Technical Abstract: This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program supports Boston University for the acquisition of an advanced materials x-ray diffraction (AMXRD) system incorporating advanced x-ray optics, detector technology and mechanical design to enable easy changes between a wide range of applications, including general x-ray diffraction, high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD), grazing-incidence diffraction and x-ray reflectivity (XRR), pole-figure analysis, grazing-incidence and transmission small-angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS and SAXS respectively). Researchers will utilize the various X-ray techniques to investigate a broad range of science issues: to study of atomic structure, including identification of crystal structure, lattice constants, and strain and crystal orientation/texture; atomic structure of thin surface layers or films; to probe the nano-scale structure of materials; to examine the structure of surface films/layers and roughness, and to study the morphology of surfaces and bulk materials on length scales of nanometers to tens of nanometers. The instrument will reside in, and become a core component of, the multi-user central characterization facility at the Boston University Materials Science and Engineering Division in the Photonics Center. The AMXRD system will provide critical infrastructure for education and for research in Photonic Materials & Novel Growth Processes, Macromolecular and Bio-Materials, Materials for Energy & Environment, and Correlated Electron Materials. In addition to forming a central role in educating graduate and undergraduate students working in individual research laboratories, the AMXRD system will become an important component of existing and new courses.
The useful electrical, optical and mechanical properties of materials depend crucially on their atomic and nano-scale structure. X-ray diffraction is the key experimental technique able to quantitatively investigate issues of atomic structure, including identification of crystal structure, lattice constants, and strain, and crystal orientation. Though most often used for structural studies of the bulk material, when performed using a grazing incidence geometry, these techniques probe the atomic structure of thin surface layers or films. While x-ray diffraction itself examines the crystalline structure of materials, closely related techniques probe the nano-scale structure of materials. These include x-ray reflectivity to examine the structure of surface films/layers and roughness, and grazing-incidence and transmission small-angle x-ray scattering to study the morphology of surfaces and bulk materials on length scales of nanometers to tens of nanometers. The advanced materials x-ray diffraction (AMXRD) system acquired here will incorporate advanced x-ray optics, detector technology and mechanical design to enable easy changes between a wide range of applications in materials development and analysis. The instrument will reside in, and become a core component of, the multi-user central characterization facility being developed by the Boston University Materials Science and Engineering Division in the Photonics Center. The AMXRD system will provide critical infrastructure for education and for ongoing research in photonic materials, macromolecular and bio-materials, materials for energy and the environment, and for correlated electron materials. The AMXRD system will also have a profound impact on education in materials-related areas (e.g. Materials Science and Engineering, Physics and Chemistry) and will become an important component of existing and new courses.
