The “Nanoscopy” project, led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Wilhein of Hochschule Koblenz, aimed to transform the AnImaX analytical X‑ray microscope into a flexible, user‑friendly platform for soft‑X‑ray imaging at the nanometer scale. The instrument is portable and can be adapted to different synchrotron beamlines, offering both full‑field and scanning acquisition modes. In the scanning mode, fluorescence detection enables elemental mapping and the study of local chemical species. A prior feasibility study on the P04 beamline at PETRA III demonstrated that the microscope can produce element‑distribution images with a spatial resolution below 100 nm while acquiring each pixel in less than 10 ms when imaging biomedical samples. Building on this, the project introduced a graphical user interface, an interlock system, a master‑clock architecture for synchronized data capture, and live data preview. These developments, together with coherent data storage and workflow enhancements for transmission and fluorescence data, substantially increased the throughput of sample analysis. Dedicated evaluation procedures were also refined to provide rapid, reliable elemental quantification, and the groundwork for three‑dimensional imaging via fluorescence tomography was laid, although full 3D measurements could not be completed due to pandemic‑related constraints. Over the course of the project, five measurement campaigns were carried out at the PETRA III P04 beamline. The campaigns investigated the distribution of gadolinium in various tissues—including blood vessels, brain, liver, and test cells—in collaboration with researchers from the Charité Berlin. Inflammation processes in endothelial cells were examined with Antje Ludwig, while organo‑mineral associations in creek sediments were studied jointly with Karin Eusterhues of Friedrich‑Schiller‑Universität Jena and Jürgen Thieme of Brookhaven National Laboratory. Results from these campaigns were presented at national and international conferences, and several conference proceedings and posters have been published, with additional journal manuscripts in preparation.

The project was a consortium effort under the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) with the grant reference 05K19ULA. The core partners were the working group of Birgit Kanngießer at Technische Universität Berlin and the working group of Thomas Wilhein at Hochschule Koblenz. External collaborators included the Charité Berlin, Friedrich‑Schiller‑Universität Jena, and Brookhaven National Laboratory, each contributing expertise in biomedical imaging, environmental science, and mineral‑organic interactions. The consortium’s structure facilitated close integration of instrument development with real‑world applications, allowing researchers from medicine, biology, geology, and environmental science to participate throughout the measurement cycle. Despite the severe limitations imposed by the COVID‑19 pandemic—such as restricted access to the synchrotron, laboratory shutdowns, travel restrictions, and supply chain delays—the team managed to deliver a substantially upgraded microscope and to conduct a series of high‑impact experiments. The project’s outcomes lay the groundwork for routine use of soft‑X‑ray microscopy in diverse scientific fields, particularly in biomedical research, by providing a robust, high‑throughput, and user‑friendly platform that can be deployed on demand at multiple synchrotron facilities.