Shining New Light at the Nanoscale: Application of X-Ray Free-Electron Lasers
A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2026 | Viewed by 44
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
X-ray-based techniques have long played a central role in probing the structure and dynamics of matter at the atomic and nanoscopic scales. The development of synchrotron radiation sources enabled high-brightness and tunable X-ray beams, revolutionizing multiple scientific fields. With the development of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), a further leap has been achieved, granting access to entirely new regimes, providing ultrashort, extremely intense X-ray pulses that combine Ångström-scale spatial resolution with femtosecond timescales.
This Special Issue is devoted to the application of XFELs to study nanoscale phenomena, with a particular focus on how new facilities and experimental schemes expand the accessible time and length scales. State-of-the-art XFELs now provide direct access to dynamics spanning the microsecond–nanosecond timescale of the repetition rate of MHz sources down to picosecond–femtosecond regime, enabled by self-seeding and split-and-delay techniques. These capabilities open up unique opportunities to investigate nanostructures and nanoparticles, allowing XFELs to probe electronic, structural, and magnetic dynamics unattainable with other X-ray sources. At the same time, the extreme brilliance of XFEL pulses introduces new experimental challenges, including sample damage, radiation-induced effects, and the need for innovative data acquisition and analysis strategies.
The aim of this Special Issue is to collect and disseminate new insights from XFEL-based experiments at the nanoscale, highlighting both scientific advances and methodological developments. In addition to showcasing cutting-edge research, it emphasizes the exchange of practical approaches to overcome experimental limitations. By bringing together results, techniques, and solutions to common challenges, this Special Issue seeks to provide a coherent overview of the current state of the field and support the continued development of XFEL-based nanoscale science.
Dr. Francesco Dallari
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- XFEL
- nanoparticles
- macromolecules
- X-ray techniques
- nanogels
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