XMaS: The National Material Science Beamline Research Facility at the ESRF

同步辐射（SR）源通过在圆形磁晶格周围以高能量加速电子来提供明亮的光束。由此产生的X射线为探索材料的结构、成分和激发提供了一个独特而强大的工具。XMaS是英国同步辐射（SR）基础设施的一个组成部分，自1997年在欧洲同步辐射设施（ESRF）开始运行以来，一直为英国材料科学家提供支持。在最近完成ESRF升级后，XMaS进行了广泛的修改，以提供最先进的设施，充分利用新机器的功能。它提供了一个更辉煌的X射线束的操作能量范围从2.1到40 keV。升级后的设施功能更加广泛，提供了从X射线衍射到小角度X射线散射以及X射线吸收和发射光谱的技术组合。由于在共同开发和改进样品环境中与用户的密切接触，XMaS所涉及的科学领域是广泛的和跨学科的。XMaS的科学组合不断发展，在材料科学的通用主题下涵盖了广泛的科学学科，涉及物理，化学，生物科学，医疗保健，工程和能源等研究。XMaS提供了对敏感X射线光谱（2-4 keV）的访问，这是非常罕见的，需求量很大，特别是在电池和催化剂等材料以及遗产和环境研究中的应用。新的高能量能力（25-40 keV）开辟了操作实验，以及访问技术上重要的X射线吸收边缘。在广泛的能量范围内和相同的样品环境中测量相同的样品体积。这使得真实的时间反应能够逐站点跟踪，并有助于开发新材料，以加快NetZero 2050的交付。结合X射线计量学和样品性质的同时测量允许在宽范围的长度和时间尺度上探索功能-结构关系。正是基于这些新的能力，XMaS能够提供在技术相关条件下理解越来越复杂和异质材料和器件所需的相关表征。XMaS是一种使能工具，是英国材料科学研究基础设施的重要组成部分，确保英国研究人员能够获得最先进的仪器，现在和未来的专业知识和技术。XMaS提供了一个基本的容量层和独特的功能。此外，通过培训学生和早期职业研究人员，XMaS为更广泛的材料研究基地提供高技能人才。与国家研究中心和国际合作伙伴的伙伴关系确保了英国材料行业未来的竞争力，弹性和创造力，该行业依赖于新型功能材料的开发，表征和开发。XMaS的科学平衡将包括长期的以发现为主导的研究以及短期的以影响为重点的研究，从而为变革性的、以挑战为主导的材料科学研究提供环境。

Synchrotron radiation (SR) sources provide brilliant beams of light by accelerating electrons at high energies around a circular magnetic lattice. The resulting X-rays provide a uniquely powerful tool in the exploration of structure, composition and excitations in materials. XMaS is an integral part of the UK's synchrotron radiation (SR) infrastructure and has been supporting UK materials scientists since it began operations at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in 1997. Following the recently completed ESRF upgrade, XMaS has undergone extensive modifications to deliver a state-of-the-art facility fully exploiting the capabilities of the new machine. It delivers a much more brilliant X-ray beam with an operational energy range from 2.1 to 40 keV. The upgraded facility is more versatile, providing a combination of techniques from X-ray diffraction to small angle X-ray scattering as well as X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy. Due to the close engagement with users in co-developing and refining sample environments the scientific areas addressed on XMaS are broad and interdisciplinary. The science portfolio on XMaS continues to evolve, embracing a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines under the generic theme of materials science, cutting across research in physics, chemistry, biosciences, healthcare, engineering, and energy. XMaS provides access to tender X-ray spectroscopy (2-4 keV), which is very uncommon and in high demand, especially for application to materials such as batteries and catalysts as well as in heritage and environmental research. The new high energy capability (25-40 keV) opens up operando experiments as well as accessing technologically important X-ray absorption edges. The same sample volume is measured across an extensive energy range and within the same sample environment. This enables real time reactions to be followed on a site-by-site basis and help develop new materials to accelerate the delivery of NetZero 2050. Combined X-ray metrologies and simultaneous measurements of sample properties allow the function-structure relationship to be explored across a wide range of length and time scales. It is by building on these new capabilities, that XMaS is able to deliver the correlative characterisation that is needed to understand ever more complex and heterogeneous materials and devices under technologically relevant conditions.XMaS is an enabling tool, and is an essential part of the UK research infrastructure for material science ensuring that UK researchers have access to state-of-the-art instrumentation, expertise and techniques now and into the future. XMaS provides an essential layer of capacity and unique capabilities. In addition, by training students and early career researchers, XMaS provides highly skilled individuals to the wider materials research base. Partnerships with national research centres and international collaborators ensure the future competitiveness, resilience and creativity of the UK materials sector which relies on the development, characterisation, and exploitation of novel functional materials. The balance of science on XMaS will encompass both long-term discovery-led research as well as shorter term impact-focused research thereby providing an environment for transformative, challenge-led material science research.