The interest in nanoscience is associated with the difference in the properties of nanostructures compared with those of bulk materials. This can derive from quantum size effects or simply from a difference in structure adopted as the size of a cluster decreases. This beamline has a wide range of potential applications, including high density visual displays, memory storage devices, novel material development,and environmental control.

Magnetic nanostructures
Magnetic contrast in images will be provided by exploiting either circular or linear dichroism. At 40 nm resolution, the nanoscience beamline will provide high quality images of the magnetic domains of thin films and multilayers, clusters, exchange-biased films, giant magnetoresistive metals and metal-semiconductor spintronic materials. At higher spatial resolutions it should be possible to conduct experiments on individual nanoclusters.

Nanomaterials
Through X-ray PEEM, Diamond’s nanoscience beamline will significantly advance the understanding of the formation, composition, structure and properties of nanomaterials. This knowledge will enable the design and development of new materials with engineered properties that will overcome many existing limits on the performance of industrial materials.

Earth and environmental science
PEEM will prove invaluable for the study of the nature and distribution of light elements in samples, such as rocks from different depths in the earth, soils and sediments containing organic matter, microbial and plant materials, and the interaction of such materials with the surfaces of minerals.