Around 50 people attended the industrial seminar organized by the ALBA Synchrotron where companies were able to know how to use synchrotron light for analyzing materials such as cements, pigments, ceramics and glasses. The event was officially opened by the Minister of Business and Knowledge of the Catalan Government, Jordi Baiget.

Materials such as cements or concretes, pigments, ceramics or glasses are fully integrated in our day lives covering a double mission: structural and decorative. Science and construction materials seem to be faraway concepts. However, the knowledge and control of their physical and chemical properties together with their manufacturing processes can directly affect their performance.

On Friday 6th May, around 50 people coming from more than 30 different companies and institutions attended the industrial seminar organized by the ALBA Synchrotron. There, they were able to find out the main advantages of using synchrotron light for analyzing these materials: faster experiments, more flexibility in the experimental conditions, lower detection levels and higher resolution, among others.

The event was started by the Minister of Business and Knowledge of the Catalan Government, Jordi Baiget, who encouraged the participants to use ALBA's techniques, and by Caterina Biscari, director of the ALBA Synchrotron. During the event, several ALBA researchers explained the available techniques and the type of problems they can solve. For example, using synchrotron light it is possible to discover the time needed for cement curing or to understand its hydration processes. It was also mentioned that synchrotron light can help to better undesrtand the degradation processes of materials by determining the oxidation states of their elements. Two industrial users from ALBA, Nubiola-Ferro Company – world-wide leader the pigments sector – and X-Ray Data Services – spin-off company from the Malaga University, specialized in analyzing cements with synchrotron light- also gave two talks commenting examples, results and sharing their experiences with the audience. The event finished with a visit to the experimental hall and beamlines. But there were also different sessions for networking between ALBA researchers and attendees.

"We are very satisfied that, more and more, companies are interested in using the scientific and technological possibilities of the ALBA Synchrotron to improve their products", says Alejandro Sánchez, responsible of the Industrial Liaison Office.

This seminar has been the 3rd industrial seminar organized by the ALBA Industrial Liaison Office. Previous editions were devoted to the pharmaceutical sector in 2015 and the chemical industry in 2014, counting both of them with the presence of more than 40 attendants each. The access of proprietary users in ALBA has progressively increased in the last years. In 2015, industrial users have increased by more than twice with respect to the 2014 period. Six out of its seven operational beamlines hosted industrial experiments in 2015, being the most requested the powder diffraction and macromolecular crystallography beamlines. A new beamline very promising for industrial applications, devoted to Infrared microspectroscopy, will start operation at the end of 2016.

Left, the Minister of Business and Knowledge of the Catalan Government, Jordi Baiget, opens the industrial seminar.  Right, talk by Ricard March from Nubiola-Ferro. 

From left to right, Ramon Pascual, president of the Executive Commission of ALBA, the minister Baiget and Caterina Biscari, director of the ALBA Synchrotron. Right, talk by Gema Álvarez-Pinazo from the company X-Ray Data Services.

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