Great expertise on small particles - expert days on particle characterization at LUM France

04-Jun-2025 - On June 24th and 25th, LUM France and LUM GmbH are organizing the expert days on particle characterization at the LUM France headquarters in Plaisir (Paris). Customers from France are cordially invited to receive theoretical training on the measuring devices from LUM GmbH and to convince ...

Stronger and safer: new design strategy for aluminium combines strength with hydrogen embrittlement resistance

40% increase in strength and a five-fold improvement in hydrogen embrittlement resistance compared to scandium-free alloys

06-May-2025 - Aluminium alloys are well-known for their low weight and corrosion resistance, making them ideal candidates for applications in a low-carbon economy - from lightweight automobiles to tanks for storing green hydrogen. However, their widespread application is limited by a key challenge: they suffer ...

Scientists achieve breakthrough in laser-alignment for macromolecular single-particle imaging

Visualization of molecular structures with unprecedented detail

15-Apr-2025 - Single-particle diffractive imaging (SPI) using X-ray free-electron lasers allows researchers to reconstruct the structure of nanoparticles and biomolecules. However, the technique often requires imaging up to several billion nanoparticles to produce the image and imposes limitations on its ...

From defect to high-tech material

Atomic-level precision: Research team sheds light on nanosynthesis

05-Mar-2025 - Cadmium selenide nanoplatelets provide a promising foundation for the development of innovative electronic materials. Since the turn of the millennium, researchers around the world have taken a particular interest in these tiny platelets, which are only a few atoms thick, as they offer ...

Scented wax melts may not be as safe for indoor air as initially thought, study finds

25-Feb-2025 - As traditional candles burn, they can contribute to indoor air pollution by emitting volatile compounds and smoke, which may pose inhalation risks. Scented wax melts are often marketed as safer alternatives to candles because they’re flame- and smoke-free. But in a study,researchers describe how ...

Nanoplastics at lofty heights

Researchers detect microscopic plastic particles on alpine glaciers with the help of mountaineers

18-Feb-2025 - Nanoplastics - plastic particles smaller than 1 µm - are widely dispersed because of their low weight. A research team coordinated by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has now published an article in Scientific Reports that shows the extent to which glaciers at an altitude of ...

AI speeds up nanoparticle research

Massive time saving

14-Feb-2025 - A team of researchers at the University of Konstanz has succeeded in adapting an AI system to reliably assist with making nanoparticle measurements which speeds up the research process significantly. Nanoparticle researchers spend most of their time on one thing: counting and measuring ...

Walk like a … gecko?

Animal footpads inspire a polymer that sticks to ice

05-Feb-2025 - A solution to injuries from slips and falls may be found underfoot — literally. The footpads of geckos have hydrophilic (water-loving) mechanisms that allow the little animalsto easily move over moist, slick surfaces. Researchers in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces report using silicone rubber ...

Imaging with attosecond short X-ray flashes

Breakthrough opens the door to visualising ultrafast processes, such as chemical reactions, with unprecedented temporal precision

28-Jan-2025 - A team of researchers from the University of Hamburg and collaborators has achieved a breakthrough by capturing images of individual nanoparticles using single X-ray attosecond pulses. This advancement, which has been published in Nature Communications, sets the stage for high-resolution ...

From soot particle filters to renewable fuels

Unravelling the chemical processes in soot particle filters reveals new ways to produce synthetic fuels

23-Jan-2025 - Carbon particles are present in many aspects of our daily lives. Soot, which consists of tiny carbon particles, is generated when energy sources such as oil or wood are not completely burned. Soot particle filters, in turn, remove the nanometer- to micrometer-sized particles from car exhaust ...