#ResearchInAction: With Canada planning to expand its use of nuclear power, there’s increased need to store intermediate-level radioactive waste deep underground to ensure the long term safety of people and the environment. Right now, much of this waste is kept in steel containers coated with coal-tar epoxy. While the coatings help stop rust, little is known about how effective the coatings will be if the coating gets damaged before the containers are placed deep underground. University of Regina researchers Arthur Situm (right, in photo) and Elijah Adesuji (left) used the CLS to study damaged coated steel that has been exposed to water solutions like those expected in a deep geological repository. They wanted to know whether the coating helps or hurts long-term corrosion protection. “I hope our findings will inform decisions about whether existing containers can be used permanently, or whether new containers need to be designed,” says Situm, who is the Canada Research Chair in SMR Safety and Licensing. “Safe, permanent storage supports clean energy growth and protects communities for generations to come.”
@uofreginaofficial@uofrengineering
#nuclear #SMR
Pulse starch comes from crops like peas, lentils, faba beans, and dry beans. It is very good at forming gels, which makes it useful for creating new, plant based materials. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources are using pea starch to develop two types of biogels.
The first is a cryogel with many tiny pores that make it potentially useful for holding and controlling the release of bioactive compounds and drugs. The second is a hydrogel that can conduct electricity and could be used in sensors for health monitoring, tracking human movement, soft robotics, and tools that connect people and machines.
To better understand how these gels work, the research team used intense synchrotron light at the CLS to visualize their biogels in detail. This let them see the tiny structures inside the gels and how the ingredients interact. Learning how structure affects performance will help improve these materials and support new industrial uses. This research is supported by NSERC, the Government of Saskatchewan’s Strategic Research Initiative Program, and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. The research team members include Chengyong Zhu, Yongfeng Ai, and Jarvis Stobbs (CLS). The image shows a hydrogel and a cryogel.
@usask@agbiousask@nserc_crsng@skgov@saskpulse
“We are approaching an age where we can perform rapid drug screening to identify target proteins for the purpose of curing cancers and disease,” says Pirouz Kiani, a PhD student with the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary.
As a result, heterocycles—target molecules and key building blocks in many medicines—are being used more often. Kiani, working alongside Pierre Kennepohl and Joseph Zsombor-Pindera with UCalgary, are developing methods to synthesize these targets efficiently for drug therapy. Many heterocyclic drugs are currently made using palladium catalysts, but trace palladium is toxic to both the human body and the environment. Nickel is a safer, less toxic, and more environmentally friendly alternative, though scientists still do not fully understand how nickel catalysts work or why they react selectively with certain chemicals.
The researchers used the CLS to study nickel-based catalysts and learn more about how nickel forms the carbon–nitrogen bonds present in heterocycles. They hope improved nickel catalysts could make medicines safer, cheaper, and greener.
This research is funded by @nserc_crsng .
#ResearchInAction @ucalgaryscience@ucalgary
Julia Doucette-Garr is one of our accelerator operators. Our facility cannot provide synchrotron light for research without a minimum of two operators on duty. From our control room, she monitors various aspects of the machine. If an issue arises, she will be one of the first people to respond and determine whether we can reinject electrons into the storage ring or if we need to get other staff involved.
“My favorite part of my job is how much you're encouraged to learn,” she said. “When the machine is running well or when we are shutdown for maintenance or upgrades, we have the option to work on side projects. Right now, I am learning how to code.” Julia gained some experience with coding while earning her Bachelor’s degree in physics and is excited to have the chance to learn new techniques.
In the summer months, Julia often grabs her paddleboard and heads for the river. “I'm definitely a fish out of water,” she said. “Paddleboarding is a nice way to get away from the city in a sense. You don't really have to worry about anything and you can just dangle your feet in the water.” During the winter, she still finds a way to enjoy the water with swimming lanes. “Growing up, you would find me swimming more during the winter than you would during the summer.” #PeoplePoweringDiscovery
From pollution to solution: Optimizing CO2 conversion for a sustainable future
Researchers @uoft used the CLS to improve a machine that helps convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into useful products. Called an electrolyzer, the device uses electricity to change CO₂ and water into carbon monoxide (CO), which can be used to make fuels, plastics, and medicines. The type of electrolyzer they were studying works by being compressed. The U of T team found that using less pressure prevents the tiny holes inside from getting blocked – so it generates more CO. This technology could help support a greener future by enabling factories to reuse CO₂ before it’s released into the atmosphere. For the full story, click the link in our bio and select "news."
@lightsources_org
#DayOfLight #InternationalDayOfLight #Sustainability
Today is the International Day of Light — a global celebration of the role light plays in science, culture, and everyday life. 🌍✨
At the CLS, researchers use intensely bright synchrotron light to explore everything from human health and agriculture to clean energy and advanced materials. By seeing the invisible, light drives discoveries that help make the world a better place.
#InternationalDayOfLight #LightDay2026 #Light @lighsources_org
- Accelerator Physicist (Beam Dynamics)
- Electrical Engineer (Engineer-in-Training)
- Machine Director
Be part of "Discovery at the Speed of Light!" Apply for our open positions using the careers link in our bio.
#jobalert #careers #hiring
We’ve updated our virtual tour so you can explore our new electron source, linear accelerator, and Electron Imaging & Microanalysis Lab (EIML)! Available 24/7, you can check out Canada’s only synchrotron from the comfort of your home. See behind-the-scenes views of the machine that creates bright light for research in health, agriculture, the environment and advanced materials. Click the "tours" link in our bio to start your free tour now.
Fast charging is key if electric vehicles are going to dethrone gas-powered cars. But when EV batteries charge or discharge very quickly—like during fast charging or braking—lithium ions can build up unevenly in the battery’s electrolyte. This slows performance, accelerates deterioration, and limits how powerful the battery can be.
Researchers from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) are combining a number of different imaging techniques at the CLS to gain a clearer picture of what’s happening behind the casing of a working battery, investigating the core of the problem. The team hopes the new method will enable them to measure lithium movement across the full centre of the battery – information critical for helping battery makers design better batteries that charge faster, store more energy, and last longer.
#ResearchInAction #EVs #batteries
@uqam@sciencesuqam
Image 1: Steen B. Schougaard, left, professor in UQAM's Dept of Chemistry (Faculty of Sciences), and PhD student Brittany Pelletier-Villeneuve.
Image 2: PhD student Brittany Pelletier-Villeneuve setting up a sample inside the hutch at the VESPERS beamline.
Canada’s canola industry generates $43.7 billion in economic activity each year, according to the Canola Council of Canada. Canola oil is currently the primary output, but researchers from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are exploring new ways to get even more value from this hybrid plant developed in the 1970s.
Runrong Yin is a graduate student in USask’s College of Engineering; Edgar Martinez Soberanes conducted this research as part of his PhD (engineering) and now works in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources. They used the CLS to analyze a new processing technique that could enable companies to make better use of all parts of canola seeds.
A canola seed consists of an outer hull that tightly encases an inner kernel. During standard canola processing, the entire seed is crushed to produce oil and a mixture (called meal) that contains the hull and the protein. The meal is either used as low-quality feed for cattle or is disposed of as waste. However, if the hull and kernel can be separated first, it creates opportunities for more primary products from canola besides just oil.
As much as 30 per cent of the canola kernel is protein, which could be used as a source of plant-based protein for humans, according to Martinez Soberanes. “My colleague has used canola meal to make high-protein crackers, but it could be used in many other foods too,” he says. “I can picture it in a variety of products on grocery store shelves.”
The new process the USask team has developed for separating the hull from the kernel involves heating, cooling, and adding moisture to the canola seeds. They used the non-destructive synchrotron X-rays at the CLS to analyze their method’s effect on the seeds.
To read the full story online, click on the News link in our bio
@usask@agbiousask@usask_engineering
#ResearchInAction: Puffed pulse snacks are crunchy, air-popped snacks made from legumes such as peas, lentils, or chickpeas. They offer a nutritious, high-protein alternative to good old potato chips. Researchers from @usask@agbiousask are using the CLS to study at a microscopic level how infrared heat changes the inside structure of these alternative treats -- changes which can, in turn, affect their crunch, chewiness and taste. The team’s goal is to learn how heating and other treatments can be used by processors to improve the texture, flavor, and nutritional content of puffed pulse snacks. Their work could open new markets for farmers and processors, and provide consumers with a tastier, healthier snacking option.
Image: PhD student Kashika Sethi and her supervisor Yongfeng Ai
Transportation still depends heavily on fossil fuels, which is why scientists are looking for an eco-friendly liquid fuel source. Researchers @USask are working to turn leftover straw into renewable fuel. Straw is an abundant by-product of Canada’s multi-billion-dollar agriculture industry. A process called hydrothermal liquefaction can change straw into a type of crude oil. However, this oil has too much oxygen and needs to be refined before it can be used as a transportation fuel.
The team is testing new low-cost and environmentally-conscious catalysts that could more efficiently remove oxygen from the oil. By adding small amounts of metals, they hope to improve the catalyst’s performance and longevity. Using bright synchrotron light at the CLS, the researchers can see how the catalysts behave during use.
They hope that using straw for fuel could reduce waste, support farmers, and help Canada move toward cleaner energy.
Team members include: Garret Churchill, PhD candidate; Dr. Venu Borugadda; and Dr. Ajay Dalai. This study is funded by @nserc_crsng and Kerrobert Fuels.
@usask_engineering
#ResearchInAction #Fuel #Straw
