The CHEMTRIX group#
Complex Materials and Heterogeneous Catalysis
Measured Time-Resolved In Operando with X-rays
Our group performs experiments that often use X-ray radiation from large-scale facilities, like synchrotrons (e.g. MAX IV in Lund or PETRA III in Hamburg and others) or free-electron lasers (like FLASH or the European XFEL in Hamburg or the LCLS in Stanford, USA). We focus on developing methods and instrumentation and performing research on catalytic processes on surfaces as well as on phase transitions in complex materials.
Our aim is a fundamental understanding of such processes that will help to design new chemical processes or devices that support the energy transition and thus contribute to a sustainable future.
The Group#
Top row (left to right): David Degerman, Jan Schunck, Martin Beye, Ragini Sengupta
Bottom row (left to right): Hirad Salari, Anton Harrer, HyoWon Seo, Safiya Ahsan
Recent Highlights#
POLEVAL: A Python Package for HAXPES Analysis R. Engel, P. Lömker Journal of Open Source Software 11, 8498 (2026)
Spin Waves Excited by Hard X-Ray Transient Gratings P. Miedaner, A. Maznev, M. Biednov, M. Deb, C. Serrat, N. Berndt, P. Carrara, C. Soncini, M. Brioschi, D. Ronchetti, A. Benediktovitch, D. Fainozzi, N. Khatu, E. Ferrari, J. Vila-Comamala, P. Zalden, W. Gawelda, M. Knoll, P. Frankenberger, L. Leroy, T. Mamyrbayev, G. Smolentsev, S. Gerber, A. Gessini, F. Bencivenga, R. Cucini, G. Rossi, R. Mincigrucci, E. Paltanin, M. Chergui, C. Masciovecchio, S. Bonetti, Y. Uemura, X. Huang, H. Xu, F. Lima, F. Ardana-Lamas, A. Madsen, R. Torre, L. Bañares, J. Szlachetko, W. Blachucki, M. Bargheer, T. Feurer, R. Engel, M. Beye, C. David, U. Staub, A. Cannizzo, C. Milne, K. Nelson, C. Svetina Physical Review Letters 136, 176701 (2026)
Transient Grating Spectroscopy down to the Atomic Length Scale M. Beye Nature Physics, 1–2 (2026)
Femtosecond Concerted Rotation of Molecules on a 2D Material Interface K. Baumgärtner, M. Nozaki, M. Reuner, N. Wind, M. Haniuda, C. Metzger, M. Heber, D. Kutnyakhov, F. Pressacco, L. Wenthaus, K. Hara, K. Chordiya, C. Min, M. Beye, F. Reinert, F. Roth, S. Mahatha, A. Madsen, T. Wehling, K. Niki, D. Popova-Gorelova, K. Rossnagel, M. Scholz Nature Communications 17, 2110 (2026)
Mechanistic Insights into Methanol Production on Ni5Ga3 Thin Films: An in Situ XPS and DFT Study R. Engel, F. Romeggio, V. Ocampo-Restrepo, J. Schouenborg, E. Billeter, M. Soldemo, D. Degerman, F. García-Martínez, J. Kibsgård, I. Chorkendorff, J. Norskov, C. Damsgård, A. Nilsson, P. Lömker Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy 381, 125798 (2026)