BESSY II: A giant lightsource for new materials

How brilliant lightpulses at BESSY II may accelerate the development of new corrosion resistant materials

The heart of BESSY II is a particle accelerator, but here, the superfast particles do not collide but circulate in a huge storage ring and produce super brilliant light pulses. BESSY II is a giant lightsource for science. Physicists Marcus Lörgen, HZB explains BESSY II and shows how it works.

Its special light can be used to get information on chemical processes and physical properties of new materials. Scientists observe loss processes in solar cells, the aging of batteries or corrosion processes in so called High Entropy Alloys, on which BAM-expert Cafer Tufan Cakier is working. A better understanding of the corrosion process will help to develop corrosion-resistant materials and reduce the cost of corrosion damage, which averages around 2.5 trillion USD annually, he points out.