemistry in gallium (III) sulphide chalcogenide. In this work, relevant fingerprints (vibrational and structural) of a pressure-induced paralectric to ferroelectric phase transition are shown. This is the first time when a tetradymite-like (R3m) phase has been synthesized and observed experimentally in gallium-based sequichalcogenides. High pressure X-ray diffraction measurements were carried out at MSPD beamline of ALBA.
Researchers have developed a new approach to synthesis of a single-crystalline cathode material that is extremely stable with respect to internal stresses compared to the polycrystalline material, which is traditionally used. This new cathode has promising applications in the field of lithium-ion batteries for electronics, electric cars, etc. Some of the experiments were carried out at the MSPD beamline in ALBA.
The new zeolite, named ZEO-1, shows a three-dimensional system of interconnected extra-large pores (around 10 Å), the highest observed in stable zeolites after 80 years of research. It could work as a catalyst in fine chemistry for the production of pharmaceutical intermediates, in controlled substance release, for pollution abatement or as a support for the encapsulation of photo- or electroactive species. Experiments at the MSPD beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron were key to determine the accurate structure of ZEO-1.
A new Position Sensitive Detector has been installed in the ALBA Synchrotron beamline devoted to high-angular resolution and high throughput standard powder diffraction. The project is co-funded by the Spanish government through the 2019 call for Scientific-Technical Equipment.
A new work published in Nature Materials demonstrates that a novel class of materials, namely transition metal halides, can be now employed as Li-ion batteries electrodes by using superconcentrated electrolytes instead of regular diluted electrolytes in which they dissolve. The study is led by the Collège de France and has used the MSPD beamline of ALBA to monitor the evolution of the metal halides structures upon cycling in a battery, which was crucial for the study.
