This award will provide partial support for the acquisition of an advanced x-ray CCD detector to be used in the Advanced Polymers Beamline (the APB, X27C) at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The current area detector systems at the APB include multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) detectors and imaging plate detectors, both cannot meet the stringent requirements of certain time-resolved and in-situ experiments that need high spatial resolution and high through-put rate (high detection efficiency and fast read-out time). These experiments include the study of structure-function relationship in skeletal muscles, deformation of synthetic and biological fibers, flow-induced crystallization and rheology/x-ray investigation of complex polymeric fluid systems.
The Advanced Polymers Beamline is ideal for carrying out polymer studies of fundamental and practical importance, and for exploring new materials research opportunities. The major benefit of this facility to the community is that no extensive synchrotron experience and equipment preparation is required from the general users to carry out cutting-edge experiments. One of such examples includes the recently developed simultaneous small- and wide- angle x-ray scattering (SWAXS) techniques to characterize structural changes of isotropic polymers with dimensions from 1 to 1000 Angstroms. However, the lack of an advanced CCD x-ray detector has prevented investigators from taking full advantage of the unique research opportunities in the APB. The CCD x-ray detector will not only complement the existing area detection systems (MWPC, imaging plate) for many on-going projects, but also offer new research opportunities for dynamic studies of anisotropic systems that are becoming the forefront of current materials studies. %%% The acquisition of this detector will significantly enhance research capabilities, and enable academic, government, and industrial scientists with no previous x-ray experience to carry out cutting-edge x-ray experiments. ***
