ForMAX, the newest beamline at MAX IV, is now officially open for experiments. The focus will be research on new, sustainable materials from the forest, but the beamline will also be useful for research in many other fields and industries, including food, textiles, and life science.
ForMAX is specially designed for advanced studies on wood-based materials. It allows in-situ multiscale structural characterization from nm to mm length scales by combining full-field tomographic imaging, small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS), and scanning SWAXS imaging – in a single instrument.
The beamline is an initiative where several market-leading industry companies, mainly from the paper and pulp industry, and academia have joined forces. The construction work has been funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the operational costs are funded by the industry through Treesearch, a national collaborative platform for academic and industrial research in new materials from the forest.
One goal with ForMAX is to facilitate the development of new, wood-based products that can replace today’s plastic products.
“ForMAX will be very important for the fundamental academic research that is conducted on wood-based materials, which is the basis for the material applications that can then be developed”, says Eva Malmström Jonsson, director of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, WWSC.
“Through the engagement in ForMAX, academia and industry have a fantastic access point to the MAX IV research environment. Through ForMAX, we are laying the foundation for broad, unique competence that enables ground-breaking research within the field”, says Daniel Söderberg, director of Treesearch.
“This is a big step that will boost our knowledge about materials from renewable resources, such as wood, and support a wider use of fiber materials in packaging and other application areas,” says Mats Qvarford, Strategic Partnership Manager at Tetra Pak and member of the Treesearch board and ForMAX steering group.
Collaboration between academia and industry
The first experiments at ForMAX are performed by market-leading industry companies, including Tetra Pak, and researchers from the Wallenberg Wood Science Center.
“With ForMAX, we aim to improve our understanding of the structure-function relationship in complex materials at multiple length scales, including novel materials from the forest, and food”, says Kim Nygård, ForMAX beamline manager.
“We hope that ForMAX will lead to many new collaborations and important discoveries,” says Magnus Larsson, Head of Industrial Relations at MAX IV.
Learn more about ForMAX – Visit the ForMAX webpage
Interested in doing industrial research at ForMAX? Contact the Industry Office
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