This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
With this award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Multiuser Program (CRIF:MU), Professor Nicholas E. Geacintov and colleague Michael D. Ward from New York University will acquire a cyber-enabled X-ray microdiffractometer with a 2-dimensional GADDS (General Area Detector Diffraction System) detector. This instrument will be configured to deliver a tightly collimated monochromatic beam with spot diameters ranging from 10 - 1000 micrometers to allow structural characterization of single-crystal and polycrystalline compounds with a high degree of spatial resolution. This instrument will support research in an array of areas such as epitaxial crystallization, polymorphism, biomineral microcrystals, peptoid-based materials, copolymers, metal-organic arrays, biomimetics, bioactive ceramics, organic conductors, molecular magnets, and molecular arrays.
An X-ray diffractometer allows accurate and precise measurements of the full three dimensional structure of a molecule, including bond distances and angles, and provides accurate information about the spatial arrangement of a molecule relative to neighboring molecules. The studies described here will impact a number of areas, including chemistry, materials chemistry and biochemistry. This instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research.
