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with sub-second time resolution and high angular resolution. Ancillary X-ray techniques available at ID15A are high-resolution phase/absorption imaging, small- angle X-ray spectroscopy (SAXS) and X-ray fluorescence. A wide range of sample environments for operando experiments is available: furnaces, cryostat, potentiostat and a high-pressure gas feed system.
The hierarchical tomography beamline BM18 officially started user operation in September 2022. The first results exceeded expectations, especially in terms of beam coherence. Imaging of human organs is the most striking example of this unique level of sensitivity. The tomography experiments are still carried out with a small tomography setup that can host samples up to 30 kg. The large setup is in its final building phase at LAB Motion and should be installed in early 2023. The large detector stage is now operational and can travel along the 40-m marble floor to reach propagation distances up to 36 m. The number of permanently installed detectors will progressively increase from two to nine during 2023 and 2024. The graphical user interface and automation systems are progressing, with the aim to render the operation of BM18 as simple and efficient as possible.
Microtomography beamline ID19 continued to establish unique infrastructure in order to couple time-resolved high-speed X-ray imaging with in-situ capabilities. In the frame of the Beamtime Allocation Group (BAG) on Shock studies, a dedicated mesoscale gas launcher was commissioned and used during the first experimental campaign. The He-based system allows for impact studies with projectile velocities nearing 1 km/s. The system can also be accessed within the general user programme of the beamline. Furthermore, a chamber installed at ID19 to study samples under dynamic compression using energetic materials was successfully used. For the study of batteries under conditions of abuse including thermal runaway, a sample environment is now available, developed in the frame of LTP MI1354 (Fraunhofer EMI). The achievable spatial resolution with high-speed X-ray
radioscopy was substantially improved by the installation of a dedicated, indirect detector microscope, compatible with (fast) near-UV-emitting scintillators. In addition to the article in this chapter, the works by Radhakrishnan et al. [1] and Petit et al. [2] should be noted.
The correction of the effects of axial divergence has been implemented for the routine measurement of high-resolution powder diffraction data on ID22. The additional processing is transparent to the users and leads to more symmetrical peak shapes, with an accompanying improvement in angular resolution at low diffraction angles, and improved statistical quality at higher diffraction angles. This development exploits the axial resolution of the CdTe Eiger pixel detector installed in mid-2021 behind the multi-analyser stage, replacing the scintillation detectors.
Experiments at ID31 deal with multifaceted problems associated with the green transition. To tackle these problems, several techniques are often required. Therefore, the portfolio of X-ray techniques at ID31 has been much demanded, especially for operando and in-situ studies on batteries, catalysis and manufacturing processes. ID31 also offers access to the Electrochemistry Laboratory for any ESRF users, via a simple request in the A-form. This laboratory was recently refurbished and can host more than one user group at a time. In addition to the dedicated glove box for Li-ion battery research, two fume hoods, standard laboratory equipment and consumables are available. Last but not least, the high-throughput powder diffraction instrument at ID31 was recently commissioned. This automated instrument enables the measurement of thousands of capsulated QR-coded powder samples per hour.
V. HONKIMÄKI
REFERENCES
[1] A.N.P. Radhakrishnan et al., Energy Environ. Sci. 15, 3503 (2022). [2] A. Petit et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 55, 911 (2022).
