With this award, co-funded by the Division of Chemistry and the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, Professor Galen Stucky and colleagues Ram Seshadri and Trevor Hayton from the University of California Santa Barbara will acquire a single crystal X-ray diffraction system, equipped with a modern charge coupled detector (CCD) to serve the chemistry department as well as campus-wide research and education programs. The proposal is aimed at enhancing research training and education at all levels, especially in areas of study such as characterization of micro-size crystals, weakly diffracting materials, poorly crystalline soft materials, and phase-transitions of single- or poly-crystalline samples, as well as the characterization of texture, orientation, crystallinity, and crystal growth associated with oriented polycrystalline samples.
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 organic and inorganic chemistry and materials chemistry. This instrument will be an integral part of teaching as well as research.
?????The goal of this three-year Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) project was to acquire a new X-ray single crystal diffraction system with the latest technology to provide solid-state structure characterization capabilities for campus-wide research and education in chemistry, materials science, and other fields. A Bruker Kappa Apex Single Crystal X-ray diffraction system, funded by this grant, was installed in the UCSB College of Letters and Science X-ray Facility at the end of January 2011. The intense X-ray source and highly sensitive detector have provided the capability to characterize the crystals having size as small as to 10µm as well as from samples that have very weak scattering power, which otherwise would be impossible to characterize locally. The fast data collection capability makes it possible for chemical and material scientists to obtain precise 3D structure geometry and packing information within hours, significantly accelerating their ability to explore, design, and synthesize novel functional materials. The instrument not only benefits the research projects of more than 10 research groups at UCSB, it also provides training opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students in the use of state-of-the-art X-ray instrumentation and software either during crystallography courses or in their research. So far more than 20 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have accepted the training and are able to independently collect data and carry out detailed, complex structure determinations. This allows them to continue to apply X-ray analytical techniques to their research problems, both while at UCSB and after they move on in their post-graduate careers. The facility (http://web.chem.ucsb.edu/~xray/) also serves for off-campus community, including the education programs of local colleges and high schools, R&D projects of national lab and industry.
