Properties are essential for spray manufacturing and the printing industry

17-Apr-2020

A Swedish-German research team has been using DESY’s X-ray source PETRA III to investigate how surface coatings can be made to attract or repel water using tailor-made latex nanoparticles. Being able to influence the wettability of surfaces during production is important in many applications, ...

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Proof of concept for cascaded terahertz accelerator using long pulses

25-Mar-2020

A team of DESY scientists has built a miniature double particle accelerator that can recycle some of the laser energy fed into the system to boost the energy of the accelerated electrons a second time. The device uses narrowband terahertz radiation which lies between infrared and radio ...

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X-ray analysis points the way to lignin-based components made to measure

03-Mar-2020

The biopolymer lignin is a by-product of papermaking and a promising raw material for manufacturing sustainable plastic materials. However, the quality of this naturally occurring product is not as uniform as that of petroleum-based plastics. An X-ray analysis carried out at DESY reveals for the ...

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Gallium nitride is the second most important semiconductor material after silicon

28-Feb-2020

Using a special pressure furnace, an international team of researchers has analysed the initial stages of the growth of the semiconductor gallium nitride with X-ray light. The observations show for the first time the atomic structure of the interface of the semiconductor material with liquid ...

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Innovative path to novel materials with adaptive electrical and optical properties

04-Feb-2020

A team of researchers has used X-rays from DESY's research light source PETRA III to explore the amazingly diverse self-organisation of liquid crystals in nanometre-sized pores. The study, led by Patrick Huber from the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), shows how liquid crystals arrange ...

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X-ray laser provides unrivalled insight into the first chemical reaction during radiolysis

13-Jan-2020

Using extremely short X-ray flashes, an international team of researchers has for the first time ever observed details of the ultrafast chemical reaction leading to the formation of aggressive radicals when water is irradiated. The study provides unprecedented insights into the process, which can ...

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Innovative approach could deepen insight into the mysterious handedness of life

13-Dec-2019

Many of the molecular building blocks of life have two versions that are mirror images of one another, known as enantiomers. Although seemingly identical, the two enantiomers can have completely different chemical behaviour – a fact that has major implications in our day-to-day lives. For ...

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Study shows effect of X-ray flashes on sensitive biomolecules

26-Sep-2019

An international research team has observed in real time how football molecules made of carbon atoms burst in the beam of an X-ray laser. The study shows the temporal course of the bursting process, which takes less than a trillionth of a second, and is important for the analysis of sensitive ...

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Research team successfully tests plasma photocathode for the first time

20-Sep-2019

Using a trick modelled on the Trojan Horse, a novel electron source can generate extremely brilliant particle beams. The new method uses plasma acceleration technology and promises 100 to 10,000 times more tightly focused electron beams than conventional accelerators can currently deliver. An ...

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New technique enables investigation of industrially relevant materials and processes in motion

30-Aug-2019

A group of researchers has for the first time performed high-speed microscopy using an X-ray laser at the European XFEL. The team produced a super slow-motion movie of a bursting glass capillary with micrometre spatial resolution. The method allows for observations of processes that take place at ...

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