Research Facilities at ChemMatCARS: A Synchrotron Resource for Chemistry and Materials Science at the Advanced Photon Source

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Program in the Chemistry Division, the Division of Materials Research and the Office of Basic Energy Sciences at the Department of Energy provide continuing support to ChemMatCARS at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source. This award provides maintenance, operation and selected upgrades of this unique resource as a national user facility for the chemical and materials science community. Techniques supported by the facility include static and time-resolved x-ray diffraction, surface-sensitive and interface x-ray scattering, small-angle x-ray scattering and wide-angle x-ray scattering. The instrumentation can be adapted to accept a wide variety of user chambers for specialized sample environments. This user facility provides a unique high brilliance x-ray resource for the study of surface, interfacial and bulk properties of liquids and solids on length scales ranging from the atomic to the mesoscopic. The research activities enabled by the ChemMatCARS user facility set the pace in adapting synchrotron techniques to best serve the chemistry community; contribute to the development of improved materials, notably plastics, membranes and nano-composites; serve as a training ground for researchers at all levels; and expand the synchrotron user community into archeology, anthropology and forensics.