© Reprinted with permission from ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2022, 5, 12, 17702–17710. Copyright 2022 American Chemical Society.
Research
Our research focus is the investigation of structural, topographical, and chemical changes taking place on the surface and in the bulk of materials during their synthesis, manufacturing, and use. To this aim, we will perform in-situ and real-time studies, establishing correlated workflows between different characterization techniques.
On this page, we briefly describe the main scientific goals of the MAPEX Core Facility. You can find some examplery papers related to each of the goals. A more comprehensive overview of the most important publications related to experiments in the MAPEX-CF can be found on our "research highlights" page.
In-situ, real-time investigations
By using specially designed holders capable of putting samples under mechanical, thermal, or chemical loads and gradients, different kinds of in-situ and real-time studies can be performed at the MAPEX-CF. Different environmental chambers, heating/cooling stages, low-pressure gas injection nozzles, and mechanical testing stages installed at our diffraction, spectroscopy, and microscopy instruments allow for state-of-the-art materials analytics research.
Correlated Workflows
In order to test, image, and analyze the same sample regions with complementary techniques, correlated workflows between instruments are being constantly implemented at the MAPEX-CF. Retrieving the 3D chemical composition of different samples utilizing a correlated XRM and EDX + FIB/SEM approach and a combination of VSI/Raman spectroscopy with fast-scan AFM are some examples of already established workflows.
Further workflows will be established with the projects funded by the MAPEX-CF Grants for Correlated Workflows.
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.
Effect of intrinsic heat treatment on the precipitate formation of X40CrMoV5–1 tool steel during laser-directed energy deposition: A coupled study of atom probe tomography and in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction
High-throughput screening
Being capable of analyzing a large number of samples in the shortest possible time with a large degree of automatization is one of the main goals of the MAPEX-CF. To this aim, the implementation of robotic arms and other enabling technologies are foreseen.
© 2019 Materials
Parameter Optimization in High-Throughput Testing for Structural Materials
Materials Modeling
In close cooperation with the Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science (BCCMS), the experimental information obtained at MAPEX-CF is combined with materials modeling at several scales. TEM and XRD studies in combination with DFT calculations and AFM measurements together with coarse-grained dissipative particle dynamics simulations are only a few examples of the work jointly carried out between the MAPEX-CF and the BCCMS.
© 2020 Nature Nanotechnology
Imaging strain-localized excitons in nanoscale bubbles of monolayer WSe₂ at room temperature
Research Highlights
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.
3D Materials Analytics| Correlated Workflows| X-Ray Diffraction| Electron Microscopy|
Effect of intrinsic heat treatment on the precipitate formation of X40CrMoV5–1 tool steel during laser-directed energy deposition: A coupled study of atom probe tomography and in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Spectroscopy|
Towards coupling agent-free composites made from regenerated cellulose/HDPE by UV radiation-induced cross-linking
© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Spectroscopy|
Hexagons on rectangles: Epitaxial graphene on Ru(1010)
© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy| Electron Microscopy|
Plagioclase feldspars (Ca₁₋ₓNaₓ)(Al₂₋ₓSi₂₊ₓ)O₈: synthesis and characterizations of mechanical weathering relevant to Martian regolith
© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Electron Microscopy|
Characterization of structure and mixing in nanoparticle hetero-aggregates using convolutional neural networks: 3D-reconstruction versus 2D-projection
© This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) Licence
Materials Modelling| X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy|
Synthesis, structural and spectroscopic characterization of defect-rich forsterite as a representative phase of Martian regolith
© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Functional Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
X-Ray Diffraction| Electron Microscopy|
Photo Electrocatalytic Water Splitting Using Sn Doped In₂S₃ Homologous Series Synthesized in Oxygen Deficient Flame
© 2024, Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license
Electron Microscopy|
Composition and strain of the pseudomorphic α-phase intermediate layer at the Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃ interface
© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy|
Mechanochemical synthesis of (Mg₁₋ₓFeₓ)₂SiO₄ olivine phases relevant to Martian regolith: structural and spectroscopic characterizations
© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Materials Modelling| X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy|
Synthesis, characterization and structure-property relations in mullite-type Pb₂(Pb₁₋ₓSnₓ)O₄ solid solution
© 2024 The Authors. ChemCatChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy| Electron Microscopy|
Broadening the Realm of Nanoporous Gold Catalysts: Preparation and Properties When Emanating from AuCu as Parent Alloy
© Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence
Electron Microscopy|
Synergizing ICP-MS, STEM-EDXS, and SMPS single particle analytics exemplified by superlattice L1ₒ Pt/Fe aerosol nanoparticles produced by spark ablation
© 2024 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science.
X-Ray Diffraction|
Synthesis of a stable crystalline nitrene
© 2024 The Authors. ChemPhysChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
Surface Analytics|
In situ Low-Energy Electron Microscopy of Chemical Waves on a Composite V-oxide/Rh(110) Surface
© 2024 Elsevier B.V.
Surface Analytics| Electron Microscopy|
Influence of surface orientation on the variability of olivine dissolution rates
© This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence
Electron Microscopy|
Tuning the morphology and chemical distribution of Ag atoms in Au rich nanoparticles using electrochemical dealloying
© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd
Spectroscopy| Electron Microscopy|
Atomic vs. sub-atomic layer deposition: impact of growth rate on the optical and structural properties of MoS₂ and WS₂
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd
Spectroscopy| Electron Microscopy|
Using convolutional neural networks for stereological characterization of 3D hetero-aggregates based on synthetic STEM data
© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Materials Modelling| X-Ray Diffraction|
Synthesis and characterization of (Pb₁₋ₓ Srₓ )MnBO₄: a structural and spectroscopic study
© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Microscopy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Microscopical Society.
Spectroscopy| Electron Microscopy|
GaN atomic electric fields from a segmented STEM detector: Experiment and simulation
© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Electron Microscopy|
Atom counting based on Voronoi averaged STEM intensities using a crosstalk correction scheme
© 2024, Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy| Surface Analytics| Electron Microscopy|
Growth, catalysis, and faceting of α-Ga₂O₃ and α-(InₓGa₁₋ₓ)₂O₃ on m-plane α-Al₂O₃ by molecular beam epitaxy
© 2024 The Authors. Nano Select published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
Electron Microscopy|
Characterization of mixing in nanoparticle hetero-aggregates by convolutional neural networks
© 2023, IEEE
Surface Analytics| Electron Microscopy|
Sputter-Deposited β-Ga₂O₃ Films With Al Top Electrodes for Resistive Random Access Memory Technology
© 2023 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.
Surface Analytics| Electron Microscopy|
Growth and characterization of sputter-deposited Ga₂O₃ -based memristive devices
© 2023 The authors. Advanced Engineering Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
3D Materials Analytics| Spectroscopy|
Gold Nanoparticle-Coated Bioceramics for Plasmonically Enhanced Molecule Detection via Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering
© 2023 GeoScienceWorld
3D Materials Analytics|
Timing of carbon uptake by oceanic crust determined by rock reactivity
© The Author(s) 2023
Correlated Workflows| Spectroscopy| Electron Microscopy|
Correlative analysis on InGaN/GaN nanowires: structural and optical properties of self-assembled short-period superlattices
© 2022 The Authors.
Spectroscopy|
Low‐energy electron microscopy intensity–voltage data – Factorization, sparse sampling and classification
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society
Spectroscopy| Surface Analytics|
Oxygen Storage by Tin Oxide Monolayers on Pt₃Sn(111)
© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Materials Modelling| X-Ray Diffraction|
Halide-sodalites: thermal behavior at low temperatures and local deviations from the average structure
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license
3D Materials Analytics|
Gas Atomization of Duplex Stainless Steel Powder for Laser Powder Bed Fusion
© The authors 2022.
Materials Modelling| Electron Microscopy|
Deformed Honeycomb Lattices of InGaAs Nanowires Grown on Silicon-on-Insulator for Photonic Crystal Surface-Emitting Lasers
© Reprinted with permission from ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2022, 5, 12, 17702–17710. Copyright 2022 American Chemical Society.
In-situ, real-time investigations| Spectroscopy|
Growth Mechanism of Single-Domain Monolayer MoS₂ Nanosheets on Au(111) Revealed by In Situ Microscopy: Implications for Optoelectronics Applications
© The authors 2022.
Correlated Workflows| Electron Microscopy|
New Perspectives for Evaluating the Mass Transport in Porous Catalysts and Unfolding Macro- and Microkinetics
© 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electron Microscopy|
Dose efficient annular bright field contrast with the ISTEM method: A proof of principle demonstration
© © 2022 The Authors. Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
Correlated Workflows| In-situ, real-time investigations| X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy| Electron Microscopy|
On red tin (II) oxide: temperature-dependent structural, spectroscopic, and thermogravimetric properties
© Reprinted with permission from the Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2022 126 (45), 19101-19112. Copyright 2022 American Chemical Society.
In-situ, real-time investigations| Spectroscopy|
Phase Separation within Vanadium Oxide Islands under Reaction Conditions: Methanol Oxidation at Vanadium Oxide Films on Rh(111)
© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2022
Correlated Workflows| In-situ, real-time investigations| X-Ray Diffraction|
Effects of iron substitution and anti-site disorder on crystal structures, vibrational, optical and magnetic properties of double perovskites Sr₂(Fe₁₋ₓNiₓ)TeO₆
© Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy|
Nano-crystalline precursor formation, stability, and transformation to mullite-type visible-light photocatalysts
© 2022 The Author(s).
Correlated Workflows| Electron Microscopy|
Investigation of the dealloying front in partially corroded alloys
© Mineralogical Society of America
3D Materials Analytics| Spectroscopy|
Enhanced weathering in the seabed: Rapid olivine dissolution and iron sulfide formation in submarine volcanic ash
© 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electron Microscopy|
Angle-dependence of ADF-STEM intensities for chemical analysis of InGaN/GaN
© 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electron Microscopy|
Towards the interpretation of a shift of the central beam in nano-beam electron diffraction as a change in mean inner potential
© Reprinted with permission from ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 8, 4415–4429. Copyright 2022 American Chemical Society
Electron Microscopy|
Promoting Effect of the Residual Silver on the Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol and Its Intermediates on Nanoporous Gold
© Reprinted with permission from https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c00030. Copyright 2022 American Chemical Society.
X-Ray Diffraction|
Revisiting the Growth of Large (Mg,Zr):SrGa₁₂O₁₉ Single Crystals: Core Formation and Its Impact on Structural Homogeneity Revealed by Correlative X-ray Imaging
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Ceramic Society.
Spectroscopy|
Plasmonic porous ceramics based on zirconia-toughened alumina functionalized with silver nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman scattering
© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
X-Ray Diffraction|
Halide-sodalites: thermal expansion, decomposition and the Lindemann criterion
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of the American Ceramic Society published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Ceramic Society
Spectroscopy|
Structural, vibrational, thermal, and magnetic properties of mullite-type NdMnTiO₅ ceramic
© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy|
Thermal anomalies and phase transitions in Pb₂Sc₂Si₂O₉ and Pb₂In₂Si₂O₉
© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society
In-situ, real-time investigations| Spectroscopy|
Structural Transitions Driving Interface Pulses in Methanol Oxidation on Rh(110) and VOₓ/Rh(110): A LEEM Study
© The Authors, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Surface Analytics|
The role of crystal heterogeneity in alkali feldspar dissolution kinetics
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license
Surface Analytics|
Influence of Processing Route on the Surface Reactivity of Cu₄₇Ti₃₃Zr₁₁Ni₆Sn₂Si₁ Metallic Glass
© This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
Spectroscopy|
The Transition From MoS₂ Single-Layer to Bilayer Growth on the Au(111) Surface
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Microscopy Society of America
Electron Microscopy|
Quantitative 3D Characterization of Nanoporous Gold Nanoparticles by Transmission Electron Microscopy
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Correlated Workflows| Surface Analytics|
Multiscale investigation of olivine (0 1 0) face dissolution from a surface control perspective
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electron Microscopy|
Precise measurement of the electron beam current in a TEM
© 2021 Journal of Aerosol Science
Materials Modelling|
A review of contact force models between nanoparticles in agglomerates, aggregates, and films
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electron Microscopy|
Angle-resolved STEM using an iris aperture: Scattering contributions and sources of error for the quantitative analysis in Si
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
3D Materials Analytics|
Morphological transition during prograde olivine growth formed by high-pressure dehydration of antigorite-serpentinite to chlorite-harzburgite in a subduction setting
© 2021 Materials
High-throughput screening|
Short-Term Material Characterization by Electrohydraulic Incremental Extrusion through Micro Channels
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electron Microscopy|
Accurate measurement of strain at interfaces in 4D-STEM: A comparison of various methods
© 2021 Chemical Geology
Correlated Workflows|
Influence of chemical zoning on sandstone calcite cement dissolution: The case of manganese and iron
© 2020 Nature Scientific Reports
Spectroscopy|
The morphology of VO₂/TiO₂(001): terraces, facets, and cracks
© 2020 Nature Scientific Reports
In-situ, real-time investigations|
The morphology of VO₂/TiO₂(001): terraces, facets, and cracks
© Copyright 2020 American Chemical Society
X-Ray Diffraction| Spectroscopy|
KLi₂RE(BO₃)₂ (RE = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Y): Structural, Spectroscopic, And Thermogravimetric Studies on a Series of Mixed-Alkali Rare-Earth Orthoborates
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
X-Ray Diffraction|
Crystal structure and temperature-dependent properties of Na₂H₄Ga₂GeO₈ – a novel gallogermanate
© 2020 Nature Scientific Reports
Electron Microscopy|
Influence of plasmon excitations on atomic-resolution quantitative 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy
© 2020 ACS Applied Nano Materials
In-situ, real-time investigations|
Controlled Laser-Thinning of MoS₂ Nanolayers and Transformation to Amorphous MoOₓ for 2D Monolayer Fabrication
© 2020 Nature Nanotechnology
Materials Modelling|
Imaging strain-localized excitons in nanoscale bubbles of monolayer WSe₂ at room temperature
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
X-Ray Diffraction|
On the nature of the phase transitions of aluminosilicate perrhenate sodalite
© 2020 Journal of Catalysis
In-situ, real-time investigations|
Reaction dynamics of metal/oxide catalysts: Methanol oxidation at vanadium oxide films on Rh(111) from UHV to 10(-2) mbar
© 2020 Advanced Engineering Materials
3D Materials Analytics|
Strong Macroscale Supercrystalline Structures by 3D Printing Combined with Self‐Assembly of Ceramic Functionalized Nanoparticles
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Spectroscopy|
Adsorption of sulfur on Si(111)
© 2020 Quantum Beam Science
In-situ, real-time investigations|
Spatial Internal Material Load and Residual Stress Distribution Evolution in Synchrotron In SituInvestigations of Deep Rolling
© 2020 Metals
High-throughput screening|
Reproducibility of High-Throughput Sample Properties Produced by a High-Temperature Molten Metal Droplet Generator
© Wolf-Achim Kahl
3D Materials Analytics|
Crystal surface reactivity analysis using a combined approach of X-ray micro-computed tomography and vertical scanning interferometry
© 2019 Materials
High-throughput screening|
Parameter Optimization in High-Throughput Testing for Structural Materials
© 2019 American Chemical Society
Spectroscopy|
Controlling the Multiscale Structure of Nanofibrous Fibrinogen Scaffolds for Wound Healing
© 2017 Science of The Total Environment
3D Materials Analytics|
A new test system for unraveling the effects of soil components on the uptake and toxicity of silver nanoparticles (NM-300K) in simulated pore water
© 2019 Journal of Anatomy
3D Materials Analytics|
Morphology, shape variation and movement of skeletal elements in starfish (Asterias rubens)
© 2019 Physical Review Letters
Electron Microscopy|
Electrical Polarization in AlN/GaN Nanodisks Measured by Momentum-Resolved 4D Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
© 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Surface Analytics|
Kinetic concepts for quantitative prediction of fluid-solid interactions
© 2019 Ultramicroscopy
Electron Microscopy|
Influence of distortions of recorded diffraction patterns on strain analysis by nano-beam electron diffraction
© Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Surface Analytics|
Kinetics of pipeline steel corrosion studied by Raman spectroscopy-coupled vertical scanning interferometry
![Low-temperature anharmonicity and symmetry breaking in the sodalite |Na8I2|[AlSiO4]6 pic](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/c/csm_2018_Robben_et_al._4c54b3d345.jpg)
© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
X-Ray Diffraction|
Low-temperature anharmonicity and symmetry breaking in the sodalite |Na₈I₂|[AlSiO₄]₆
© 2018 Lithos
3D Materials Analytics|
Textural evolution during high-pressure dehydration of serpentinite to peridotite and its relation to stress orientations and kinematics of subducting slabs: Insights from the Almirez ultramafic massif
© 2018 American Chemical Society
X-Ray Diffraction|
Temperature-dependent Structural and Spectroscopic Studies of (Bi₁₋ₓFeₓ)FeO₃
© 2018 University of Oxford
Surface Analytics|
Discrimination of Ceramic Surface Finishing by Vertical Scanning Interferometry
© 2018 Computers & Geosciences
3D Materials Analytics|
Ambient occlusion – A powerful algorithm to segment shell and skeletal intrapores in computed tomography data
© 2018 Ultramicroscopy
Electron Microscopy|
Quantitative HAADF STEM of SiGe in presence of amorphous surface layers from FIB preparation
© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
X-Ray Diffraction|
Structural and spectroscopic comparison between polycrystalline, nanocrystalline and quantum dot visible light photo-catalyst Bi₂WO₆
© 2017 Journal of Catalysis
Electron Microscopy|
Quantitative determination of residual silver distribution in nanoporous gold and its influence on structure and catalytic performance
© 2017 Fossil Record
3D Materials Analytics|
Classical and new bioerosion trace fossils in Cretaceous belemnite guards characterised via micro-CT
© 2017 Journal of Microscopy
3D Materials Analytics|
3-D microstructure of olivine in complex geological materials reconstructed by correlative X-ray µ-CT and EBSD analyses
© 2017 Lithos
3D Materials Analytics|
Reaction-induced porosity and onset of low-temperature carbonation in abyssal peridotites: insights from 3D high-resolution microtomography
© 2017 Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
Spectroscopy|
Growth and structure of ultrathin praseodymium oxide layers on ruthenium (0001)
© Jens Falta / Universität Bremen
Spectroscopy|
Isotropic thin PTCDA films on GaN(0001)
© 2016 Lithos
3D Materials Analytics|
A new X-ray-transparent flow-through reaction cell for a μ-CT-based concomitant surveillance of the reaction progress of hydrothermal mineral–fluid interactions
© 2014 Nature Communications
Electron Microscopy|
Atomic electric fields revealed by a quantum mechanical approach to electron picodiffraction
© 2014 Phys. Rev. Lett.
Electron Microscopy|