A team from the Materials Science Institute of Madrid -CSIC) leads an international research that synthetized a zeolite with extra-large pores by expanding and connecting silica chains. This material has applications in water and gas decontamination and catalysis. Experiments carried out at the MSPD beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron had a key role in determining the structure of the zeolite.
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.
A research led by the ITQ-CSIC-UPV has discovered a new catalyst enabling hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to methane with advantages not seen until now. This new catalyst, whose structure and mechanism have been understood by synergistically exploiting different ALBA Synchrotron techniques, can be used for methane (natural syngas) production, that is considered as a promising energy carrier for hydrogen storage.
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.
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.
