Diamond Annual Review 2019/20

110 111 D I A M O N D L I G H T S O U R C E A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 1 9 / 2 0 D I A M O N D L I G H T S O U R C E A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 1 9 / 2 0 alternatives. The Thai team are working to develop a plant-based precursor to replicate the taste and appearance of meat, using chlorophyll, which has a similar structure to haem, an existing supplement in the meat analogue market. The research focused on the substitution of magnesium in chlorophyll with iron. Once formed, the Fe-chlorophyll complex was characterised using UV-Vis Spectrometry, FITR and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS). Sukanya Chaipayang, Worawikunya Kiatponglarp and Somchai Tancharakorn collaborated with Anna Kroner from the Industrial Liaison team to design and perform experiments. The research instruments at Diamond have greater flux than at the synchrotron in Thailand, enabling the team to quickly and effectively study the structure and bonding between atoms of the haem substitute, using Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS). XAS provided valuable information on the internal structure of the Fe-chlorophyll compound, and detailed data analysis, performed in collaboration with Anna, revealed different bonding behaviours than those expected from the existing predictive models of the system. A key benefit of the process was the opportunity for the Thai scientists to gain hands-on experience of performing EXAFS experiments and develop their data analysis skills. Participation in funding schemes such as the Newton Fund allows us to support regional development activities with our collaborators overseas, and provides an excellent opportunity to showcase non-confidential examples of commercially relevant work taking place at Diamond. This can, in turn, help to raise awareness of the benefits of synchrotron techniques across a range of industrial sectors. If you’d like to know more about the projects outlined here, or for further information about any of the work of the Industrial Liaison Office, please do contact us on industry@diamond.ac.uk. Industrial Liaison Elizabeth Shotton, Head of Industrial Liaison W e are pleased to report that the industrial programme at Diamond Light Source continues to build on the successes of previous years, and we have experienced another year of substantial growth. Clients range from the large multinational household names, through to SMEs and start-ups, with over 170 companies worldwide making use of Diamond’s facilities in their R&D programmes by 2020. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients for their support and their valuable feedback that helps us to continually improve our facilities and services. While clients represent a wide range of sectors, from aerospace engineering through to battery research, and with samples as diverse as aerospace alloys, antibodies and chocolate, proprietary use of Diamond continues to be heavily dominated (~75%) by the pharma and biotech industries. In order to meet the demand for our structural biology services, we have recruited additional team members to support our clients. This year we welcomed Adriana Klyszejko and Christofer Björkelid to the team. Adriana has transferred to the team from an existing role at Diamond’s electron Bio- Imaging Centre (eBIC), and now focuses on providing professional scientific services to Diamond’s industrial clients in the field of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Christofer comes to us from Sweden and has joined our life science team as an Industrial Liaison Scientist for MX, supporting industrial structural biology experiments at Diamond. We also welcomed a new PhD student in September. Paul Edwards is jointly supervised by the Head of Industrial Liaison, Elizabeth Shotton, and by Sven Schroeder at the University of Leeds, and is based at Diamond in the Industrial Liaison team. Paul’s research will focus on the modelling of soft X-ray XPS investigations of materials, and he will be conducting experiments on the Versatile Soft X-ray (VERSOX) beamline (B07) during his graduate studies. Our global industrial engagement can take many forms, but the commerciallysensitivenatureoftheprojectsthataredeliveredbythe Industrial Liaison team mean that the majority cannot be shared. However, due to the support of various funding schemes, we are able to showcase exemplars of industrial research by partnering with other organisations using grant funding. In the last three years we have been undertaking a number of projects through the Newton Fund, in addition to our core business. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with participating countries to support their economic development and social welfare, and to develop their research and innovation capacity for long-term sustainable growth. The fund is managed by the UK’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and delivered through a number of partners including UKRI’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The programme run by STFC provides access to large-scale research facilities across the UK to promote the economic development and welfare of collaborating countries. Dr Ferensa Oemry is one of a number of scientists fromOECD DAD countries who have participated in the Newton Fund programme. An accomplished scientist from Indonesia, Ferensa spent the year with the Industrial Liaison Team at Diamond, working with Anna Kroner, developing the design of a new catalyst to produce sustainable biofuels using palm oil waste as the main feedstock. Ferensa’s project, part of a year-long collaboration between the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Diamond and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, has enabled scientists from Indonesia to conduct ground- breaking work on sustainable biofuels. This research has the potential to have an immense impact on the Indonesian economy. Along with Malaysia it supplies 85% of the world’s palm oil, but also faces a growing need for fuel, most of which is currently imported. By developing a catalyst that uses the waste produce of palm oil, Ferensa and his team aim not only to support the country’s fuel supply, but also make the production of biofuels much more sustainable. As part of our Newton Fund activities, we have also established strong links with scientists at the SLRI synchrotron based in Nakhonratchasima, Thailand. Over the last year, supported by the Newton Fund programme, we have collaborated with Thai synchrotron scientists and their commercial partners to perform three different experiments at Diamond. These experiments had a dual purpose; to make use of the advanced instrumentation and expertise at Diamond to aid in further understanding a commercial product or process, and also to provide an opportunity for upskilling ourThai synchrotron partners. One of the experiments that took place as part of this programme was focused in the area of food and nutrition, in particular in the field of meat substitutes. The ability to provide a credible meat substitute, in terms of taste and blood-red appearance, is very challenging for the food industry. However, haem, taken from haemoglobin, has been proven to mimic the key qualities of meat when cooked, so can be used as a supplement in plant-based meat The eBIC4i team conducting industrial cryo-electron microscopy experiments. Industrial liaison scientists can support all stages of the experiment from experiment design to data analysis. Thai researchers performing an experiment on I22 under the Newton Fund scheme. Data analysis from imaging experiments. Industrial spectroscopy experiments in action.

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