The purpose of the membranes is to facilitate x-ray in and x-ray out types of experiments, examples being XES (x-ray emission spectroscopy) and RIXS (resonant in-elastic x-ray scattering), of liquids, solutions and gases. Another possibility, and probably the most important in the future, is the in situ investigation of solid/gas and solid/liquid interfaces, for example corrosion processes, changes in electronic structure during charging of batteries, catalysis phenomena, chemical processes on nano particle surfaces in solution and biological reactions of many different kinds. This field of research is still in it’s infancy and progress in both physical instrumentation and in the researcher minds will lead to new insights in many important aspects of the natural sciences. There is no doubt that in situ-oriented research is one of the major directions for future synchrotron-based science.

The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, outside Chicago. An example of research infrastructure that is made available to researchers on a competitive basis.

The construction and running costs of a modern synchrotron is very high, on the order of hundreds of millions and tens of millions of dollars per year, respectively. Hence, to the society that makes this investment, it is important that these facilities are used efficiently, ie state departments and research funding agencies are striving to offer these facilities primarily to productive scientists striving for high impact research. The allocation of the so called beam time, ie a time limited access to a synchrotron beam-line, is therefore competitive and even well established groups may end up with just a few weeks of beam time over the course of an entire year. During these weeks it is very important for the group to get as much and as good data as possible, both for the scientific output and to rationalize allocation of beam time for the following year.

Benefits from new technology

In this context the quality and the physical properties of the membrane used becomes imperative. A factor of two better transmission for the x-rays of interest could be used to gather twice as many photons in the same period, meaning a more full understanding of the system can be attained in the same time. Alternatively, if twice as many photons are not necessary, then instead 2 different experiments can be carried out during the same time. In a sense, the scientific output from a certain beam-time can be doubled – the specific transmission of the membrane is therefore an important factor to consider.

What is much more difficult to value is the emerging of a new possibility. In systems where a detailed electronic understanding of how sulfur, phosphorous, or boron interacts chemically with its environment is sought for, little could so far be done. With the advent of carbon membranes these systems can be investigated in existing facilities, perhaps with some minor adaptations. Hence experience from similar experiments on other elements can be used to improve productivity and no elaborate special setups need to be designed. This is the most interesting prospect with the carbon membranes.

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