Structure of materials

• Structural studies by diffraction and scattering from crystalline, polycrystalline, defective and glassy materials, including anomalous scattering
• Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction and small-angle scattering, as well as X-ray reflectivity, from surfaces and interfaces
• Dynamic, time-resolved and in situ studies
• Ultra-fast tomography, phase-contrast imaging and coherent diffraction imaging
• Laminography and radioscopy

ID11 is a high-energy beamline with decanano-focussing capabilities, allowing sub-micron grain mapping by diffraction or tomography, time-resolved studies on the millisecond timescale, and single-crystal diffraction on micron-sized samples. ID15A provides very high energy X-rays, up to several hundred keV, offering diffraction and fast imaging tools for materials chemistry and engineering studies. ID19 is mainly devoted to 3D imaging (microtomography, laminography), with an intensive use of phase contrast. These techniques are applied to a wide variety of topics ranging from materials research, cultural heritage to biomedical applications, with present emphasis on palaeontology.  ID22 is optimised to provide high-resolution powder diffraction data over a wide X-ray energy range. ID31 offers a variety of techniques for the study of interfaces on the atomic to micrometre length scales and is ideally suited to the study of real working devices. The facilities are ideally suited to the study of samples relevant to future developments in catalysis, advanced electronics, nanoscience and nanotechnology.

The ESRF’s mission includes interacting with and supporting European industry. Synchrotron X-rays permit analysis of industrial products under real conditions of manufacture and use, often in real time. The following are some examples of applications possible at beamlines in the structure of materials group:

• Characterisation of pharmaceutical polymorphs
• Investigation of heterogeneous catalysts under in operando conditions
• Mapping of residual strain and microstructure in engineering components
• Investigations of buried semiconductor and device interfaces
• Investigation of alloy corrosion
• Investigation of coatings, nanoparticles and surface contamination
• Characterisation of porous media and materials after fatigue cycling
• Investigation of the 3D internal structure of various products from food industry

The individuals listed above and the staff of the Business Development Office are available to help industrial researchers identify appropriate resources at the ESRF.

In-house research runs in parallel to beamline operation, helping us to develop and refine techniques while investigating diverse scientific areas. Staff within the Structure of Materials Group have ongoing research projects in several areas:

• Solid-state chemistry, phase changes, chemical crystallography, hydrogen storage
• Heterogeneous catalysis, reactions at surfaces
• Surface and interfacial crystallography and spectroscopy
• Metallurgy, microstructure, mapping of residual strain
• Development of analytical methods for grain mapping and reconstruction
• 4D in situ studies of solidifcation, phase transformation and material under strain
• Ultrafast processes in solids such as crack propagation and impact
• Dental development of primates
• Liquid-solid interfaces, electrochemistry, growth and corrosion
• X-ray standing wave investigations of bulk impurities (e.g. in semiconductors, zeolites).