Earth, Environment & Cultural Heritage

Dr. Eric Mauerhofer from Forschungszentrum Jülich and his colleagues at RWTH Aachen University and the University of Cologne have published new findings on the gamma emissions of nickel, zirconium, lanthanum, and praseodymium. These elements are indispensable materials for sustainable energy systems and high-tech industries. Using the FaNGaS (Fast Neutron-induced Gamma-ray Spectrometry) instrument from Jülich Centre for Neutron Science at MLZ, their study provides valuable insights into these critical raw materials, supporting their effective application in advanced technologies.

High pressure significantly modulates the association of water with polymers and phase separation processes. New investigations by a German-American research team at the MLZ KWS-3 instrument reveal the pathways of aggregation of polymers into particles and their disintegration. The experiments show that pressure is key to control the hydration properties of the polymers with relevance for degradation processes in micro-plastics.

Whether sedimentary rocks store fossil hydrocarbons or act as impermeable layers to prevent the rise of oil, natural gas or stored carbon dioxide – all depends on their porosity. The size, shape, organization, and connectivity of the pore spaces are decisive. At the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Research Neutron Source (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the networks of micropores were characterized using small and very small angle neutron scattering.

Prof. Dr. Tomoo Katsura and his international research team at the Bavarian Research Institute of Experimental Geochemistry and Geophysics, University of Bayreuth, have discovered why rocks in the Earth’s interior suddenly become more viscous at depths of 800 to 1,200 kilometres.

The restoration of artworks often involves solvents which have toxic properties. Now researchers have succeeded for the first time in creating a non-toxic and sustainable cleaning agent for paintings. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) investigated the structure of the agent, referred to as an organogel.

An interdisciplinary research team led by the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA) has solved the mystery of a gold-plated pendant found in 2008 in a medieval refuse pit in the Old City section of Mainz. Thanks to the non-destructive examinations at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the researchers localized miniscule bone fragments inside the object, presumably religious relics.