The paper describes the Rossendorf beamline (ROBL) built by the Forschungszentrum Rossendorf at the ESRF. ROBL comprises two different and independently operating experimental stations: a radiochemistry laboratory for X-ray absorption spectroscopy of non-sealed radioactive samples and a general purpose materials research station for X-ray diffraction and re¯ectometry mainly of thin ®lms and interfaces modi®ed by ion beam techniques.

Synchrotron radiation / Actinides / Technetium / Neptunium / EXAFS / XANESSummary. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for obtaining basic molecular-level information, which is required for a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for radionuclide transport in the environment. A unique experimental station dedicated to the study of actinides and other radionuclides by XAFS spectroscopy has become operational at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. The main characteristics of the Rossendorf Beamline, ROBL, and its radiochemistry end station and selected results obtained on Tc and Np solutions are presented.

Uranium(VI) complex formation at vegetative cells and spores of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus sphaericus was studied using uranium L II -edge and L III -edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. A comparison of the measured equatorial U−O distances and other EXAFS structural parameters of uranyl species formed at the Bacillus strains with those of the uranyl structure family indicates that the uranium is predominantly bound as uranyl complexes with phosphoryl residues.

The depth distribution of Ge implanted into thermally grown SiO2 films has been studied after annealing using transmission electron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, and x-ray diffraction. At annealing temperatures above 900 °C a significant redistribution of the as-implanted Ge profile was found. Crystalline Ge nanoclusters embedded in the SiO2 matrix are formed within a cluster band with well defined boundaries. The evolution of nanoclusters can be explained qualitatively by a model based on nucleation, growth and Ostwald ripening of Ge precipitates. Besides, chemical and interface reactions lead to the formation of additional Ge peaks near the surface and at the Si/SiO2 interface.

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