9512503 Stucky A charge coupled device (CCD), high intensity X-ray diffractometer will be acquired and utilized for materials synthesis and biotechnology research. The CCD detector and associated software allow for nearly single photon detection efficiency and rapid readout time of 512x512 pixels. The ease of use and rapid screening time of this instrument will permit the quick characterization of crystals as small as a few micrometers and of molecular crystals that are unstable and tend to deteriorate in the X-ray beam. Biomolecular phases and liquid crystal/membrane based composites with large unit cell structures that produce a large range of scattered intensities will be structurally accessible with this instrument. Zeolites, porous mesostructured materials, and fullerine-type structures that cannot be otherwise characterized because of their low scattering cross section, will also be studied. The large improvement in sensitivity provided by this instrument, in combination with available nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) resources, represents a unique capability for studying complicated partially ordered polymeric materials. %%% The high sensitivity, fast data collection, x-ray diffractometer will enable a new materials characterization capability that will impact an existing interdisciplinary program of over one hundred students and faculty. It will facilitate research programs concerned with the design, synthesis, and processing of advanced materials, studies of non- equilibrium transformations in complex fluids and biological systems, and protein structure-property relationships. ***
