Kerntechnische Entsorgung Karlsruhe (Germany)

Abstract In the study of complex systems, the intricate interdependence among individual components leads to emergent properties that cannot be solely attributed to the properties of the components themselves. This principle is central to compositionally complex materials (CCMs), where interactions between different elements introduced into the structure result in unprecedented material properties. The emergence of high entropy materials (HEMs) in 2004 further increase complexity by achieving high configurational entropy (Sconfig) leading to unique properties and stabilizing phases that would otherwise undergo demixing due to positive reaction enthalpy. HEMs and CCMs represent an emerging family of materials where multiple principal elements occupy equivalent crystallographic sites. This atomic architecture gives rise to extraordinary properties such as tailorable electronic structures, lattice distortion effects, and synergistic interactions, resulting from their vast, near-infinite combinatorial space. Although the field is still in its infancy, early discoveries highlight their disruptive potential, particularly in energy technologies where robustness and durability are critical. Their exceptional thermal stability, corrosion resistance, and electro-chemo-mechanical durability position HEMs and CCMs as game-changers for applications demanding resilience under harsh operating conditions, such as batteries, fuel cells, and hydrogen storage systems. Beyond performance advantages, CCMs challenge traditional materials discovery frameworks. Their extensive design space makes conventional trial-and-error approaches impractical, creating an ideal platform for deploying AI-driven high-throughput computational screening, multiscale modeling, and autonomous experimental workflows. This convergence of complexity and innovation offers unprecedented opportunities to accelerate the identification of next-generation energy materials. This roadmap compiles insights from leading experts in the field of CCMs across key energy domains, including electrochemical storage, catalysis, thermoelectrics, and turbomachinery. Their contributions critically assess the current state of this material family highlighting unresolved scientific challenges, technological barriers, and the key advancements needed to move beyond the current state-of-the-art. Special emphasis is placed on combinatorial synthesis and high-throughput approaches and their potential to trigger exponential development of this emerging family of materials. Focused on energy applications, this roadmap provides a comprehensive overview of a time-critical topic, emphasizing the need for material innovation and joint efforts from academia and industry.

The stratosphere is often considered to be dynamically stable with limited vertical exchange; however, episodic deep convection can even transport tropospheric air masses into the upper troposphere (UT) and even across the tropopause into lower stratosphere (LS). We deployed a newly developed airborne single particle mass spectrometer, Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry – Next Generation (PALMS-NG), aboard a NASA ER-2 stratospheric aircraft to characterize aerosol particles in the UTLS during the Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) mission. Here, we present observations revealing substantial perturbations of the stratospheric aerosol layer during an active convection and wildfire season in 2022.We show that carbonaceous–sulfate particles of tropospheric origin account for up to 90% of stratospheric particles with physical diameters between 0.1 and 1.5 µm within an approximately 4 km layer above the tropopause. Approximately 43% of these stratospheric carbonaceous–sulfate particles are directly attributed to biomass burning. The injected particles are chemically complex and organic-rich, and some exhibit internally mixed signatures containing both tropospheric and stratospheric components.Our observations further demonstrate that biomass-burning-related aerosols do not remain chemically unchanged following injections into the stratosphere. Instead, they undergo chemical mixing with stratospheric components, indicating a pronounced perturbation of the stratospheric aerosol layer driven by convective transport.These results highlight the coupling between dynamics and chemistry in modulating UTLS aerosol populations. As wildfire frequency and intensity increase alongside enhanced deep convection in a warming climate, convective delivery of biomass-burning products to the stratosphere may become increasingly important, with implications for ozone chemistry and radiative forcing.

Proton therapy has emerged as an advanced radiotherapy modality due to its unique physical dose distribution and its distinct radiobiological properties. The finite range of protons in tissue enables highly conformal dose delivery with minimal exit dose, significantly reducing irradiation of surrounding normal tissues compared to photon-based radiotherapy. Beyond these physical advantages, proton beams exhibit a spatially varying linear energy transfer that increases toward the distal edge of the spread-out Bragg peak, leading to clustered and complex DNA damage that is more difficult for cancer cells to repair. This review integrates experimental, computational, and clinical evidence to examine how proton-induced DNA damage, relative biological effectiveness, oxygen effects, and non-targeted responses contribute to tumor control and normal tissue sparing. Comparative analyses with photon intensity-modulated radiotherapy demonstrate consistent reductions in acute and late toxicities across multiple tumor sites, particularly in pediatric patients and in tumors located near critical organs. The review also discusses emerging technologies, including pencil beam scanning, image-guided and adaptive proton therapy, compact accelerator systems, and ultra-high dose rate FLASH proton therapy, which collectively aim to enhance treatment precision, biological effectiveness, and accessibility. Together, these developments support proton therapy as a rapidly evolving modality with significant potential to improve therapeutic outcomes in modern oncology.

The cryptochrome-photolyase family, a highly conserved set of flavoproteins, mediates many direct and indirect responses to sunlight. While the photolyases are light-dependent enzymes which catalyze photoreactivation repair of UV-induced DNA damage, the cryptochromes serve as circadian clock components and photoreceptors. Do DNA repair and circadian clock functions overlap in these flavoproteins? While 6–4 photolyase (6–4phr) is well-documented to repair UV-induced 6–4 photoproducts, we demonstrate that loss of 6–4phr function in fish cells and fin clips significantly attenuates circadian rhythms of period gene expression. Importantly, 6–4phr represses, as well as activates transcription directed by E-box and D-box enhancer elements respectively. Furthermore, we document physical interaction between 6–4phr and Clock1/Bmal1 at multiple domains which interferes with Clock1-Bmal1 heterodimerization. In addition, 6–4phr interacts with the D-box binding transcription factor, Tef. Thus, we reveal significant overlap between DNA repair and circadian clock functions in 6–4phr.

Abstract Our research focuses on verifying the design of efficient composite filtration mats using simulations based on XRM volumetric data. Three filter mats were prepared with different amounts of PET microfibers and electrospun PAN nanofibers, with and without a diblock copolymer. The structure of the PET-PAN mats was characterized by SEM and XRM. Three-dimensional XRM images were used in fluid flow simulations and the filtration properties were evaluated by standard methods. Incorporating 5-µm PET fibers with 1 wt% PAN nanofibers and a diblock copolymer doubled efficiency in single-pass filtration test at a small pressure drop. Raising PAN to 2 wt% increased efficiency to 72 % but also increased the pressure drop. Simulated permeabilities from XRM volumes follow the same order and lie within experimental uncertainties. Streamlines illustrate fluid flow paths within the simulated environment, showing locations where fiber bundles create straight-through pores. XRM simulations showed flow paths, confirmed permeability trends, and can guide the optimization of fiber dispersion. Discrepancies between XRM volumes and bulk tests show that microscale heterogeneity dominates resistance. Larger volumes are needed for accurate prediction. Streamline-guided rules can shorten development cycles by indicating where to adjust fiber orientation, nanofiber amounts and copolymer amounts.

ABSTRACT A custom‐built laser‐induced forward transfer (LIFT) setup was developed to fabricate multimaterial organic light emitting diode (OLED) stacks under ambient laboratory conditions without the use of a cleanroom or encapsulation. The process enables precise control of layer thickness through parameter tuning as confirmed by vertical scanning interferometry (VSI), yielding smooth and homogeneous layers with surface roughness values down to . The process achieves tunable thicknesses between 19 nm and 45 nm, while the lateral resolution is limited to about . A three‐layer OLED stack (total thickness ) was printed and structurally characterized using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB‐SEM) and time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS), revealing distinct, well‐defined layer boundaries. First functional tests demonstrated electroluminescence at with an operational lifetime of at least . Despite the lack of encapsulation, the OLEDs remained stable under ambient conditions with a shelf life of up to days. These results confirm the potential of LIFT as a scalable and precise tool for the additive manufacturing of flexible thin‐film devices such as OLEDs, solar cells and fuel cells.

The electrochemical performance of polypyrrole-based molecularly imprinted polymers (PPy-MIPs)-coated electrodes for the detection of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), an acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarker was evaluated comparatively using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. Before conducting electrochemical analyses, the functional monomer dipyrrolyl-(3,4-dihydroxylphenyl) methane ((Cat)CH(Py)2) was synthesized successfully with a yield of 33.1%. PPy-MIPs were electropolymerized on electrodes through cyclic voltammetry (CV). The correlations between the shifts in DPV and EIS signals that correspond to different NGAL concentrations were analyzed to evaluate the detection performance of each approach. DPV demonstrated superior sensitivity at lower NGAL concentrations (0.1–1 µg/mL), achieving a detection limit (LOD) of 0.056 µg/mL and a quantification limit (LOQ) of 0.186 µg/mL. Conversely, EIS performed better at higher concentrations (>1 µg/mL), with an LOD of 0.19 µg/mL and LOQ of 0.64 µg/mL. Considering that the optimal cut-off concentration for urinary NGAL is 0.125 µg/mL, these findings support the proof-of-concept potential of PPy-MIPs-based biosensors for electrochemical NGAL detection across acute and chronic kidney injury phases.

The expansion of the electric grid poses a considerable challenge for the future. In this regard, hybrid grid boosters offer a promising and innovative solution for utilizing unused grid reserves and providing essential system services. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of the benefits of hybrid grid boosters in terms of redispatch savings. To this end, a methodology is outlined for assessing their use in a curatively operated transmission grid system. The analysis employs a market scenario for Germany in 2037, using various simulation models to quantify the economic and technical benefits of potential hybrid grid boosters in various future grid scenarios. The findings indicate that hybrid grid boosters are effective in optimizing the utilization of the existing electricity grid and reducing redispatch volumes and costs, even in highly developed grids.