X-ray Diffraction
We maintain three X-ray diffractometers for in-house structural studies
1) Bruker D8 Discover with Cu microfocus source. This multi-function X-ray diffractometer allows microanalysis with interchangeable collimators from 2mm-0.1mm. X,Y,Z translation is coupled with tilt and rotation for micro-positioning. Reflection, in-plane grazing incidence diffraction, small angle X-ray scattering, and transmission measurement geometries are accommodated. User can choose the 140 mm diameter Vantec500 area detector or high-resolution LynxeyeXE 1-D detector for the desired speed/resolution.
2) Bruker D2 Phaser (Cu) with Lynxeye 1-D detector for general powder diffraction. This powder X-ray diffractometer is quick and easy to use for obtaining high quality data in reflection geometry. An integrated flat screen allows real-time data monitoring.
3) The "Ingaku" is an old Rigaku D/max hutch upgraded with a high-brilliance Incoatec Ag microfocus source. The system is built around a robust Huber 4-circle goniometer with scintillation detector for high-quality single crystal studies.
Vibrational Spectroscopy and Optical Characterization
We use a variety of spectroscopic and optical characterization methods. The high-resolution Raman spectrometer is built around a Princeton Instruments SP2750 spectrograph with PyLoN CCD. The SP2750 spectrograph has a focal length of 750 mm, aperture ratio of f/9.7, PMT resolution of 0.03 nm, CCD resolution of 0.06 nm and Linear dispersion of 1.03 nm/mm. The PyLoN CCD camera is liquid-nitrogen-cooled down to -120°C. The green single-frequency torus laser excitation wavelength is 532nm, with power of 150 mW. Three gratings of 300 g/mm, 1800 g/mm, and 2400 g/mm are available. LightField software is used to control the camera and spectrograph.
The Bruker Vertex with Hyperion microscope is used to collect Fourier transform spectra from the mid-IR to the UV.
The Perkin-Elmer Lambda950 spectrophotometer is equipped with a 150mm InGaAs integrating sphere and PMT/InGaAs detector which work in the operating range 175-2500nm. The instrument is routinely used to measure absorbance, transmittance/reflectance of powders, pellets, recovered DAC gaskets and thin films. The integrating sphere expands the measurement capability of this instrument to include the total and diffuse reflectance of both specular and diffuse samples.
User Facilities
We are regular users at the Advanced Photon Source and the Spallation Neutron Source.
