The ReMAde@ARI project, offers subsidized access to advanced research infrastructures to small and medium companies in order to help them develop innovative products, manufacturing processes or new advanced materials in the Circular Economy sector. The Circular Economy target areas addressed with this project are, among others, plastics, packaging, automotive, batteries, electronics, construction, textiles, food, and any other industry sector focusing on recycling and reusing products or materials.
Scientists from the University of Granada found out for the first time the composition of Maya lime mortars and stuccoes. These materials are so durable and have survived until our times in an excellent state of preservation. In an article published in Science Advances, materials used to build the Maya site of Copán (Honduras) in the 4th to 9th centuries have been analyzed; with, among other techniques, the MSPD beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron.
InCAEM, In Situ Correlative Facility for Advanced Energy Materials, is a new facility now in construction at the ALBA Synchrotron premises that will be open to all the scientific community for studying advanced materials. On Friday, 14 April 2023, more than 70 members from different Catalan research institutions attended a workshop where InCAEM was presented and explored collaboration opportunities.
From this Wednesday, 12th April, tickets were available for the ALBA Synchrotron open day, which will take place on 20th May from 09:00 to 19:00 h. Tickets have been sold out in less than 2 days.
From 20th to 24th March the ALBA Synchrotron hosted the European course HERCULES, where 20 young researchers from all over the world learned about synchrotron light science with the help of ALBA scientists. During the week, ALBA staff provided training for these students in a practical way about cutting-edge techniques with synchrotron radiation, with applications in fields such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Hard & Soft Condensed Matter.
A scientific collaboration between scientists from Universidad de Oviedo and ALBA Synchrotron has achieved a detailed description of magnetic singularities and their interactions from the analysis of data acquired at MISTRAL beamline with the magnetic vector tomography technique. The results of the study, fully experimental not involving simulations and published at Communications Physics, provide a solid ground to understand fundamental knowledge about these singularities, what may have future applications on the design of magnetic devices.
ReMade@ARI (REcyclable MAterials DEvelopment at Analytical Reserach Infrastructures) is a hub dedicated to developing new materials for a circular economy. It provides scientists exploring the properties and structures of recyclable materials with coordinated access to more than 50 European analytical research infrastructures. Now, ReMade@ARI is happy to announce its first call for proposals for 2023. The deadline for proposal submission is 30th April 2023.
A study published in Advanced Functional Materials and led by researchers in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with BOREAS beamline at the ALBA Synchrotron, has proved the possibility to store magnetic information in picosecond timescales at a fullerene - oxide interface by using the photocurrent generated in the molecular layer. This holds great potential for the development of eco-friendly, ultra-fast hybrid information memories and magneto-optic sensors working via light or electrical irradiation at high frequencies.
More than 280 high school students from 12 to 14 years old have participated in the second edition of 'Ciència en Colors'. The educational project included a total of 20 workshops in 6 schools in Barcelona, Cerdanyola and Barberà del Vallès. Students have the opportunity to meet some of the people working at ALBA and think about the importance of diversity in science.
IMPRESS is a new EU-funded scientific project coordinated by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy), which aims to revolutionize the field of transmission electron microscopy. 19 partners from 11 European countries take part, being the ALBA Synchrotron one of them.
This cutting-edge facility houses two high-end electron microscopes: one to determine the structure of large protein complexes and another to study materials at atomic level. Created thanks to the joint effort of several research institutes, the centre is located at the ALBA Synchrotron and is open to the entire scientific community. The Catalan Minister for Research and Universities inaugurated the centre, which has received funding from the Catalan Government's ERDF programme, on 24 February.
A comprehensive perspective study has been published by ICMAB-CSIC and ALBA researchers where they analyze the usefulness of current synchrotron-based techniques for the battery field. The study concludes that, rapid progress in the understanding of batteries at all scales is taking place, which should enable to improve battery performance in the not-so-far future.
The Functional Layered Materials for Advanced Applications - FUNLAYERS project consists of a twinning initiative aimed to propel INL’s research excellence in the field of layered materials whilst unfolding its tremendous potential applications for energy storage and spintronics in partnership with two world-class European institutions at the forefront of material science – the ALBA Synchrotron and the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics (MPG).
Nanocatalysts are key for the future of sustainable chemistry, yet, they typically suffer from rapid deactivation caused by a process called sintering. In a recent study led by the ALBA Synchrotron and Ghent University, researchers have developed an integrated approach where they complement the use of several characterization techniques to study platinum nanoparticle sintering at the micro-, meso- and macroscale. The demonstrated approach shows that mesoscale heterogeneities in the nanoparticle population drive sintering. This work will help broaden the fundamental understanding of nanoparticle sintering and thus design better strategies for catalyst fabrication.
Researchers at IRB Barcelona managed to carry out a structural analysis of the FoxH1 protein in unprecedented detail. The study, with data obtained at the XALOC beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron, has revealed how this protein binds to different DNA sites in embryonic development and in tumors associated with high levels of gene expression. That shows its underlying potential for developing treatments against diseases related with this process.
An international collaboration has performed a novel study of the nature of magnetic spirals in Mn1.4PtSn at the MaReS endstation of BOREAS beamline. They have achieved a novel observation of a complex metastable magnetic phase of mixed character of both Bloch-type helix and Néel-type cycloid. These results have an underlying potential for future applications in spintronic technologies, such as MRAMs, and energy saving technologies.
Researchers from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and ALBA in collaboration with colleagues from IMDEA Nanoscience, CSIC, UAM and the Swiss Synchrotron SLS-PSI, have achieved a direct measurement of the Spin hall effect using element sensitive X-ray detection. The study, performed at the PEEM experimental station of the CIRCE beamline, holds great potential for the development of better, more efficient devices in the field of information technologies.
The President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Pere Aragonès, has visited the ALBA Synchrotron and has announced the allocation of three adjacent plots for the ALBA II upgrade project.
Having reached the operation status in 2016, CLEAR spectrometer at CLÆSS beamline has now proved its potential to push forward the research in different fields such as spintronics, the development of better batteries and deeper understanding on highly correlated systems such as superconductive materials.
A research project led by the University of Porto in collaboration with the ALBA Synchrotron has studied for the first time the interaction of nanoparticles with the skin, using synchrotron light at the MIRAS beamline. The findings unveil the role of the different skin components and the mechanism of the permeation enhancement conferred with nanoparticles, made from marine polymers. A nano delivery system application in the skin will reduce the dosage needed due to controlled drug delivery and allow newer and better-targeting therapeutic strategies towards cutaneous administration.
EuPRAXIA is the first European project that develops a dedicated particle accelerator research infrastructure based on novel plasma acceleration concepts and laser technology. ALBA participates in the design of accelerators components and the design and development of particle and photon beam diagnostics.
The Spanish Minister for Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, and the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Joaquim Nadal, have visited the ALBA Synchrotron today, where they could know more about the experiments in progress and see how makes progress the construction of new beamlines and the installation of the electron microscopy platform.
Led by the ICMAB-CSIC with the collaboration of, among others, the ALBA Synchrotron and based on the excellence obtained in the previous programme, DOCFAM+ (offers 26 doctoral scholarships for young researchers from all around the world in the Barcelona area.
From 12 to 20 November 2022, the ALBA Synchrotron collaborates with the city of Cerdanyola del Vallès hosting a new festival of science and literature that will bring different activities: roundtables, poetry, exhibitions, books' market, etc. The event is curated by researcher and writer Salvador Macip.
Just before the last Summer shutdown, XAIRA beamline achieved a key milestone, with the beamline optics seeing their first light. A great success for the beamline, reached thanks to the contributions of many people! This project is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
A research work led by the University of Valencia (Spain) has reported the fabrication of a novel device that allows the robust electrical detection of a fast and effective light-induced and thermally induced spin transition with an outstanding performance. It represents a tool with promising potential for generating new systems with applications in spintronics and straintronics. Experiments carried out at the BOREAS beamline have been crucial in this study.
IMDEA Nanociencia and ICMol researchers in collaboration with the ALBA Synchrotron achieved the stabilization of a high orbital magnetic moment in cobalt atoms directing a metal-organic network on a metallic surface. This strategy could lead to the development of low dimensional metal-organic materials with high magnetic anisotropy for prospective applications in spintronic devices.
More than 40 persons belonging to leading companies from the steel and automotive sectors attended last Wednesday 27th of September the event promoted by ALBA and PLATEA, the Spanish technology platform for steel.
HERCULES EUROPEAN SCHOOL is a five week course that provides training for scientists in the field of Neutrons, X-ray Synchrotron Radiation, and Free Electron Laser for condensed matter studies. The programme includes lectures, practicals, tutorials, and a one-week stay in a Large European Facility. The ALBA Synchrotron is one of the HERCULES’ partner institutions that will host the students for their training.
New opportunities for SMEs! TamaTA-INNOV project offers funded and confidential measurements in different European light sources for SMEs. A new call is open till the end of July 2023.
Researchers from the UPC, the University of Udine (Italy) and the ALBA Synchrotron have discovered a palladium and platinum catalyst, the first to eliminate methane emissions from transport and other human activities to reduce global warming. The study has been recently published in Nature Communications.
From 5 to 8 September 2022, more than 140 delegates had the opportunity to meet in-person again at the X AUSE Conference and V ALBA User's Meeting in Barcelona, which for the first time included a special session dedicated to X-ray free electron lasers (XFEL). During four days, they shared the latest results obtained in many different scientific fields and discussed about the future of the synchrotron and XFEL radiation facilities and their complementarity with other techniques, like the Electron Microscopy (EM).
From 26 to 30 September 2022 the LEEM-PEEM Conference will be held in Cordoba (Spain), counting with the collaboration of different ALBA staff members, as well as some of its users. LEEM-PEEM is a biennial meeting that reviews the state of the art of surface microscopy using low energy electrons.
A research lead by the company BASF has characterized a new methodology to produce nickel-rich cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries that optimizes the conventional production process. The proposed model leads to an increase in throughput by a factor of three, representing a considerable increase in the efficiency of future cathode active materials production for battery electric vehicles. The contributions of the MSPD beamline at ALBA have been key in these findings.
Starting on September 1, 2022 this European research infrastructure project aims at leveraging the development of innovative, sustainable materials for key components in the most diverse sectors. The project is under the leadership of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the ALBA Synchrotron is one of the partners.
An international collaboration led by the University of Zurich has demonstrated a method to control the charge-transfer mechanism arising at the interface between distinct perovskite oxides. X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments at BOREAS beamline of ALBA facilitated the observation of the engineered charge transfer between the different components of the epitaxial heterostructures. The results have been published in the journal Advanced Materials.
A study by the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, ICFO, CIBERER and the ALBA Synchrotron has helped demonstrate that gene therapy can reverse the effects of the mutation that causes the symptoms of congenital muscular dystrophy in patient cells. The mutation, which leads to a disorder in the body's collagen, has been silenced through a genetic editing technique based on the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Experiments at the MISTRAL beamline in ALBA have revealed previously unknown cell damage.Congenital muscular dystrophy is a rare minority disease that mainly affects children and has no treatment.
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.
Lina Gálvez, MEP of the Spanish Socialist Delegation (PSOE), visited the ALBA Synchrotron together with its director, Caterina Biscari, and other members of the management, last July 21st.
Human aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) is an enzyme that binds ATP, as well as a biomarker of tumor-initiating cells responsible for resistance to chemotherapy. According to a study by the UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in collaboration with the ALBA Synchrotron, their silencing restores the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents.
The 4th edition of this science educational project launched by the ALBA Synchrotron has concluded with the end of the school year. Now, ALBA Mission opens registration for the next academic year 22-23. Primary school teachers can sign up their groups of 10-12 years old children for the fifth edition of ALBA Mission at www.misionalba.es. 500 available places are offered in order to reach more than 15,000 students from all over the country. With the experiments proposed by ALBA staff through the project webpage, kids enter into the research world and learn science related to the Synchrotron.
About 30 pharmaceutical companies visited the ALBA Synchrotron to participate in a workshop to learn the applications of synchrotron light in drug development.
Within the series of outreach videos developed in collaboration with FECYT, the ALBA Synchrotron has released two videos explaining experiments aimed at understanding the behavior of the virus that causes Covid-19 as well as possible treatments.
The ALBA Synchrotron, in collaboration with the FECYT, has made a series of five informative videos in which some examples of experiments performed with synchrotron light are reported. The first one, starring M. Rosa Palacín from ICMAB-CSIC, talks about the study of batteries.
Periodic lanthanide networks can bare a set of appealing properties for applications in nanomagnetism, spintronics and quantum informatics. Controlling their structural and electronic properties is of paramount importance for future applications. The multidisciplinary study performed by IMDEA Nanoscience researchers in collaboration with ALBA staff reports on the realization of erbium and dysprosium directed networks. The authors show that by supramolecular engineering it is possible to tune the electronic and the magnetic properties of the networks by switching the lanthanide metal while keeping unaltered the structural properties of the networks.
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 17th of June 2022, the ALBA Synchrotron is organising a workshop addressed to the pharmaceutical industry to showcase its applications and value in this field. The event takes place at the ALBA facilities in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona) and is organised with the collaboration of BIOCAT and the European project LEAPS-Innov.
Acelerando Electrones closes its first season devoting the 6th program to the scientific profession. Three people who work at ALBA talk about their experience of working in a synchrotron.
Researchers propose and demonstrate for the first time a new concept for the transfer of magnetic data in three dimensions based on geometrical effects for the interconnection of functional spintronic planes. The device is based on a magnetic nanostructure and promotes the spontaneous motion of bits without the need to apply any external stimuli. This work has promising applications in spintronics. Experiments at the CIRCE beamline in ALBA were key to characterize the magnetic structures and confirm their functioning.
The Commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Dual Training in Catalonia took place yesterday, May 25th, at the CaixaForum in Barcelona. The ALBA Synchrotron received recognition for its fidelity and commitment to Dual Training. Since 2015, more than 90 students have done internships in ALBA. The event reflected the success of this initiative as well as the recognition of the effort and commitment of companies, schools and students.
