High flyers in nano research

[Translate to English:] Foto: Pixabay.org

[Translate to English:] Mathematiker Kristian Bredies beschäftigt sich mit Algorithmen zur Bildoptimierung. Foto: Uni Graz/Eklaude

University of Graz team develops calculation method for materials analysis

More cost-efficient aircraft, faster smartphones, longer-lasting mobile devices – new materials, engineered with great precision right down to the nanostructural level, are making it possible to create these kinds of environmentally friendly and user-friendly technologies. Mathematicians at the University of Graz have developed a method by which the chemical composition of these materials can be shown in 3D at the atomic level. These discoveries have just been published in the scientific journal Nanoscale.

“In the case of alloys, for example, chemical phase transitions play a significant role that cannot be satisfactorily illustrated using existing methods. However, the distribution of elements at a nanostructural level has major effects on the characteristics of materials,” explains Kristian Bredies, from the Institute of Mathematics and Scientific Computing at the University of Graz. To facilitate the use of these alloys in the production of light but strong aircraft bodies or highly efficient semiconductors, we need to be able to analyse the exact structure and chemical composition of the material. The electron tomography used for this purpose has until now only provided blurred images. Bredies and his team have now found an algorithm that eliminates the noise and allows highly precise 3D imaging at the nano level.

This method was developed in collaboration with Graz University of Technology. In the Centre for Electron Microscopy there, where the tomographic data is captured, the new method is already in use. “Since this is basic research, it is of course likely that there will be other applications, for example in the biosciences or in medicine,” adds Bredies.

Publication

Dagmar Eklaude

Related news

Complying with the norm: Why Do Standards Shape Our Lives, Elisabeth Staudegger?

Standards determine whether a sheet of paper fits in a printer or whether a charging plug can power multiple devices. These standards shape our everyday lives. But who actually sets these standards? Where are the weaknesses, and how could science help to improve them? Elisabeth Staudegger, Head of the ‘Law and IT’ Department at the Institute for Legal Foundations at the University of Graz, host the Academic Standards Day on 16 June. Here she relays how sciences can contribute to the topic of standardisation and reveals her personal favourite standard.

More body awareness than a culture war

In Italy, sex education lessons will in future only be permitted with parental consent, and will be banned entirely in nurseries and primary schools. At the same time, Pride Month highlights why knowledge about the body, relationships, boundaries and diversity is important for young people. A study by the University of Graz shows how important knowledge about the body, contraception, relationship skills and protection against violence is

Will Austria win the World Cup? Mathematician reveals calculation method

Michael Fischer uses the football tournament as a practical example for highschool lessons.

Survival strategies: How plants respond to drought

According to Geosphere Austria, this spring was the driest in Austria since records began around 170 years ago. The low rainfall put particular pressure on the agricultural sector. And climate change is set to make the situation even worse in the coming decades. We asked Johannes Liesche, a professor at the Department of Biology at the University of Graz, how plants react to water shortages and how they survive periods of drought.