X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) provides information on the chemical and electronic environment of specific elements.

XAS is an extremely powerful technique which can be used to identify different chemical species present in a sample. Information provided includes the oxidation state as well as the local structure of the element of interest - the type of next nearest neighboring atoms, bond distances and coordination numbers. In contrast to diffraction, which is sensitive to long-range order, XAS probes the near order around the probed atom, and hence is well suited for studying both crystalline and amorphous environments.

XAS can be applied under 'in situ' or 'operando' conditions to provide speciation information of the element of interest in solids, liquids or gases. By use of a focused beam, spectral analysis can be made with micrometre and even submicrometre resolution.

APPLICATION SECTORS

Healthy ageing
Energy
Advanced materials
Environment & climate science
Chemistry

beamlines at the Swiss Light Source

microXAS

superXAS

PHOENIX