Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
27 July 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo UFS Photo Archive
Prof Hendrik Swart played a key role in the Department of Physics acquiring the PHI Quantes XPS system, the first in Africa and one of only 20 in the world.

The state-of-the-art equipment in the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS) differentiates this department from its competitors. Availability of the equipment makes it possible for researchers as well as students to deliver work that receives national and international recognition. 

Recently, the department acquired a PHI Quantes XPS system, the first in Africa and one of only 20 in the world. 

Creating better phosphor 

“The Quantes XPS system uses X-rays to determine the chemical composition of molecules on the surface of a sample. The system is unique in the sense that it also has an extra X-ray source that can determine the chemical state below the surface, which was not possible in the past.  This will help us to dictate the position of defects in our phosphor materials that will consequently enable us to create better phosphor for solid state lighting as well as solar cell applications,” explains Prof Hendrik Swart, Senior Professor in the Department of Physics, who also holds the SARChI Chair in Solid State Luminescent and Advanced Materials.

After he had the opportunity to observe the system in the factory in Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, where he attended a conference, Prof Swart was very impressed by its performance. He discussed it with Prof Koos Terblans, Head of the department, and other colleagues, and started making plans to buy the system. 

When the department first bought the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) system in 2007/2008, it became the national facility on XPS measurements. Not only is this an upgrade of the XPS system bought 14 years ago, but the new system will enable the department to do more measurements. “The number of samples that we have to handle has just become too much for one system. The new system’s increased capacity for making measurements addresses this challenge and it also gives UFS scientists and postgraduate students more time to spend on fundamental measurements to develop research of a higher level,” says Prof Swart.

(The Quantes XPS system. Photo:Supplied)

Explaining about the measurements, Prof Swart says: “This advanced X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) instrument has the capability to analyse the very small area that the user is interested in and a large area of the uniform sample surface. The two different types of X-ray sources – the hard X-ray source and the more conventional soft X-ray source – can be switched automatically, allowing users to analyse the same area and/or points of a sample. The PHI Quantes XPS system ensures the availability of superior features such as automatic analysis, automatic sample transfer, turnkey charge neutralisation, and advanced data processing.”

“This XPS instrument is designed to pioneer new methods and applications transcending conventional ideas of what is possible.”

Optimising efficiency of materials

Prof Swart says the Department of Physics, especially the Research Chair in Advanced and Luminescent Materials, is developing new high-technology materials on a daily basis. “It is very important to know the chemical composition and defect distribution of the materials in order to add value to the fabrication of these materials,” he adds.

“The distribution of these defects is vital for the efficiency of the phosphor materials. If we know where these defects are located, we can determine the mechanisms of the light output coming from these phosphors,” describes Prof Swart.

Research conducted as part of the Research Chair in Solid State Luminescent and Advanced Materials will benefit significantly from this new system.

(Prof Koos Terblans, Head of the Department of Physics next to the Quantes XPS system. Photo:Supplied) 

“We are currently concentrating on phosphors as sensors (temperature), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and solar cells, where we optimise the efficiency and durability of these materials. Any new knowledge, which I believe the PHI Quantes XPS system will provide us, will help us to reach our goal much quicker,” he says. 

Apart from the positive impact on research, the PHI Quantes XPS system will also be a benefit to society in the long term. Improved LEDs can be used to save electricity, and better solar cells can help to generate electricity, to mention but two examples. 

News Archive

Resource Manual on Trafficking in Persons for Judicial Officers sees the light
2012-03-27

 

Judge Connie Mocumi, President of the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges (SAC-IAWJ), during the launch of the Resource Manual on Trafficking in Persons for Judicial Officers.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
27 March 2012

On Human Rights Day the Department of Criminal and Medical Law in the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) hosted the launch of the Resource Manual on Trafficking in Persons for Judicial Officers compiled by the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges (SAC-IAWJ).

The manual, which will be used by members of the South African judiciary, will equip officials in adjudicating the multifaceted crime of human trafficking.

“Presiding officers must be sensitised about the complexity of the crime. Human trafficking has many faces and presents itself in different ways. A person may for example be trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour, the removal of body parts, as well as forced marriages. Expert knowledge is needed to handle these cases effectively in court,” said Dr Kruger, also responsible for the human trafficking initiative in the Unit for Children's Rights at the UFS.

Prior to the launch, a total number of 300 judicial officers, including six judges from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) received training on human trafficking. After receiving this training, the officers were sensitised to scrutinise domestic violence cases as well as inter-country adoption cases in order to identify possible human trafficking activities.

As keynote speaker at the launch, Dr Beatri Kruger from the Department of Criminal and Medical Law at the UFS, said that human traffickers were running operations like a well-oiled machine. They have abundant and sophisticated resources and often bribe corrupt officials to further their criminal activities. In South Africa, people combating human trafficking struggle with a lack of resources as well as comprehensive legislation. Most cases are prosecuted under the Children’s Act and the Sexual Offences Amendment Act of 2007. Unfortunately, this legislation still leaves a gap in the prosecuting of perpetrators. Only trafficking cases where where children are trafficked can be prosecuted under the Children’s Act. In terms of the Sexual Offences Amendment Act perpetrators can be prosecuted for trafficking persons for sexual exploitation only, and not for labour of other forms of trafficking. Therefore the comprehensive Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill 2010 needs to be finalised to cover all forms of trafficking.

There are more slaves today than at any time in the history of humankind. “To combat this serious problem, we need to follow a holistic approach,” said Dr Kruger. This includes prevention (raising awareness), effective prosecution and suitable punishment, the protection of victims, and partnering with all relevant stakeholders, including people in the communities. Community members are often whistle blowers of this crime.

The President of the SAC-IAWJ, Judge Connie Mocumi, handed copies of the manual, a three-year project, to judicial officers present at the launch. The manual covers, among others, the definition of trafficking in persons, trafficking in persons in South Africa and the Southern African region, a legislative framework, victims’ rights and criminal proceedings.

“It is critical that judicial officers appreciate the phenomenon of trafficking in persons in its broader socio-economic context. Therein lays the ability to deal competently with the often-nuanced manifestation of this scourge. The incapacity to recognise these nuances can deny victims access to justice. In that regard, the manual, amongst others, is to become an important empowering adjudication tool for judicial officers,” said Judge Mocumi.

More copies will be printed and be ready for distribution by the beginning of May this year.

Judge Belinda van Heerden, who also attended the launch, said: “There is progress on the judicial and legislative front to bring wrongdoers to book. This manual will go a long way in giving judicial officers insight into the problem.”

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept