Improved analysis of silicon surfaces

Progress for photovoltaics, for example

03-Apr-2025 - A new method for analyzing rough silicon surfaces combines atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This makes it easier to correct errors caused by surface roughness. The method delivers more precise results, particularly with black silicon, a special, ...

Solving the case of the missing platinum

25-Feb-2025 - For nearly two decades, scientists have tried to understand how negatively polarized platinum electrodes corrode, a costly mystery that plagues water electrolyzers, a promising energy technology for making hydrogen, as well as electrochemical sensors using platinum electrodes. Now, a close ...

Analyze odorous substances without errors

Comparative study confirms established method as gold standard

18-Feb-2025 - When analyzing odorants in foods or their raw materials, the formation of artefacts can significantly distort the results. Two researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich have now shown in a new comparative study that the choice of ...

Innovations for Health: When Molecular Spectroscopy Meets Lasers and Photonics

"An all-optical, minimally invasive and label-free diagnostic tool could represent a significant advance in health..."

17-Feb-2025 - A team led by DESY scientist Tim Laarmann has successfully detected the vibrational fingerprints of glucose molecules in aqueous solution using a nonlinear optical method in the mid-infrared spectral range called ultra-broadband vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy. The ...

Testing the effect of thousands of compounds on cellular metabolism

New applications for tried and tested medications

30-Jan-2025 - Researchers at the University of Basel are able to test the effects of more than 1,500 compounds on cell metabolism in parallel. Their analysis also led to the discovery of previously unknown mechanisms for known drugs. This approach could help scientists better predict side effects and find ...

LIMAA Technologies and Labor Becker announce strategic partnership

Better generate, manage and analyze histopathology data on a large scale

28-Jan-2025 - LIMAA Technologies, an innovative deep-tech startup in the field of medical technology solutions, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Labor Becker, one of Germany’s largest and owner-managed diagnostic laboratories. The collaboration is set to accelerate the development of LIMAA's ...

How cryogenic microscopy could help strengthen food security

Scientists produced unprecedented images

21-Jan-2025 - According to the United Nations, soil salinization affects between 20% and 40% of arable land globally, with human activity and climate change – especially rising sea levels – largely responsible for this process. While the human body needs sodium to function, this is not the case for most ...

How machine learning can help predict the spectral properties of materials

07-Jan-2025 - Many techniques in computational materials science require scientists to identify the right set of parameters that capture the physics of the specific material they are studying. Calculating these parameters from scratch is sometimes possible but costs a lot of time and computational power. ...

Concept Life Sciences and Accelero Biostructures partner to advance X-ray crystallography in early drug discovery

Up to 10 times faster drug development expected

11-Dec-2024 - UK-based Concept Life Sciences (Concept) and Accelero Biostructures (Accelero) in the US have formed an industry-leading partnership which will help pharma businesses worldwide speed up drug development by up to tenfold. The collaboration accelerates the timeline for progressing from drug ...

Scientists use harmless viruses to investigate the nervous system in frogs

New era in amphibian biology

28-Nov-2024 - Amphibians hold a significant place in evolution, representing the transition from aquatic to terrestrial lifestyles. They are crucial for understanding the brain and spinal cord of tetrapods—animals with four limbs, including humans. A group of scientists led by a team at the Institute of ...