FIRST OPERANDO BATTERY CHARACTERIZATION EXPERIMENT PERFORMED AT MIRAS

A research team lead by the Institut de Ciències de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) has published a new study on polyimides, a promising material for cathodes in metal-organic batteries, a more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Operando measurements were performed, for the first time, at the MIRAS beamline.

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RESEARCHERS STUDY THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN MERCURY AND SELENIUM ENRICHED WHEAT

Scientists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the ALBA Synchrotron published a new paper in the journal Scientific Reports about mercury speciation in selenium biofortified wheat plants exposed to mercury pollution. X-rays absorption spectroscopy measurements were performed at CLÆSS beamline of ALBA to investigate the chemical state of mercury in the cultivated wheat plants.

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GRAPE POMACE, A WASTE OF VITICULTURE, IS EFFECTIVE  FOR NEMATODE PEST CONTROL ON CROPS

Researchers from Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Institute of Agricultural Sciences – CSIC proved the potential of wine production residues as biopesticides in agriculture, thus reducing the waste management problem and contributing to a circular economy. Their work shows that recycled biochar from grape pomace is effective to reduce the parasitic nematode infection of tomato plants in pots. Biochar characterization by synchrotron light infrared spectroscopy was performed at MIRAS beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron.

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RESEARCHERS VISUALIZE IN 3D HOW SARS-COV-2 REPLICATES IN CELLS

The use of different microscopy and tomography techniques, including synchrotron light, unveils how lung cells are modified along the infection in cell culture models. The work is the result of the European consortium CoCID (Compact Cell Imaging Device) with the participation of CSIC groups and the ALBA Synchrotron.

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FIRST-EVER WIRELESS DEVICE DEVELOPED TO MAKE MAGNETISM APPEAR IN NON-MAGNETIC MATERIALS

Researchers at the UAB and ICMAB-CSIC have succeeded in bringing wireless technology to the fundamental level of magnetic devices. The emergence and control of magnetic properties in cobalt nitride layers (initially non-magnetic) by voltage, without connecting the sample to electrical wiring represents a paradigm shift that can facilitate the creation of magnetic nanorobots for biomedicine and computing systems where basic information management processes do not require wiring. Part of the experiments were performed at BOREAS beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron.

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