Joint BAM-HZB Symposium on Multimodal Synchrotron Experiments for Next-Generation Materials Research

This symposium will serve as a focused platform to advance and discuss multimodal synchrotron-based experiments as a key strategy for comprehensive materials characterization. With growing demands for efficient, sustainable, and function-driven materials development, combining complementary techniques in a single beamtime has become not only desirable but essential - especially for in situ and operando studies such as catalysis or battery cycling.

The event aims to bring together scientists, engineers, beamline staff, and users from across the few existing beamlines currently enabling multimodal experiments. It will also highlight the importance of joint lab and beamline infrastructures, such as the envisioned battery village at HZB, to support coordinated online and offline measurements.

Beyond performance optimization, multimodal synchrotron methods are increasingly vital for the development of safer materials, within BAM's mission - from non-toxic battery components and fire-resistant composites to corrosion-resistant alloys for critical infrastructure. By revealing how structure, composition, and dynamics evolve under real-world conditions, multimodal experiments enable early identification of degradation pathways, failure mechanisms, or hazardous byproducts, guiding the design of inherently safer material systems.

Key topics include:

• The current landscape of multimodal experiments, instrumentation, and synchrotron infrastructure
• Practical and technical challenges in combining methods, especially in complex sample environments
• How multimodal approaches inform the development of safer, more robust materials across applications
• Data integration across techniques, and the role of machine learning in correlating descriptors in real-time
• Community-driven visions of an ideal multimodal beamline
• Strategies for fostering stronger connections with industrial partners

Through open discussion and shared expertise, the symposium aims to define a roadmap for making multimodal synchrotron science more accessible, integrated, and impactful in both scientific and societal terms.

Programme

(as of 13 October 2025)