New nuclear resonance beamline ID14 welcomes its first users

 Osmium compounds in different oxidation states are currently being explored for their potential as anticancer agents due to their unique chemical properties. Vladimir Arion, a professor at the University of Vienna and Gabriel Buechel, who worked in Vienna on these compounds, have come to the new ID14 to study osmium in different oxidation states using NFS spectra to extract from them the Mössbauer parameters.

Mössbauer spectroscopy is a valuable tool for studying metal complexes, enabling researchers to elucidate their electronic and magnetic properties, which is crucial for understanding their chemical behavior and potential applications.

 “As users of the former ID18, we are very excited about this new beamline, where we are trying to benchmark osmium, by extracting Mössbauer parameters from NFS spectra and use these data for speciation of osmium complexes with anticancer potential in biological tissues”, explains Arion.  

He adds: “Even though conventional ¹⁸⁹Os Mössbauer spectroscopy has been applied for a series of osmium compounds in different oxidation states, the short half-life of the radioactive source, ¹⁸⁹Ir, is only 13.3 days. This makes such studies for a broader research community inconvenient from practical point of view. In the case of ¹⁸⁷Os, suitable radioactive sources are missing. The use of ID14 beamline facilities is an excellent option under such circumstances. I do not know other beamlines where investigation of ¹⁸⁷Os compounds can be performed”. 

Aleksandr Chumakov, scientist in charge of the new beamline, explains its transition from ID18 to ID14: “The aim of this upgrade is to pursue spectroscopies with extreme spatial resolution of around ~150 nm and studies of atomic dynamics with extreme energy resolution (~50 µeV). In this respect, the beamline is now equipped with two new instruments, a nanoscope and spectrograph".

Attracting ERC research

ESRF scientist and ERC grantee Ilya Kupenko will also be using the new ID14 beamline extensively for his research on light elements of the Earth core. 

Kupenko will study the sound velocities and plastic deformation mechanisms of candidate iron alloys and compounds in situ at extreme pressure-temperature conditions using a combination of state-of-the-art synchrotron X-ray techniques almost exclusively at the ESRF.

ID14 will be an indispensable tool in his research: "The improved thermal stability of the optics hutches makes it possible to collect data uninterrupted over several hours, which is indispensable for high-temperature laser heating experiments. At the same time, the ultimate focusing capabilities of the Nanoscope facility will enable the study of the submicron samples, suitable for investigation at pressures of several Megabars, equal or higher to the pressures at the very center of the Earth."

Top image: User Gabriel Buechel and ESRF scientist Dimitrios Bessas prepare the experiment on the beamline.