Improvements in the aerospace, nuclear, and many other industries are being driven by new materials, such as composites and alloys that can survive aging and harsh circumstances. In order for manufacturers to create new materials with specialized qualities, such as those with lower environmental effect, they must first have a thorough understanding of how materials behave during their development and use. Industry scientists can link a material's micro- and nanostructure with its qualities using non-destructive synchrotron X-ray techniques. In addition to determining the static structure of a materials, synchrotron light source enables the analysis of materials during its synthesis or in real-world working conditions, assisting producers in discovering and utilizing the features of materials in novel ways.

• Utilizing energy dispersive X-ray diffraction, materials are analyzed for strain and stress
• Track millisecond-scale internal changes that take place during material creation
• Using X-ray microtomography to assess coatings for damage and failure