JEOL has developed a new Focused Ion Beam (FIB) solution for preparation of specimens prior to observation in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The new JIB-PS500i is a multipurpose FIB-SEM that delivers the synergy of fast sample preparation, SEM imaging, and EDS analysis in a single instrument. High-quality fast TEM sample preparation The new FIB…
Tips and tricks for scientists and engineers to identify patentable inventions
By April Wurster, David Nigro, and Tony Caldwell, the law offices of Snell & Wilmer Because intellectual property (IP) is frequently perceived as complex and costly, many engineers, scientists, laboratory professionals, and R&D managers avoid making decisions about whether their projects can be protected by intellectual property. The various types of IP protections available (including…
Rinse and repeat: An easy new way to recycle batteries is here
By Aliyah Kovner, Berkeley National Laboratory Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized electronics and enabled an accelerating shift toward clean energy. These batteries have become an integral part of 21st century life, but we’re at risk of running out before 2050. The main elements used in each battery – lithium, nickel, and cobalt metals as well as…
Waves of job cuts follow slowing economy, in this week’s R&D Power Index
Science data: the good, the bad, and the ugly
By Marwan Alsarraj, BioPharma Segment Manager, Digital Biology Group As of 2021, there were 8.8 million scientists worldwide, and all their research generates data. The number of scientists continues to rise, too, resulting from the analytical-minded wanting to help the world counteract crises like the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. The adage would claim that…
Improving measurement of electronic materials to boost device performance
By Clara Ko, Sales and Marketing Manager, Linkam Scientific Instruments Photovoltaics, ferroelectrics, and piezoelectrics have a suite of remarkable properties, with a long history of electrical applications in everything from ultrasound transducers to solar cells. But there is constant pressure to improve performance, and in this article, we look at how precisely controlling the temperature…
Global slowdown seen in high-tech responses, in this week’s R&D Power Index
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending January 20, 2023, closed at 2,434.01 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -0.80% (or -19.53 basis points) from the week ending January 13, 2023. Seven of the 25 RDWI members gained value during the past week from 0.41% (Microsoft) to 6.41%…
Researchers use microelectronics to develop remote control for ‘biobots’
Researchers at collaborating universities in Illinois developed miniature biological robots with remote control capabilities. The hybrid “eBiobots” combine soft materials, living muscle and microelectronics. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University and collaborating institutions developed them. In a post on the University of Illinois website, they described them as centimeter-scale biological machines. They…
What is a mass spectrometer?
A mass spectrometer is an instrument which ionizes a sample, separates the ions depending on their mass-to-charge ratio, and measures the intensity of the ions present at different mass-to-charge ratios. This can be used to determine the elements or isotopes present in the sample. The technique of mass spectrometry can be best understood by considering…
What is liquid chromatography?
Chromatography is a common laboratory technique used to separate a mixture into its individual components, or fractions. This can allow the components to be identified and quantified. The first stage in chromatography is to dissolve the mixture in a fluid solvent, which may be either a liquid or a gas. The fluid solvent is known…
Zinc battery initiative expands with innovative German battery developer HILABS
Zinc Battery Initiative (ZBI), the voice of the zinc battery industry, announces plans to welcome German battery developer HILABS. ZBI’s rapidly growing membership is comprised of leading zinc battery manufacturers, including HILABS, which has developed a scalable, safe, and affordable zinc-air battery designed as an alternative to lead-acid, and lithium-ion batteries in a variety of…
Thermo Fisher joins Momentum Labs as founding sponsor of new biotech hub
As part of its efforts to support emerging biotechnology companies with addressing key challenges of bringing new therapies to market, Thermo Fisher Scientific announces it has become a founding sponsor of Momentum Labs in Alachua, Florida. Momentum Labs will serve as a collaborative laboratory and office space for growing biotech businesses in the greater Gainesville…
Making Green Steel with Hydrogen
More than 2 billion tons of steel are produced annually, making it the most important alloy in terms of volume and impact. While steel supports sustainability through lightweight design, magnetic devices and efficient turbines, for example, its primary production does not. Iron is reduced from ore using carbon. The process generates a staggering 3 billion…
What are microwave assisted extraction systems?
Microwave assisted extraction is used to extract compounds from matrices, such as oils and other volatile natural products from plant matter. It can be used for both testing and routine extraction in areas including food testing, biofuel and medicine production, and the environmental analysis of soils, sludge and waste matter. Methods such as microwave assisted…
Metaspectral wins funding from Canadian Space Agency to develop greenhouse gas monitoring method
Metaspectral, a software company, has received funding as part of the smartEarth Canadian Space Agency initiative to build a method to systematically and methodically quantify the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels present at ground-elevation using hyperspectral data. Metaspectral has created a hybrid on-premise and cloud-based software platform that is used in a variety of industries to…
Biognosys and Bruker partner to offer advanced proteomics CRO services for global biopharma and biomarker customers
Biognosys AG and Bruker Corporation announce a strategic partnership in which Bruker has made a majority-ownership investment in Biognosys. Financial details were not disclosed. J.P.Morgan acted as exclusive financial advisor to Biognosys. Several of Biognosys’ earlier investors have sold their shares to Bruker in a secondary transaction, and Bruker will make new primary investments in…
R&D 100 winner of the day: LightSlingers: Antennas that generate radio waves from faster-than-light currents
Every antenna since the discovery of radio has used, in one form or another, the current density of free electrons as their radiative mechanism. For years, this approach was sufficient, though not without drawbacks. As connectivity came to define modern life, frequency bands became overloaded, and as devices grew in complexity, manufacture of their fragile…
What is ion chromatography?
Chromatography is commonly used to separate mixtures into their individual components. Most commonly, this involves separating a mixture dissolved in a liquid solvent, by passing the solution over a solid surface, with the components moving at different rates depending on their affinity for the surface. In ion chromatography, ions and polar molecules are separated based…
What are laboratory evaporators?
Laboratory evaporators are used to vaporize a liquid sample or the liquid component of a preparation. This is typically in order to remove the liquid from a preparation that is required to be either concentrated or dry for analysis. Evaporation is often used to prepare samples before mass spectrometry, gas chromatography or liquid chromatography. Laboratory…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Quanta Image Sensor (QIS) Camera
In many fields such as life science, quantum physics, and astronomy, the ability to image in ultra-low light is critical — so scientists and engineers can detect and count individual photons. Until now, photon-counting sensor options have had problematic limitations of higher noise, stochastic noise associated with avalanche gain, require deep cooling, cannot count multiple…
A look at five of the best-read stories of 2022
2022 has been a busy year for the R&D community, from the continuing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic to the repercussions on the economy and funding for future research. We’ve seen some amazing breakthroughs and innovations — and welcomed back the R&D 100 Awards banquet dinner. It’s been a busy year in the industry. Here’s…
Pharmaceutical company Merz pairs with life sciences platform to consolidate R&D content
Generis, creator of the cloud data content, and business process management platform CARA, announced that Merz has selected the CARA Life Sciences platform for managing all the documents in their R&D process. Merz, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany is a global, family-owned company represented in over 90 countries with more than 110 years of experience and…
Better batteries for a better future
By Erin Matthews, The Canadian Light Source (CLS), University of Saskatchewan The international group of experts, led by researchers from Texas A&M University, have combined powerful imaging techniques and large data sets to better understand why lithium-ion batteries fail and how they can be improved. Their innovative approach has brought the team one step closer…
Imaging agent illuminates lung cancer tumors
From Purdue University Surgery, especially surgery to remove cancerous tumors, relies on a range of tools and techniques as well as on the skill of the surgeon. Now, new imaging agent Cytalux will make surgery to remove lung cancer tumors a little more exact. The inside of the human body famously looks nothing like an…
Organoids: What a decade of research looks like
By Jim Ross, President & CTO, Axion Biosystems The ability to study human physiology often relies on biological models but recapitulating human development and disease comprehensively in a laboratory is a challenge. Most in vitro models rely on two-dimensional systems, which offer valuable insight into how cells function in healthy and diseased states but don’t…