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December 2025 ESRFnews

FUTURE OF THE EBS

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS

P. S H E A R I N G

ENERGY STORAGE

The ESRF–EBS is transforming energy research across

multiple fronts. At the ID15A beamline, high-energy

dif fraction is tracking rapid structural changes in

working batteries, helping to improve their safety and

lifespan. More broadly, the Battery Hub, which spans

six beamlines, is enabling multimodal, real-time studies

of next-generation devices. Beyond batteries, “power-

to-X” research is showing how to turn CO

2

into useful

products. Operando scattering at ID31 has revealed

how electrolyte dynamics af fect CO₂ electrolyser

stability, for instance, while X-ray spectroscopy at ID26

has uncovered how a new CO₂-to-CO catalyst delivers

nearly nine times higher productivity. The resolution,

speed and penetration of ESRF–EBS techniques are

providing unprecedented insights, and fast-tracking the

materials needed for a low-carbon future.

“The EBS allows us to

study real cells in real

operating conditions,

creating an ‘atlas’ of how

they operate over their

lifespan. Over five years,

this will accelerate the

optimisation of new

energy materials across

a range of sectors.”

Paul Shearing, University of Oxford,

UK

Concerns about pollutants in the environment and the

food chain have been around for decades, but the issue

has not always been easy to study – often, pollutants

can be at dangerous levels yet still invisible to analytical

techniques. This has changed with the EBS, the brilliant

X-rays of which have massively boosted resolution and

detection limits in techniques such as f luorescence

and absorption spectroscopy; high f lux also equates

to faster acquisition times, more data and more

statistical signif icance in results. In addition to the raw

improvements in techniques, the ESRF has developed

specif ic sample preparation techniques in cryogenic

conditions, which are of great benef it to environmental

samples. As a result, researchers are now able to

investigate how pollutants enter crops, how they ascend

the food chain and how their chemistry changes.

G. S A R R E T

“How are toxic metals

transferred to edible

parts of crops? How can

we reduce this transfer,

without affecting the

transfer of essential

metals like zinc, iron and

manganese? I hope we'll

progress on these issues

in five years.”

Geraldine Sarret, Université Grenoble

Alpes, France

PLANETARY SCIENCE

-

Research into matter under extreme conditions is

vital for planetary science. At the ID27 and ID15B

beamlines, the EBS’s brilliant, stable X-rays allow

scientists to see inside samples squeezed and heated

to the immense pressures and temperatures found

deep within planets This has already produced

breakthroughs ID27 has identif ied the formation

temperature of superionic ice key to modelling

giant planets interiors for instance while ID15B has

revealed methanol trapped in hydrates on icy moons

with implications for subsurface oceans The Chronos

BAG is exploiting the stability of the EBS to track very

slow processes in materials under extreme conditions

including the buildup to earthquakes Meanwhile the

ERCfunded LECOR project will probe light elements

in the Earths core linking seismic data to experiments

J. M C B E C K

“In Chronos experiments,

we’ll study fluid–rock

interactions over several

months to understand the

deformation that occurs

between large earthquakes

In a few years the results

could have implications

for geothermal energy and

CO

2

storage

Jess McBeck Norwegian University of

Science and Technology