The piezoelectric properties of lead zirconate titanate [Pb(Zr,Ti)O ₃ or PZT] ceramics could be enhanced by fabricating textured ceramics that would align the crystal grains along specific orientations. We present a seed-passivated texturing process to fabricate textured PZT ceramics by using newly developed Ba(Zr,Ti)O ₃ microplatelet templates. This process not only ensures the template-induced grain growth in titanium-rich PZT layers but also facilitates desired composition through interlayer diffusion of zirconium and titanium. We successfully prepared textured PZT ceramics with outstanding properties, including Curie temperatures of 360°C, piezoelectric coefficients d ₃₃ of 760 picocoulombs per newton and g ₃₃ of 100 millivolt meters per newton, and electromechanical couplings k ₃₃ of 0.85. This study addresses the challenge of fabricating textured rhombohedral PZT ceramics by suppressing the otherwise severe chemical reaction between PZT powder and titanate templates.

The Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS) is the experimental implementation of the novel Hybrid Multi Bend Achromat (HMBA) storage ring magnetic lattice concept, which has been realised at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. We present its successful commissioning and first operation. We highlight the strengths of the HMBA design and compare them to the previous designs, on which most operational synchrotron X-ray sources are based. We report on the EBS storage ring’s significantly improved horizontal electron beam emittance and other key beam parameters. EBS extends the reach of synchrotron X-ray science confirming the HMBA concept for future facility upgrades and new constructions.

The need for high efficiency energy production, conversion, storage and transport is serving as a robust guide for the development of new materials. Materials with physical-chemical properties matching specific functions in devices are produced by suitably tuning the crystallographic- defect- and micro-structure of the involved phases. In this review, we discuss the case of Rare Earth doped Ceria. Due to their high oxygen diffusion coefficient at temperatures higher than ~500°C, they are very promising materials for several applications such as electrolytes for Solid Oxide Fuel and Electrolytic Cells (SOFC and SOEC, respectively). Defects are integral part of the conduction process, hence of the final application. As the fluorite structure of ceria is capable of accommodating a high concentration of lattice defects, the characterization and comprehension of such complex and highly defective materials involve expertise spanning from computational chemistry, physical chemistry, catalysis, electrochemistry, microscopy, spectroscopy, and crystallography. Results coming from different experimental and computational techniques will be reviewed, showing that structure determination (at different scale length) plays a pivotal role bridging theoretical calculation and physical properties of these complex materials.