Canadian Light Source

06/01/2026

As Canada modernizes its aging reactors and plans new ones, researchers are working to improve safety while keeping energy costs low.

A key challenge is developing reactor materials that last longer and perform reliably in intense reactor environments.

materials are promising candidates. They can withstand extreme temperatures (over 2,000 °C) while maintaining strong mechanical properties—but their response to radiation isn’t yet fully understood. Tiny distortions in their crystal structure may play a critical role.

Researchers Jonathan Adsetts, Emma Greenall, and Prof. Yanwen Zhang with Queen’s University used synchrotron X-rays at the CLS to study how these distortions influence radiation damage. Their goal is to design safer, radiation-resistant materials to support Canada’s nuclear energy sector. These advances could reduce reactor downtime and lower nuclear energy costs.

This research is supported by NSERC.
Queen's University Smith Engineering at Queen's University Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

05/31/2026

: Mandacaru is a tall, highly drought-resistant cactus that grows in semi-arid regions of southern Brazil. For generations, Indigenous communities in that country have used its plant and fruit for food, animal feed, and traditional medicines. The fruit of the mandacaru is shaped somewhere between an egg and a pear and are about 6 cm in diameter and 12 cm long. Mandacaru seeds are rich in healthy minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, as well as good fats that support human health. Researchers in USask’s Department of Biology (College of Arts and Science) are using the CLS to better understand the potential health benefits of mandacaru seeds. While Indigenous peoples have long relied on the cactus’s fruit and seeds, this may be the first in-depth analysis of the plant’s structure and chemistry. What the USask team learns could help inform development of new value-added foods, natural medicines, and promising new crops to reduce food insecurity in rural communities.

Brazilian PhD graduate student Everaldo dos Santos (photo top right), from the Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), is visiting Canada for six months to work on the project under supervisor Hugo Cota-Sanchez (left, in photo bottom right), professor emeritus in USask’s Department of Biology. Dos Santos is a member of the Plant Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory (LGBV). His visit is sponsored by Global Affairs Canada, as part of the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program. USask has a Memorandum of Understanding with UEM to promote research exchange and mobility of faculty and graduate students.

University of Saskatchewan
College of Arts and Science - University of Saskatchewan
Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM

05/31/2026

: High-salinity organic wastewater is a type of industrial wastewater that contains high concentrations of both organic compounds and dissolved salts. These compounds can harm rivers, lakes, and wildlife if they are released into the environment untreated. Researchers from the University of Regina are using our HXMA beamline to study a promising new catalyst they’ve developed for treating this type of contaminated water. Because their catalyst can be used under high temperatures and pressure, it appears to be an ideal solution for treating wastewater generated by industries, such as oil and gas extraction and mining. The aim of the team’s work is to make industrial wastewater treatment faster, safer, and more affordable, protecting ecosystems and drinking water in Canada and worldwide.
University of Regina

05/30/2026

Foods with sprouted cereals such as wheat and pseudocereals such as quinoa are continuing to gain popularity. You may have seen products in the grocery store with sprouted wheat or quinoa that offer easier digestion and boosted nutrients. Researchers with the University of Guelph and the CLS are using our synchrotron light to better understand the sprouting process of cereals and pseudocereals. Reihaneh Abdi with the U of G’s Ontario Agricultural College and colleagues used our BMIT-BM and Mid-IR beamlines to analyze different sprouted wheat varieties. Using X-ray imaging, they mapped the structural breakdown of wheat endosperm and detailed structural changes in the starch, proteins, and cell wall polymers during sprouting. The team aims to use these insights to improve the consistency of commercial sprouting processes and improve the quality and nutritional benefits of sprouted wheat products. In the near future, the team plans to apply the same approach to sprouted pseudocereals. Other members of the research team include Wei Cao and Iris Joye (U of G) and Jarvis Stobbs (CLS). Funding for this project was provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Canada Foundation for Innovation University of Guelph

05/30/2026

Over the last few decades, a new type of has shown promise for powering everything from electric cars to renewable energy systems. All-solid-state sodium-ion batteries could be a safer and more affordable alternative to the lithium-ion batteries used today.

The secret to making these batteries work lies in the , which helps ions move inside the battery. Sulfide-based electrolytes are among the best options because they conduct ions well and are easy to produce.

However, current designs for these batteries have problems: they lose power quickly and don’t store enough energy. This happens because sodium ions are larger than lithium ions, making them harder to move, and the battery’s structure changes during use, causing performance to drop.

Researchers with Western University used our HXMA beamline to study the atomic structure of sulfide-based electrolytes. They hope these insights could help to develop these batteries further.

“If this type of batteries can be designed to hold enough power, they could reduce fire risks, lower costs, and help Canada become a global leader in next-generation battery technology,” said Yang Zhao, an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. They are working alongside Yi Yuan, Yi Gan, and Mingrui Yang. This project is funded by NSERC.

Western University Faculty of Engineering - Western University Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

05/30/2026

It's ! 🥔 Potatoes were Canada’s fifth most important crop in 2023, bringing in $2 billion in farm revenue. Our country has more than 150 commercial seed potato cultivars and we exported seed potatoes worth $57 million in 2023–2024. Since there are a host of factors that influence how long harvested potatoes stay dormant – i.e., don’t start to sprout – monitoring their quality while in storage is critical. Sprouting can start to drain a potato’s nutrients, change its texture and flavor, and increase the concentration of natural toxins inside. Researchers from the University of Manitoba and Lethbridge Polytechnic are using the CLS to study how potatoes’ structure and composition changes during storage. The information they gather should help growers better predict when potatoes move out of dormancy and begin sprouting – critical intelligence for protecting nutritional quality and reducing losses to spoilage. The team’s results could also inform better storage and handling of this valuable crop.

Photo: From left to right, Dr. Chandra Singh, RDAR Research Chair in Agricultural Engineering & Technology, Advanced Post-Harvest Technology Centre (APHTC) Director, Lethbridge Polytechnic; Dr. Kanchan Bhatt, Postdoctoral Fellow, Lethbridge Polytech; and, Lakshmi Bala Keithellakpam, PhD Student at University of Manitoba.

Price Faculty of Engineering

05/30/2026

Hip fractures are a major health problem for older adults, causing long-term health issues, high healthcare costs, and even deaths. “Over two million people worldwide suffer a hip fracture annually and up to nine per cent will break the other hip within the following year, which greatly increases the risk of death from serious complications such as infections, blood clots, or heart problems,” says Rizhi Wang, a professor with the University of British Columbia’s Department of Materials Engineering. “Women are twice as likely as men to have these fractures. Despite these risks, 80% of people with fragile bones do not get treatment to prevent another fracture.”

He and team member Doris Liang, a PhD candidate at UBC, want to better understand why bones become weak and how mineral content in the hip affects its strength. Their pilot study found that certain areas of the hip bone have more minerals, especially where stress is highest. They think that bone strength depends on both mineral content and structure, which may be influenced by mechanical stress. They used our synchrotron light to take highly detailed images of bone samples from hip fracture patients and compared them to healthy hips. Their goal is to find patterns linked to fractures and s*x differences. They want to improve diagnoses, guide treatments, and help design better implants to prevent subsequent hip fractures. Thank you to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for funding this research.

University of British Columbia

05/29/2026

: Sporopollenin is a natural plant material that’s so tough it’s considered the diamond of the plant world. There’s growing interest in using it for medical and engineering applications and even for carbon sequestration. However, scientists still don’t fully understand the chemical composition of this biomaterial. While a couple of different methods have been used to try to solve this mystery – specifically bulk biochemical analyses and molecular genetic tools – both approaches have problems or shortcomings. Now researchers from the Department of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan are working to develop new methods for studying sporopollenin while it is forming, using the powerful synchrotron light of our BioXAS-Imaging beamline. They hope to see where and when parts join together and determine sporopollenin’s native chemistry. The new knowledge this research unlocks could pave the way for development of synthetic forms of sporopollenin that can be used as the “shell” enclosing the active ingredient in medications and vaccines, strong lightweight parts for aerospace, and long lasting materials that lock away carbon.
College of Arts and Science - University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan

Photo: From left to right, Hasini Wanigasinghe, first year MSc student; professor Teagen Quilichini; and, Kevin Kolbinson (final year MSc student starting grad studies in Quilichini's group in fall '26.).

05/29/2026

: Canada is among the world’s Top 10 wheat producers. However, unpredictable weather conditions, such as excessive rainfall, can cause wheat kernels to sprout before harvest, reducing the grain quality and resulting in significant economic losses. This premature sprouting activates various enzymes, including alpha-amylase, which plays an important role in breaking down complex starch into simple sugars (hydrolysis). When the enzyme breaks down wheat starch, this can reduce the quality and value of baked goods made from the grain. Researchers from the University of Manitoba are using the CLS to study how varying levels of alpha-amylase activity, induced by controlled germination, affect the structural and nutritional properties of Canadian Western Red Spring (CWSR) wheat. The ultrabright synchrotron light is enabling them to see specifically where starch is lost and how the kernel’s parts break down as enzyme levels rise. What they learn could help grain buyers and food companies develop better tests to spot sprout damage earlier and more accurately, so farmers lose less money and buyers get more consistent wheat. Additionally, plant breeders may use the detailed images from this research to identify or develop wheat varieties that resist sprouting, and the findings could also help grain handlers improve wheat sorting and quality control.

Image: Isanka Gimhani, graduate student and researcher in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba

University of Manitoba
Price Faculty of Engineering

05/29/2026

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USask graduand credits USask, Canadian Light Source with providing unique opportunities