A week of visits by European representatives took place in Lund from June 19–22, prominently reflecting the knowledge development and innovation drive priorities of Sweden’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. A range of governmental representatives including Swedish Minister of Education Mats Persson, Ebba Busch, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, EU ministers and delegates, scientific speakers, and guests attended the conference, The Potential of Research Data: How Research Infrastructures Provide New Opportunities and Benefits for Society hosted by Sweden, the Swedish Research Council VR and Vinnova.
Report: MAX IV and the Industry 2022
In addition to the annual Highlights report, MAX IV releases a new report focusing on the industrial utilisation of the facility.
Olof Karis becomes Director for MAX IV
Olof Karis, former Interim Director of MAX IV, has been appointed as the Director of MAX IV following an open recruitment process and the recommendation of the MAX IV Board. The decision was made by the Vice-Chancellor of Lund University, the host university for MAX IV. MAX IV, Sweden’s synchrotron, is fully operational with 16
X-ray eyes on artifact from shipwreck Gribshunden
When history meets present-day science fascinating things reveal themselves. In such a case, a sample of chain mail from the 15th century Danish flagship, Gribshunden, was recently analysed at MAX IV’s NanoMAX beamline. Researchers from Lund University want to know more about the structural and chemical makeup of the metal to give us a window into Sweden’s past.
Bacterial biomass conversion for renewable fuels
Imagine this future. Vehicles and machinery primarily powered by renewable organic matter, a resource far better for the planet’s health than today’s predominate fossil fuels. What factors stand in the way for a global power transition to competitive, industrial-scale biomass conversion? A study in Nature Communications reveals one key piece of the puzzle using bacterial enzymes. At MAX IV’s BioMAX beamline, an international team of scientists has determined important rate-limiting steps of lignocellulose breakdown, a major hurdle in efficient biomass processing. The discovery holds promise for a significant reduction in manufacturing costs and faster adoption of new biomass-derived fuels to market.
Student engagement at MAX IV with MATRAC School
Forty-five university students recently got an exciting opportunity to visit MAX IV and PETRA III, attend lectures, and explore beamline technologies hands-on through the MATRAC I School. The educational programme, held in March this year, provides knowledge on the application of neutron and X-ray radiation in engineering materials science.
Fragment-based research on potent, non-covalent inflammatory drugs goes forward
Researchers’ collaborative efforts from Denmark and Germany used BioMAX beamline to discover selective, non-covalent inhibitors of Keap1– a common target against oxidative stress and inflammation. The result is a potent antithesis of the currently available drugs acting as covalent inhibitors.
New potential drug for type 2 diabetes treatment explored at MAX IV
The drug discovery company Implexion Pharma and researchers from Lund University have explored new potential drug candidates for type 2 diabetes using X-ray crystallography research techniques at MAX IV.
Reaction undercover: boosting the potency of catalysts
To sever society’s tether from fossil fuels, the development of more efficient catalysts for renewable energy production is a recognized, key step. On surfaces covered by 2D materials, a more detailed picture of the reaction process will greatly enhance our understanding, according to a recent study in ACS Catalysis. Researchers in Sweden have observed the effects of hydrogen and other gas combinations on 2D material graphene during undercover reactions using ambient-pressure XPS at MAX IV’s HIPPIE beamline.
A celebration of MAX IV’s beginnings
Today, MAX IV employees gathered in the reception for a special ribbon cutting ceremony. Displayed prominently for the first time at MAX IV is the silver medal Mikael Eriksson received from Lund University for his decades of work developing the technology at MAX IV Laboratory as a Lund University senior professor in accelerator physics, and Machine Director and Design Coordinator at MAX IV. Mikael’s contributions have established Lund city as a scientific innovation hotspot on the world stage.