Earth, Environment & Cultural Heritage

For the first time, a research team has used neutrons to track the breakdown of PET plastic by bacterial enzymes at the nanometre scale. The study could lead to faster and more efficient recycling.

A South American research team has, for the first time, examined a 230-million-year-old mammalian ancestor in high resolution using neutrons at the FRM II. This has given the paleontologists an insight into brain development and a possible explanation as to why their lineage did not survive the mass extinction at the end of the Triassic period.

In the future, liquid molten salts could contribute to more efficient, climate-friendly energy generation. At FRM II, PhD student Liliana Quintero Zambrano is researching the use of liquid salt as a cooling and heat transfer medium in new reactor designs. The project is funded by TÜV NORD.

Rising sea temperatures are causing coral reefs around the world to bleach. For the first time, a research team at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has investigated the biological processes behind coral bleaching directly in living corals. With the help of neutrons, they were able to visualise structural changes during the bleaching process.

A study using neutrons provides insights into ancient craft techniques: MLZ researchers have analysed Celtic iron tools and gold artefacts from the Bronze Age to obtain information on their processing. Their results have now been published in a special issue of a renowned scientific journal.

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.