This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program will help the Department of Chemistry at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry of the State University of New York acquire a high-brillance, rotating anode X-ray generator unit. This instrument will be equipped for computer-controlled X-ray diffraction in both wide angle and small angle modes, complete with control and data processing software, for use in diffraction analysis of powders, fibers, and films. The areas of chemical research that will be enhanced by the acquisition are the following: 1) Crystallinity studies of materials for the construction of energy efficient membranes used in organic and azeotropic liquid separation; 2) Structural characterization of membrane mimetic systems for energy conversion; 3) Crystallinity and morphology characterization of composite materials such as polymer alloys and blends, and surfaces of catalysts; 4) Crystal structure analysis of fibrous polymers used in membranes and polymers blends; 5) Crystal structure analysis of polymers used in enhanced oil recovery programs. Single crystal X-ray is the most powerful analytical method for structure determination of solids. In synthetic inorganic, organic, bioinorganic and organometallic chemistry, single crystal X-ray diffraction is an invaluable tool to characterize molecular structure. The information gained from the knowledge of the intermolecular composition and structure helps to develop new reactions of potentially general interest in catalysis or organic synthesis.
