NWO Roadmap Grant for new national X-ray research centre

Utrecht University will have its own X-ray microscopy lab for research on sustainable materials. The facility will be part of a new national X-ray center, launched with €15.8 million in funding from NWO and led by the University of Groningen. At Utrecht, Bert Weckhuysen and Florian Meirer from the Institute for Sustainable and Circular Chemistry are leading the development of the lab.

Their research group uses X-ray radiation to follow chemical processes in detail. With this approach, the researchers aim to design stable and efficient materials, such as catalysts, that are essential for the materials and energy transitions.

“Until now, we mainly performed these kinds of measurements at large synchrotrons, both in Europe and the United States,” says Weckhuysen. “Now we are bringing this technology into the lab. This also allows us to carry out long-term experiments, for example to test the stability of catalysts under real reaction conditions.”

From synchrotron to lab

The Utrecht facility will be located at EMSquare in the David de Wied Building and will be integrated into the existing analytical infrastructure. This allows researchers to combine different imaging techniques to gain an even better understanding of materials.

“It’s fantastic that we can now perform such advanced X-ray microscopy right here in Utrecht,” says Weckhuysen. “And of course, we will make the infrastructure available not only to our own research institute but also to researchers across the country.” Florian Meirer adds, “We also want to apply this to materials from the life sciences, as well as cultural heritage objects.”

The new virtual X-ray center will have three university hubs: in Groningen, Utrecht, and Eindhoven. Together, they will provide researchers from the Netherlands and abroad access to unique measurement facilities, training, and knowledge sharing. The project is funded through NWO’s Large-Scale Research Infrastructure (LSRI) program.