MRI Acquisition: High-Resolution and Ultra-High Speed X-Ray Diffractometer for Structure, Crystal Quality, and Preferred Orientation Determination

University Of Texas At Dallas, Richardson TX

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the University of Texas at Dallas to acquire a state of the art X-ray diffraction tool for determination and understanding of the crystal structure of new materials in the fields of low power electronics, energy storage, superconductors, organic electronics, nanotechnology, flexible electronics, photovoltaics, optoelectronics, and environmental catalysts. Crystal structure plays a major role in each of these important applications as it determines the mechanical, toxicity, reactivity, and electronic properties of the new materials. The remarkable advances over the past half century in the fields of computing, engineering, medicine, and energy would not have taken place had it not been for the creation of "materials by design" that is only possible when the structure of materials and their correlation to material properties are well known. UT-Dallas has state of the art facilities for materials synthesis by a wide range of technologically relevant processes in addition to advanced characterization tools. Therefore, this new instrument, which allows a precise determination of the structure of materials grown by the PI, will allow them to study the effect of processing conditions on materials structure and, in turn, determine the materials properties. The instrument will also play a significant role in the education of graduate and undergraduate students in a wide range of disciplines; it will be open to users from outside of the university fostering new collaborations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropole and around the country. The instrument is a Rigaku SmartLab high-resolution, ultra-high speed X-ray diffractometer for the structural analysis and crystal quality determination of bulk and thin-film organic and inorganic materials for nanoelectronic and energy applications. The new instrument will be housed in the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory (NSERL) and will complement existing materials synthesis and device fabrication capabilities in dedicated labs and shared user facilities at UT-Dallas. The new diffractometer will significantly enhance in research high quality single crystal 2-dimensional semiconductors for high performance and low power nanoelectronic applications, in intermetallic and oxide layered materials that can exhibit a range of properties from unusual magnetism to superconductivity and more. In these fields and others the quantification of thin-film crystal quality and the orientation of grains in polycrystalline samples in reduced dimensions are crucial to understanding the process-structure-property relationships. The ability to determine crystal quality and carry out high-speed pole figures for texture analysis opens new research avenues for a wide number of investigators and students. The acquisition of a high-resolution and ultra-high speed X-ray diffractometer will greatly enhance the research of current and potential materials and device researchers within UT-Dallas and across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as well as dramatically transform important research and educational efforts. The instrument will be used to improve student education and training through hands-on access to new techniques and complement classroom learning.