The ALBA Synchrotron Light Source and the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) have opened a new laboratory at ALBA with the aim to enhance studies in the field of battery research and high temperature superconducting tape developments. The new facility enables users of ALBA, including the important community of CSIC researchers, to significantly optimize experiments involving synchrotron light. The project was jointly funded by the CSIC PTI+ TransEner, funded by the European NextGeneration funds and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and ALBA.
Scientists from EPFL and CSEM have made remarkable progress in the photovoltaics field, specifically in perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells, by achieving an impressive efficiency of 31.25%. This noteworthy accomplishment is a result of advancements in materials and processes that have successfully unlocked the true potential of this emerging technology. Studies at NCD-SWEET beamline of ALBA have been carried out to analyse these materials. The scientific breakthrough behind this milestone has been published in Science, representing a significant step towards a greener, cleaner energy future and the ongoing energy transition.
Researchers from different universities and research facilities, have unveiled how a topological semimetal reacts under high pressure. This compound has great potential in multiple applications such as optical detectors, spintronics, water-splitting devices or 2D field effect transistors. By using X-ray diffraction at the ALBA Synchrotron and Elettra (Italy), along with other techniques, they found out the structural, vibrational and electronic fingerprints of two pressure-induced phase transitions in this material/compound. Results have been published in Materials Today Advances.
CNR, University of Florence and ICMol researchers in collaboration with the ALBA Synchrotron (BOREAS beamline) demonstrated that a spin-crossover (SCO) phenomenon can be observed in a monolayer of Cobalt (II) complexes anchored from solution to a metallic substrate. This strategy paves the way to the realization of smart SCO nanodevices through soft methodologies with prospective applications in spintronics.
Scientists from ICN2 and IREC used the electron microscope dedicated to materials science at JEMCA to study the atomic structure of catalytic materials that are crucial for the functioning of a new type of battery. The images obtained with the microscope were key to resolving the atomic structure of the nanoparticles of spinel catalysts. The results have been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. JEMCA, located at ALBA, was inaugurated in February 2023.
