Rigaku SmartLab X-ray Diffractometer coming soon to CHANL

CHANL is thrilled to offer powder and thin film x-ray diffraction with a new Rigaku SmartLab X-ray diffractometer (XRD). This system is capable of grazing angle measurements for measuring diffraction from thin films and possesses an in-plane diffraction arm for measuring crystalline planes perpendicular to the sample surface. Samples with periodicity on length scales up to 100 nm can be characterized with the SAXS unit, and micro area measurements with spot sizes as small as 100 μm are also possible.  Rocking curves, pole figures, and reflectivity measurements are all available with this system, which is also equipped with a HyPix-3000 2D detector. A number of sample stages allowing for sample heating and cooling (-100ºC to 1,000ºC) and environmental control (inert atmosphere, vacuum, reactive gas) are available for interesting in situ measurements. The SmartLab Guidance software makes these measurements easy to implement as it guides users to install the correct optical components, and walks them through the appropriate alignments before measurements begin. Powerful analysis software includes access to the ICDD PDF2 database, allows for Rietveld whole pattern fitting, and 2D pattern analysis.

If you would like additional information about this tool, please email Carrie Donley (cdonley@email.unc.edu).

RTNN hosts XRD Symposium

Malvern PANalytical and the RTNN hosted a “Non-ambient X-ray Diffraction (XRD)” workshop at NC State November 8-9. The event brought together 48 attendees from 17 different universities and organizations to explore the research potential of non-ambient diffraction and practical advice for collecting accurate and useful data. On the evening of November 8, attendees learned more about on-going research during a poster session.

The picture shows Dr. Tom Blanton, the executive director of International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD), presenting his work on ‘Materials Characterization using the ICDD  PDF-4+’.

New Approach to Determine Atomic Arrangement in Materials

RTNN researchers at NC State University have published an article describing a new way to determine how atoms are arranged in materials. The work, “Use of Bayesian Inference in Crystallographic Structure Refinement via Full Diffraction Profile Analysis” published in Scientific Reports describes the application of Bayesian statistical methods to X-ray diffraction patterns. This method allows researchers to characterize and better estimate the variability in a material’s atomic structure. The technique is under development for use with spectra collected from other analytical tools like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This tool-set will inform the development of materials for a variety of novel applications.

A press release describing the work can be found here. The article in its entirety can be found here.