Petra III Swedish Node

At Germany’s international PETRA III synchrotron, a Swedish Node was constructed to complement MAX IV and ESS.

Making use of the high energy X-ray source, the PETRA III Swedish Node was designed specifically for material science research–to function as a measurement tool for in-situ/in-operando investigations of dynamic phenomena relating amorphous materials, nanocrystalline matter, batteries, bulk metals, electrochemistry, and so on.

Swedish research activities have been underway since 2019, when the PETRA III Swedish Node became operational.

Operations and research access are governed by a contract between Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) and the Swedish Research Council (VR).

VR has delegated contract monitoring, education and training, and beamline governance duties to the Center for X-Rays in Swedish Material Science (CeXS), a KTH and Linköping University (LiU) partnership.

Our scientific goal is to enable state-of-the-art materials research via the PETRA III Swedish Node high-energy synchrotron X-ray infrastructure - and, to stimulate further development of Sweden’s advanced research competences.

We will use our grant to develop i) user competences; and, ii) streamlined processes making preparations, measurements and data analysis more effective.

This will involve tackling the current major bottleneck of data analysis via access and support to the already existing repertoire of advanced software – also adapting these data analysis protocols to the Swedish Node formats etc; and, iii) procure instrumentation to equip the roll-in/roll-out station, enabling complex experimental environments to be aligned, with high spatial accuracy, to the beam.

This will expand research possibilities and further streamline processes.

Such physical infrastructure, processes and materials research competences will provide added value to Swedish by addressing important scientific challenges-contributing to industrial and societal development in a more sustainable way.