Since the summer of 2018, DIFFER houses a transmission electron microscope (TEM) that is dedicated for structural analysis of inorganic materials. The microscope is accessible for researchers who want to image newly developed nanomaterials or thin films aimed at energy applications.
News
November 5th 2018
Sometimes it takes a fresh look to tackle complex problems. That is exactly what happened when DIFFER researcher Matthijs van Berkel used a systems engineering approach to study the heat transport in a fusion plasma. He shook up the fusion physics field with his surprising conclusion that the physics occurring during the heating process can be explained with a much simpler model than assumed before.
October 17th 2018
The new plasma diagnostic MANTIS developed by DIFFER is giving a detailed look at the plasma conditions in the Swiss fusion experiment TCV. With 10 different channels and a frame rate of 200-2000 images per second, MANTIS can analyse density, temperature and the presence of impurities in the intense exhaust plasma of TCV. With its real-time data analysis capability, MANTIS is designed to hook into the reactor control system and steer the plasma to optimal conditions.
October 16th 2018
So-called plasmonic sensors of noble metal nanoparticles follow how electrical charge is transfered during chemical reactions and energy conversion processes. In a recent paper in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C, DIFFER researchers Matteo Parente and Andrea Baldi together with the Jennifer Dionne group at Stanford University delivered distinct proof that these sensors work in an entirely different way than presumed before. Baldi and Parente: ‘We think this will lead to a whole new level of understanding of photochemical reactions.’
October 3rd 2018
Ruben Hamans is one of the three finalists for the 2017 KNCV Golden Master Thesis award. Ruben did his thesis in the Nanomaterials for Energy Applications group at DIFFER, working on the assembly of a super-resolution microscope. This instrument is capable of imaging catalytic reactions at the surface of metallic nanoparticles with single molecule accuracy and sub-wavelength spatial resolution. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 9, at the Avond van de Chemie 2018 in Den Haag.
