Advanced nanomaterials are increasingly enablers for high-tech products. The improved understanding of structure-property relationships of these materials is essential for their applications in many branches. Materials characterization provides the needed information about atomic structure, chemical binding, and the 3D microstructure of advanced materials. Within this context, high-resolution X-ray techniques are playing an important role in the development and introduction of new technologies as well as in the integration of advanced materials into high-tech products. One unique advantage of X-ray techniques is that they deliver generally integral data for bulk materials and thin films non-destructively.

The potential of X-ray techniques for materials characterization, as well as for the generation of data that describe structure, composition, and chemical binding, as well as 3D morphology and microstructure of materials, will be explained. New results from fundamental research will be showcased, along with application-specific solutions in metallurgy, renewable energy, biomimetics, and microelectronics. In-situ and operando studies of kinetic processes, such as micro-crack propagation, material fracture, and electrochemical reactions for energy storage and conversion, will be demonstrated.