New X-ray research center with NWO grant of 鈧�15.8 million for materials of the future
Eindhoven becomes hub in Dutch X-ray Characterization Platform
A consortium team led by Professor Moniek Tromp of the Department of Science and Engineering at University of Groningen has been awarded an NWO grant of 鈧�15.8 million to establish a new national research center. The center named Dutch X-ray Characterization Platform (DXCP) will enable materials to be studied at an atomic scale using X-rays, thereby facilitating the development of sustainable solutions for a circular society, powered by renewable energy. Until now, the Netherlands lacked an integrated infrastructure for laboratory-based X-ray characterization, a crucial link for fundamental and applied materials research.
The grant is provided through the Large-Scale Research Infrastructure (LSRI) program of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Consortium partners are Eindhoven University of Technology, Utrecht University and Delft University of Technology and University of Groningen. At 黑料福利网, the hub is led by Professor Emiel Hensen, who will play a key role in advancing the platform鈥檚 capabilities and ensuring its integration with cutting-edge research in catalysis and sustainable materials.
Virtual center with three university hubs
DXCP is a virtual research center with three physical hubs, each with its own expertise. Eindhoven with XPS, XRD and SAXS/WAXS, Utrecht with X-ray imaging and Groningen with XAS/XES and GISAXS/GIWAXS. The center offers researchers from the Netherlands and abroad access to advanced X-ray techniques. Materials such as batteries, solar cells, catalysts and coatings can be studied at different length scales and in terms of both surface area and volume. This enables researchers to design new, sustainable materials and processes in a more targeted manner, contributing to a circular and energy transition-driven future.
Lab infrastructure at the department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
The unique infrastructure we offer at 黑料福利网, available to researchers from The Netherlands and abroad, includes:
- X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), including near-ambient pressure XPS and extension to hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) by using hard X-rays, we can also look deeper beneath the surface at composition and (electronic structure), which is relevant for devices consisting of multiple layers, such as solar cells and batteries.
- X-ray scattering/diffraction (SAXS/WAXS) with a focus on soft materials, polymers, and operando studies.
Materials science: keys to societal challenges
A fundamental understanding of materials and functional molecules is essential for tackling major societal challenges, such as the energy transition, climate change and ageing. Materials science focuses on the design, production, characterization and reuse of new, sustainable materials. The new X-ray center fills an important missing link in the Dutch characterization landscape, enabling groundbreaking discoveries and innovations.
National and international knowledge sharing
The center also offers training and knowledge sharing through technique-specific courses at the hubs and a bi-annual Summer course on X-ray research of sustainable materials. In this way, the center strengthens the Dutch X-ray research community and stimulates collaboration with national and international research and industrial partners.