ChemMatCARS: A synchrotron X-ray national facility for chemistry and materials research at the Advanced Photon Source

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The Division of Chemistry and the Division of Materials Research with support from the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities provides continuing support to ChemMatCARS, a national user facility for frontier research in chemistry and materials science employing synchrotron X-rays at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. Various stations at ChemMatCARS serve a broad national and international community of scientists. Research activities address vital societal issues, including the development of new energy sources such as solar-to-hydrogen production, biomolecular materials inspired by biological processes, environmental remediation processes, and new materials and catalysts important for a wide range of industries. The facility serves as a training ground for researchers at all levels and carries out numerous activities to develop and diversify the future STEM workforce. This user facility provides a unique high brilliance X-ray resource for the study of advanced small-molecule crystallography, liquid surface and interface scattering, and ultra-small to wide-angle scattering from bulk materials. Advanced instrumentation at ChemMatCARS enables forefront research of ordered and disordered solids, liquids and interfaces on the atomic, molecular and mesoscopic length scales over a range of time scales from nanoseconds to minutes. Users of ChemMatCARS take advantage of its unique capabilities to address a wide variety of scientific problems. Research topics include studies of interfacial chemistry important for environmental and life processes, biomolecular materials, metal-organic frameworks for gas adsorption and separation, inorganic materials for catalytic, electronic and magnetic applications, photo-responsive materials for switches, sensors, and energy production, directed assembly for tunable mesoscale structures, and new processes and materials for energy production and storage.