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Materials for energy in the next ESRFnews
The March issue of the ESRFnews will devote most of its space to research on materials that contribute to a greener future. Fuel cells, hydrogen storage materials, or the design of the batteries of the future are some examples of the stories in this issue. … (08-03-2010)
Understanding tendons at all levels
Tendons are multi-level fibre composite materials that transfer muscle forces to the bones. They are made up of collagen and have a hierarchical structure. In daily activity, tendons modulate fluctuating physiological loads through a time-dependent mechanical response. This can relieve stress under … (12-02-2010)
New-look Users' Meeting attracts more users
The ESRF Users’ Meeting has always been a forum for the users and the management, where new scientific challenges are discussed and recent achievements are presented. This year there have been more talks in different fields in order to cater for a wider scientific audience. Feedback sessions were … (12-02-2010)
Labs on ESRF site join forces
The Institut Laue Langevin, the Grenoble outstation of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the ESRF, already physically close to each other, are now even closer. The site where they are all based is now called European Photon and Neutron science campus, or EPN science campus. A recently cr… (10-02-2010)
A new perspective for understanding the mechanisms of catalytic conversion
PRESS RELEASE - The oxidation of toxic carbon monoxide (CO) to carbon dioxide occurs every day in millions of cars. Despite being one of the most studied catalytic processes, the exact mechanism of interaction between the carbon monoxide molecule and the catalyst, often platinum, is not fully unders… (09-02-2010)
Germany meets Grenoble
On 27 and 28 January 2010, the European research institutes in Grenoble ESRF, ILL and EMBL hosted the 1st Innovation Forum Germany @ Grenoble, organised on behalf of Germany’s Research Ministry, BMBF. Nearly 40 managers of German SMEs, technology transfer companies and research centres gathered fo… (29-01-2010)
Pinning down the defects of silicon solar panels
Many of the rooftops of new apartment blocks in Europe these days are covered by solar panels that aim at picking up the rays of the sun and converting them into energy. New guidelines point this as a cheap way of producing clean energy. Despite the success of solar panels, there is still room for a… (19-01-2010)
Time-resolved studies feature in latest ESRFnews
Experiments over time are currently carried out on several beamlines at the ESRF. This research is also one of the five key areas defining the core of the Upgrade Programme. The last ESRFnews of the year is dedicated to this subject. … (16-12-2009)
The Partnership for Soft Condensed Matter sees the light
The science at many ESRF beamlines and ILL instruments will increase significantly over the next years thanks to a new Partnership for Soft Condensed Matter (PSCM). On 27 November 2009, the Directors of the ESRF and the ILL established this collaboration with the signature of a Memorandum of Underst… (04-12-2009)
Kick-off for new "nano-friendly" and ecological Upgrade Programme buildings
PRESS RELEASE - The signature of a contract between the ESRF and the engineering company GINGER Sechaud Bossuyt on 27 November marks the beginning of the study phase and the subsequent construction works to implement the ambitious Upgrade Programme. The extension of the experimental hall by 18,000 m… (08-12-2009)
Getting to grips with the freeze
Winter is getting close and, with it, inevitably, icy roads and paths. Despite it being a common problem in cold weather, there is still no way to avoid it. This is mostly because scientists still don’t know exactly how particles move when they are being frozen. However, researchers from the Labor… (23-11-2009)
A bunch of flowers for the ESRF
A reception for Ada Yonath, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry this year, took place at the ESRF on 5 November.… (10-11-2009)
Obituary: Ruprecht Haensel (1935-2009), first Director General of the ESRF
It is with great sadness that the ESRF learnt that Ruprecht Haensel, first Director General of ESRF, passed away on 20 October after a long illness. Under his guidance, the ESRF, the first third generation synchrotron source in the world, came into operation. He led the institute from 1986, even bef… (21-10-2009)
ESRF gets good marks from US physicists
The American Physical Society (APS) has recently completed the study "Access to Major International X-Ray and Neutron Scattering Facilities", which explores how scientists' access to light and neutron sources has been evolving not only in the US but also internationally. The final report has been po… (20-10-2009)
Two long-term users of the ESRF win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Ada Yonath, from the Weizmann Institute (Israel) and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge (UK), both ESRF long-term users, have been awarded the Nobel Prize of Chemistry 2009. The award is given for the study of the structure and function of the ribosome,… (23-10-2009)
Bacterium helps formation of gold
PRESS RELEASE- Australian scientists have found that the bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans catalyses the biomineralisation of gold by transforming toxic gold compounds to their metallic form using active cellular mechanism. … (07-10-2009)
ESRF and SOLEIL to host the international synchrotron instrumentation meeting
The two lightsources based in France, the ESRF in Grenoble, and SOLEIL in Paris, will welcome the next Synchrotron Radiation and Instrumentation (SRI) meeting, which will take place in 2012. The decision has just been announced at this year’s SRI conference, which has brought together 700 particip… (02-10-2009)
Scientists measure radiative heat exchange at the nanoscale
In the near future thermal radiation might assist nano-lithography for computer technology. Photovoltaics could also take advantage of easier thermal transfer at nanoscale. Scientists of CEA, CNRS and ESRF have recently followed up and measured the law that governs heat transfers between two surface… (17-09-2009)
Take a trip to the centre of the Earth
The Earth is still an enigma. But the ESRF is helping to demystify our planet, its composition and inner activity.… (15-09-2009)
In sync: 100 days of the new directors of research
In the new issue of ESRFnews, Harald Reichert and Serge Pérez, the new directors of research, discuss the challenges of the Upgrade programme, their day-to-day work and how they lead the science of the ESRF. … (09-09-2009)
Frankfurter Rundschau über Sternenstaub
Structural studies of virulence factors from the bacterium Helicobacter pylori