I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Johan
Lindgren
,
Dean R.
Lomax
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Robert-Zoltán
Szász
,
Miguel
Marx
,
Johan
Revstedt
,
Georg
Göltz
,
Sven
Sachs
,
Randolph G.
De La Garza
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Miriam
Heingård
,
Martin
Jarenmark
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Kristina
Ydström
,
Peter
Sjövall
,
Frank
Osbæck
,
Stephen A.
Hall
,
Michiel
Op De Beeck
,
Mats E.
Eriksson
,
Carl
Alwmark
,
Federica
Marone
,
Alexander
Liptak
,
Robert
Atwood
,
Genoveva
Burca
,
Per
Uvdal
,
Per
Persson
,
Dan-Eric
Nilsson
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[33954]
Open Access
Abstract: With their superficially shark-like appearance, the Mesozoic ichthyosaurs provide a classic illustration of major morphological adaptations in an ancestrally terrestrial tetrapod lineage following the invasion of marine habitats1,2,3. Much of what is known about ichthyosaur soft tissues derives from specimens with body outlines4,5,6. However, despite offering insights into aspects of biology that are otherwise difficult to envisage from skeletal evidence alone (such as the presence of a crescentic fluke), information on their soft parts has hitherto been limited to a taxonomically narrow sample of small- to dolphin-sized animals2,4,5,6. Here we report the discovery of a metre-long front flipper of the large-bodied Jurassic ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus, including unique details of its soft-tissue anatomy. In addition to revealing a wing-like planform, the fossil preserves a serrated trailing edge that is reinforced by novel cartilaginous integumental elements, herein denominated chondroderms. We also document chordwise-parallel skin ornamentations and a protracted fleshy distal tip that presumably acted like a flexible winglet in life. By integrating morphological and numerical data, we show that the observed features probably provided hydroacoustic benefits, and conclude that the visually guided7,8 Temnodontosaurus relied on stealth while hunting in dim-lit pelagic environments. This unexpected combination of control surface modifications represents a previously unrecognized mode of concealment, and underscores the importance of soft-tissue fossils when inferring aspects of palaeoethology and predator–prey palaeoecology.
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Jul 2025
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[37256]
Open Access
Abstract: Fertilisers play a key role in agriculture, providing key nutrients needed by crops to ensure a secure food supply. However, with increasing prices and rising environmental concerns, there is a growing need to rely on alternative and sustainable fertiliser sources, introducing the opportunity to use organic amendments to formulate organo-mineral fertilisers (OMF). Despite their environmental advantages, the inherent variability in composition of organic amendments within OMF poses a challenge for their standardization. This study aims to use OMF derived from anaerobic digestate and coupled with carbon capture technologies to analyze for its physical characteristics and chemical composition using neutron computed tomography (NCT), X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and Raman spectroscopy (RS). This is a feasibility study to assess using non-destructive techniques on OMF as previously this has not been explored. This work represents the first attempt to utilize a combination of imaging techniques to investigate on OMF and demonstrates their feasibility for measuring the variability between individual samples. This is a proof-of-concept study which shows that combining NCT and XCT can provide images on how uniformly packed each OMF pellet are. The use of RS is to characterize OMF is more challenging largely due to the high fluorescence background arising from its matrix. This study needs to be further developed to enable image-based analysis using machine learning algorithms to determine characteristics of large batches of OMF. Further development is needed building on this work to quantify OMF pellet characteristics so that it can be confidently used as novel fertilisers in agriculture.
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Jun 2025
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Ilaria
Quaratesi
,
Ioan
Călinescu
,
Petre
Chipurici
,
Elisa-Gabriela
Dumbravă
,
Andrei
Cucos
,
Mohamed Yassine
Zaki
,
Pellegrino
La Manna
,
Adrian
Bercea
,
Miruna Silvia
Stan
,
Stefan
Michalik
,
Chloe
Pearce
,
Marianne
Odlyha
,
Genoveva
Burca
,
Elena
Badea
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[35634]
Open Access
Abstract: This study presents an ultrasound-assisted synthesis of β-cyclodextrin/hydroxyapatite composites to be used as green and safe auxiliaries in the tanning process. A combination of spectroscopic and non-spectroscopic techniques such as DLS (dynamic light scattering), ZP (zeta potential), XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and ATR-FTIR (attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) were used to thoroughly characterize the eight composites obtained by varying the ultrasound process parameters. While not cytotoxic, all composites had strong antibacterial action against Brevibacterium lines, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus epidermis. All composites underwent lab-scale tanning tests, but only those exhibiting the most suitable set of tanning abilities underwent pilot-scale testing. The composites' interaction with the collagen matrix was assessed by micro-DSC (micro-differential scanning calorimetry), TG/DTG/DTA (thermal analysis), 1H unilateral NMR (proton nuclear magnetic resonance), ATR-FTIR, in-situ temperature synchrotron-based XRD and standard tests (UNI EN ISO 3380: 2015, UNI EN ISO 2589: 2016, UNI EN ISO 105- B02:2014). Thermal stability, dye penetration, thickness, colour fastness, surface appearance and microbiological protection were all improved for the leather treated with a small amount of composite added to the wet finish float. These findings demonstrate the benefits of β-cyclodextrin/hydroxyapatite composites as safe and sustainable tanning additives.
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Apr 2025
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[37256]
Open Access
Abstract: he high brilliance and coherence of light generated at synchrotron facilities make synchrotron X-ray imaging an invaluable tool for the non-destructive analysis of samples across a range of interdisciplinary sciences. For samples with low attenuation contrast, phase-contrast imaging and phase-retrieval techniques can be used to enhance image contrast and provide complementary phase-shift information. In this work, we demonstrate the phase-contrast imaging capabilities of the Diamond Light Source I12-JEEP beamline using two samples: a fly encased in 4 mm of steel, and a lower chicken leg (drumstick) bones with surrounding soft tissue. Techniques such as X-ray phase-contrast imaging, near-field speckle-based phase-contrast tomography and propagation-based (in-line) phase-contrast tomography are investigated; additionally, the effects of propagation distance, speckle mask material, number of speckle positions, and phase-retrieval algorithm on the quality of radiographic images and reconstructed tomography volumes are compared. The experimental setup, data acquisition settings, as well as phase retrieval and tomography reconstruction parameters are detailed, and concluding remarks are made regarding the strengths and weaknesses of each technique, their use case, and how the data acquisition parameters can be optimised for an extended field-of-view or in-situ imaging setup available at I12.
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Jan 2025
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Jiaxu
Zuo
,
Kutsi
Akcicek
,
Shivansh
Nauriyal
,
Barrie
Dams
,
Stefan
Michalik
,
Thomas
Zillhardt
,
Martin
Ansell
,
Richard
Ball
,
Genoveva
Burca
,
Brian
Sheil
,
James
Marrow
,
Sinan
Acikgoz
Open Access
Abstract: Fibrous plaster (FP) ceilings, prevalent in late 19th- and early 20th-century UK theatres, are suspended using ‘wads’. Wads are hangers made of Plaster of Paris, reinforced with twisted woven jute fabric. Several recent collapses in historic fibrous plaster ceilings have been attributed to tensile failures in wads. To understand the failure mechanisms involved, tensile tests were performed on laboratory-produced wad-like samples at the I12 beamline of the UK Diamond Light Source. The tested samples were designed with a dog bone shape and mounted with clevis-grips at each end, to ensure controlled failures along the gauge length. The beamline offered the opportunity to conduct simultaneous synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (sCT) and diffraction measurements during loading, enabling the monitoring of internal crack formation and strain propagation at the microstructural scale. Simultaneously, acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) measurements were conducted. Preliminary results from these datasets are discussed in this paper. The datasets will provide useful information to validate the ongoing development of algorithms which can categorise the internal failure mechanisms and damage state of wads using only AE signals.
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Sep 2024
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Bingkun
Hu
,
Shengming
Zhang
,
Ziyang
Ning
,
Dominic
Spencer-Jolly
,
Dominic L. R.
Melvin
,
Xiangwen
Gao
,
Johann
Perera
,
Shengda D.
Pu
,
Gregory J.
Rees
,
Longlong
Wang
,
Lechen
Yang
,
Hui
Gao
,
Shashidhara
Marathe
,
Genoveva
Burca
,
T. James
Marrow
,
Peter G.
Bruce
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[26060, 30683, 28773]
Open Access
Abstract: Charging current densities of solid-state batteries with lithium metal anodes and ceramic electrolytes are severely limited due to lithium dendrites that penetrate the electrolyte leading to a short circuit. We show that dendrite growth can be inhibited by different crack deflection mechanisms when multi-layered solid electrolytes, such as Li6PS5Cl/Li3ScCl6/Li6PS5Cl and Li6PS5Cl/Li10GeP2S12/Li6PS5Cl, are employed but not when the inner layer is Li3PS4. X-ray tomographic imaging shows crack deflection along mechanically weak interfaces between solid electrolytes as a result of local mismatches in elastic moduli. Cracks are also deflected laterally within Li3ScCl6, which contains preferentially oriented particles. Deflection occurs without lithium being present. In cases where the inner layers react with lithium, the resulting decomposition products can fill and block crack propagation. All three mechanisms are effective at low stack pressures. Operating at 2.5 MPa, multi-layered solid electrolytes Li6PS5Cl/Li3ScCl6/Li6PS5Cl and Li6PS5Cl/Li10GeP2S12/Li6PS5Cl can achieve lithium plating at current densities exceeding 15 mA cm−2.
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Jul 2024
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Open Access
Abstract: Cadmium (Cd) and drought stresses are becoming dominant in a changing climate. This study explored the impact of Cd and Cd + drought stress on durum wheat grown in soil and sand at two Cd levels. The physiological parameters were studied using classical methods, while the root architecture was explored using non-invasive neutron computed tomography (NCT) for the first time. Under Cd + drought, all the gas exchange parameters were significantly affected, especially at 120 mg/kg Cd + drought. Elevated Cd was found in the sand-grown roots. We innovatively show the Cd stress impact on the wheat root volume and architecture, and the water distribution in the “root-growing media” was successfully visualized using NCT. Diverse and varying root architectures were observed for soil and sand under the Cd stress compared to the non-stress conditions, as revealed using NCT. The intrinsic structure of the growing medium was responsible for a variation in the water distribution pattern. This study demonstrated a pilot approach to use NCT for quantitative and in situ mapping of Cd stress on wheat roots and visualized the water dynamics in the rhizosphere. The physiological and NCT data provide valuable information to relate further to genetic information for the identification of Cd-resilient wheat varieties in the changing climate.
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Feb 2024
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Open Access
Abstract: Understanding the limitations of electrolyte mixtures under extreme conditions is key to ensure reliable and safe battery performance. Among advanced characterization methods, time-of-flight neutron imaging (ToF-NI) is unique for its capability to map physicochemical changes of H-containing materials inside metallic casings and battery packs. The technique, however, requires long exposures in pulsed sources, which limits its applicability, particularly for analysis at low temperatures. To overcome these limitations, we use high–duty cycle ToF-NI at a continuous source, demonstrating its capability to expose physical and chemical changes of electrolytes due to variations in the overall molecular diffusion. The strategy described in this work reduces the exposure required and provides the baseline to study the thermal stability of electrolyte mixtures, from the proofing of state-of-the-art electrolyte mixtures up to their performance in batteries. This analysis and methodology apply to hydrogenous materials well beyond electrolytes for a wide range of applications.
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Sep 2023
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S.
Tygier
,
D.
Akello-Egwel
,
J.
Allen
,
R.
Baust
,
J.
Bradley
,
G.
Burca
,
A.
Fedrigo
,
M.
Gigg
,
S.
Jones
,
W.
Kockelmann
,
D.
Nixon
,
D. E.
Pooley
,
D.
Tasev
Open Access
Abstract: Mantid Imaging has been developed to provide a graphical reconstruction process for users of neutron imaging instruments to eliminate the need to fall back on commercial software. Mantid Imaging builds on algorithms provided by libraries including Astra Toolbox and Tomopy to offer noise reduction, artifact removal, alignment, filtered back projection and iterative reconstruction methods. Extra functionality was added by using algorithms from ALGOTOM for ring removal and from the Core Imaging Library (CIL) for regularised 3D reconstruction.
Mantid Imaging 2.4 has recently been released. It is an open source Python GUI, runs under Linux and Windows and can easily be installed on end user systems. Mantid Imaging is aimed at users with no programming background and with little image processing experience. At ISIS Mantid Imaging runs on the ISIS-Data-Analysis-as-a-Service (IDAaaS) platform, which is remotely accessible with any modern web browser and gives users access to sufficient hardware resources to handle large datasets. Extensions of Mantid Imaging for energy-resolved neutron imaging are planned for the future.
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Sep 2023
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Open Access
Abstract: The capacity of polygranular graphite to accommodate strain is important to its use within structural components. This study has used in situ neutron and synchrotron X-ray experiments to demonstrate that reorientation of crystal domains accompanies the accommodation of applied mechanical strain in unirradiated Gilsocarbon (GCMB/IM24) graphite. Orientation changes were observed using 3D X-ray Diffraction, and local changes in neutron scattering were also observed with energy-resolved Bragg-edge neutron imaging. In both cases, this behaviour at the crystal level was partially recovered when the load was removed. This study provides new evidence for crystal deformation mechanisms that contribute to polycrystalline graphite's elastic non-linearity and the development of permanent set, which may also explain the effects of fast neutron irradiation on graphite elastic behaviour.
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Aug 2023
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