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Helmholtz Research Field: Matter

Institute of Materials Physics

Example picture material physics: scientist operates diffractometer

Example picture material physics: scientist operates diffractometer

The Institute of Materials Physics operates two branches at two large-scale scientific facilities: the PETRA III X-ray source at DESY in Hamburg and the FRM II neutron source in Garching near Munich within the framework of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ). Both external sites are organized within the German Engineering Materials Science Center (GEMS). Microscopic material structures and details of manufacturing process workflows are studied here with highest precision. Examples include novel lightweight materials such as titanium aluminide as well as superalloys for high-temperature applications. The materials analyses are carried out on the GEMS scientific instruments as well as with various electron microscopic methods. GEMS is the central user platform, through which the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon offers a globally unique infrastructure for materials research. It facilitates comprehensive and complementary materials analyses with X-rays as well as with neutrons.