Activities of the group include sample preparation and optimation for aerosol production, high speed liquid jets, high viscosity extrusion and fixed target preparation. In collaboration with users and in in-house research projects, group members optimize methods for sample preparation and characterization before injection into the X-ray beam.
Sample Preparation and Characterization
The Sample Environment and Characterization (SEC) group operates the user laboratories. The laboratories are well equipped for a variety of sample preparation and characterization techniques. In collaboration with users, members of the SEC team optimize sample conditions to ensure best possible results of user experiments. In in-house projects, they optimize processes for sample delivery into the scientific instruments of the European XFEL.
The SEC group operates the European XFEL user laboratories including the X-ray Biology Infrastructure (XBI) laboratories. These labs have been financed and commissioned in collaboration with the XBI user consortium. Here, all steps of sample preparation for serial femtosecond protein crystallography (SFX) starting from expression and purification to crystallization and optimization of crystal slurries for injection can be performed.