Description
The Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS) of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) is the world’s premier fourth-generation high-energy synchrotron source, offering remarkable flux and coherence that have enabled an unprecedented enhancement in experimental throughput. The ID21 beamline is dedicated to micro- and nano-X ray spectroscopy, offering 2D X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in the tender X-ray energy range (2.1 - 10.5 keV), which can be combined to provide both 2D elemental mapping and chemical speciation at the point (0D), line (1D), and area (2D) modes. As a beamline optimised for detecting analytes from sodium (Na) to zinc (Zn), as well as the L- and M-edges of heavier elements, ID21 is employed across a wide range of research areas, particularly in environmental and life sciences studies. Following the EBS release, ID21 underwent refurbishment that included a next-generation double-crystal monochromator, enhanced beam stability, and a new X-ray scanning nanoscope (nano-SXM) with improved spatial resolution, detection limits, and acquisition capabilities down to ~ 110 x 100 nm, enabling sub-cellular analysis. The beamline also features a high level of automation, including the user-friendly Daiquiri web-based user interface for sample navigation and measurement programming, automated elemental-map fitting, and in-house workflows built on the Orange data mining framework, which provides comprehensive XANES data handling, including pre-processing (alignment and normalisation), visualisation, and selection of Principal Component Analysis clustering for subsequent linear combination fitting and/or multivariate curve resolution–alternating least squares analyses. Altogether, these features make ID21 beamline the “go-to” for spatially-resolved XRF imaging and XAS in life and environmental studies in Europe. Its robust automation and data processing capabilities allow users to handle large datasets in real time, make informed decisions during beamtime, and streamline post beamtime analysis, ultimately speeding up the acquisition to publication timeframe.