Stroke affects around 15 million people globally every year according to the WHO. Stroke can lead to significant health consequences or even death, and further knowledge of causes for prevention is a priority. Atherosclerotic plaques that can rupture and cause stroke has been investigated by a combination of X-ray imaging and machine learning to understand more about stability and risks.
Forging designer supramolecular hydrogels
A research group from the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom reports in the journal Nature Synthesis that dynamic supramolecular hydrogels can be designed with desired structures using a new ‘forging’ technique. The out-of-equilibrium system was tested using MAX IV’s Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) beamline, CoSAXS.
Multitasking microalgae fight pollution
Microalgae for pollution removal is the topic of two recent studies by MAX IV users. The storage mechanism of phosphorous in the algae was investigated in detail contributing to method development for pollution removal from wastewater. The phosphorous-containing algae can, in turn, be used to soak up metal pollutants.
Effects of salt particles on climate studied at MAX IV
Clouds have a large effect on the climate. They form around tiny aerosol particles present in the atmosphere. Salt aerosol particles can originate from both sea and inland sources such as desert and playa areas. A unique set-up for studying salt aerosol particles at MAX IV will give insights that can inform climate models.
Acoustofluidic Crystallography: The next leap in serial crystallography at MAX IV
The innovative project “Acoustofluidic Crystallography” (AFX) is set to revolutionize the field of serial crystallography (SX) by introducing a novel sample delivery method that promises to enhance the efficiency and reliability of experiments conducted at synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs). This cutting-edge research is a collaborative effort involving KTH Royal Institute of Technology, DESY, and MAX IV, funded by the LEAPS-INNOV initiative (GA: 101004728).
Chiral materials open opportunities for spintronics
Spintronics technology has taken a step forward with new experimental evidence of parallel spin-momentum locking in chiral materials. Results from the spin branch of the Bloch experiment station contributed to the discovery.
The dawning of new interpretation for RIXS spectra
In a recent study at Veritas beamline, researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden observed parity-forbidden transitions to electronic states in an oxygen molecule due to interference analogous to Young’s double split experiment (YDSE). The findings, published in Science Advances, may change the way spectral data is interpreted for RIXS experiments and refine the conventional wisdom in synchrotron science for the interplay of photons with the dynamics of atomic nuclei in molecules.
xrdPlanner: a new, versatile beamtime planner
Planning and preparing for a beamtime experiment at synchrotron facilities can be challenging and time-consuming, especially for first-time users and students with no previous experience. The team at DanMAX, MAX IV, developed xrdPlanner, an open-source software package to aid the preparation of powder X-ray diffraction and total scattering experiments at synchrotron light sources.
Gut bacteria and atomic structure tell the story of universal blood
In clinical practice it is well established that type O blood, which lacks A and B antigens on the red blood cells, can be safely used in universal blood transfusions for any ABO blood group. Serious or even fatal immune reactions may occur if one receives incompatible blood from a donor. How might we mitigate the risks for low donor supply or unusable blood in emergencies? Research groups from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Lund University now report in Nature Microbiology, an enzymatic conversion method to create ABO-universal blood, a major leap towards human blood that could potentially enable live-saving blood donations to anyone, without negative immune response or the need for matched donor-recipient blood types. Data for the structural determination of key enzymes used in conversion of the ABO-universal blood was collected at MAX IV’s BioMAX beamline.
Nano-focused X-rays aid integrated circuit development
A modern chip contains billions of transistors. The size of individual features is just a couple of tens of nanometres. With decreasing size follows increased demands on material control and characterisation down to the atomic scale. The nano-focused X-ray beam at beamline NanoMAX prove to be a useful tool for investigating electromigration, a significant cause of failure in on-chip interconnects.