Fractals make better superconductors

Superconductivity, where a material conducts electricity at very low temperature with no resistance, and therefore transmission wastes virtually no energy, has applications ranging from medical scanners to maglev trains. Until now, scientists have f … (16-08-2010) Read More…

One month to submit your proposals

Summer is, in many countries, a quiet period when scientists can catch up with ongoing papers and work that has been slowly piling up. It is also a great time to start writing your proposals for experiments at the ESRF. There is still plenty of time, … (02-08-2010) Read More…

New light on Leonardo Da Vinci’s faces

PRESS RELEASE - Paris, 15 July - How did Leonardo Da Vinci manage to paint such perfect faces? For the first time a quantitative chemical analysis has been done on seven paintings from the Louvre Museum (including the Mona Lisa) without extracting an … (15-07-2010) Read More…

Better cartilage imaging by phase-contrast computed tomography

Phase-contrast X-ray imaging provides substantially enhanced contrast resolution for soft-tissues compared to conventional absorption radiography. Here, researchers demonstrate that phase contrast computed tomography can depict structural properties … (24-08-2010) Read More…

Exploring the pores in a heavy metal: the 3D microstructure of coatings for nuclear fusion reactors is revealed by high-resolution synchrotron microtomography

Three-dimensional images of the porous microstructure in plasma-sprayed tungsten are needed to assess whether the material is suitable as a coating for nuclear fusion reactors. High-resolution synchrotron-radiation microtomography (SRµCT) is the on … (06-08-2010) Read More…

Roughness as a motor for reaction oscillations

Oscillatory chemical reactions are often called chemical ‘clocks’ due to their periodic nature. A well-known system that shows periodic oscillation of reaction rate is the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide over platinum and palladium surface … (27-07-2010) Read More…