EMU scientific: acquisition of a modular X-ray diffractometer for analysis of the structure of materials, biomaterials and devices at different scales

• Grant number: 22/11294-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Infrastructure Program - Scientific
• Start date: August 01, 2023
• End date: July 31, 2030
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Roberto Manuel Torresi
• Grantee: Roberto Manuel Torresi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Luiz Henrique Catalani ; Mauro Bertotti ; Mauro Carlos Costa Ribeiro

Abstract

Materials in their various natures and scales are undoubtedly protagonists to facing the challenges of today's society, incluing those related to global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, to the growing energy demand and medicine. Nanocatalysts, biocatalysts and hybrids, energy storage and conversion devices are among the materials that may ensure new advances in a sustainable way. The acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment for the characterization of materials is of fundamental importance for the investigation of the structure and allowing the development of other ones that perform better, are more active, with better yield and with greater stability in real applications. The intended EMU is a highly modular, multipurpose diffractometer, with several X-ray sources allowing the investigation of various materials, at various scales, and also a whole device in situ and in-operando. The equipment is configured for X-ray diffraction measurements of powders and thin films, and can perform acquisition in reflection and transmission modes; low and high angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS), Pair Distribution Function (PDF) with silver hard radiation, and computed microtomography (µ-CT) images - fundamental for in-operando studies of batteries and other energy storage devices. With the available techniques, it will also be possible to study the structure of disordered materials, biomaterials and biomolecules, and other devices at various scales, including in situ measurements and in real time, in a non-destructive way and in one single equipment. The diffractometer will feature a state-of-the-art, high-throughput area detector providing hard-irradiation work for PDF and µ-CT. Accessories for measurements with pressure and temperature are also part of the project for in situ and in operando studies of catalytic materials and phase transitions. This multipurpose equipment can be used to investigate nanostructure, order/disorder, morphology of inorganic and molecular materials, and even the arrangement of macromolecules in solution. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the EMU will allow the performance of several analyses and the availability of different X-ray based techniques, which can only be found currently in dedicated equipment for each of the techniques. (AU)