Cellulose-based actuators can be programmed and repair themselves

29-Nov-2022

With the help of the high-brilliance X-ray source PETRA III, a German-Swedish research group has developed a new cellulose polymer material that can be specifically animated to move by moisture, making it an ideal base material for programmable actuators. In addition, the composite material is ...

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X-ray screening identifies compounds blocking a major corona enzyme

22-Aug-2022

Three natural compounds present in foods like green tea, olive oil and red wine are promising candidates for the development of drugs against the coronavirus. In a comprehensive screening of a large library of natural substances at DESY's X-ray source PETRA III the compounds bound to a central ...

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Artificial intelligence affords unprecedented insights into how biomolecules work

08-Nov-2021

A new analytical technique is able to provide hitherto unattainable insights into the extremely rapid dynamics of biomolecules. The team of developers, led by Abbas Ourmazd from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and Robin Santra from DESY, is presenting its clever combination of quantum ...

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Analysis helps to understand fragmentation of catalyst particles in ethylene polymerisation

30-Sep-2021

An X-ray study at DESY is pointing the way towards a better understanding of plastics production. A team led by Utrecht University investigated so-called Ziegler-type catalysts, the workhorses in the world's polyethylene and polypropylene production, at DESY's X-ray source PETRA III. As the ...

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Precise orientation affects shape, size and behaviour

16-Aug-2021

Nanoparticles that make up catalysts can arrange themselves in slightly different ways, and behave significantly differently as a result. This is revealed by an X-ray study of palladium nanoparticles carried out at DESY Nanolab and PETRA III. The study has been published in the journal ACS Nano ...

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Existing active substances bind to key virus protein

07-Apr-2021

A team of researchers has identified several candidates for drugs against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 at DESY´s high-brilliance X-ray lightsource PETRA III. They bind to an important protein of the virus and could thus be the basis for a drug against Covid-19. In a so-called X-ray screening, the ...

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Researchers watch injectisome of gram-negative bacteria in action for the first time

15-Mar-2021

For the first time, researchers have revealed the syringe-like type-III secretion system of Gram-negative bacteria in action. In the research study, published in Nature Communications, the group of Thomas Marlovits from the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) at the DESY campus provides ...

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New world record in the temporal resolution achieved using GISAXS, a surface-sensitive scattering technique

17-Feb-2021

For the first time, a team of scientists has succeeded in capturing in real time the first few milliseconds in the life of a gold coating as it forms on a polymer. The team used DESY’s high-brilliance X-ray source PETRA III to observe the earliest stages in the growth of a metal-polymer hybrid ...

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The pharmaceutical company BioNTech and the University of Mainz are conducting research with other partners on the EMBL beamline

04-Dec-2020

The Mainz-based biotech company BioNTech, which recently presented the first promising results for a coronavirus vaccine together with the US company Pfizer, is already conducting research on the next generation of RNA drugs at DESY’s X-ray source PETRA III. Using the P12 beamline, operated by ...

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Combination of techniques locates microcrystals for structural analysis

26-Nov-2020

A novel kind of microscope is able to detect tiny protein crystals, which are beyond the imaging power of even modern light microscopes. The innovative technique relies on various non-linear optical effects to image even nanocrystals, which are increasingly being used for protein structure ...

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