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The Bridge continues a long tradition of Rigaku’s commitment to communication with our customers. The Rigaku Journal was first published in Japan in 1959 and the first English version was published in 1984. The Rigaku Journal has always contained a combination of scientific articles, application notes, and new product information. Beginning with this issue of The Bridge, we will include a link to a previous article that our readers have found particularly useful. This month’s article involves thin-film diffraction. The Bridge does not replace the Rigaku Journal and recent issues can be downloaded from our website.

There are so many scientific conferences held around the world each year that it is difficult to highlight one particular conference over others. However, we will make an exception for the Denver X-ray Conference (DXC) , an annual XRD/XRF meeting that was held earlier this month in Westminster, CO, USA. One aspect of the DXC that sets it apart from most conferences is the high level of commitment that the organizers have for educating current and future specialists. Two full days of workshops are run each year covering a wide range of topics taught by well-known experts. The DXC provides a great venue for young researchers just entering the field of material research as well as for established scientists who want to expand their knowledge base or take a refresher course. Highly recommended.

Featured Rigaku Journal Article X-ray thin-film measurement techniques IV: In-plane XRD measurements Shintaro Kobayashi, Application Laboratory, Rigaku Corporation X-ray diffraction intensities from a thin film deposited on a substrate can be relatively weak compared to the diffraction and background intensities from the substrate itself. In this detailed article, the technique of in-plane XRD with a grazing incident X-ray beam is described for measuring diffraction intensities from lattice planes normal to the surface of a sample. Read more >

Customer Testimonial The use of benchtop WDXRF in the coal industry ALS Coal (Australia) provides analytical services for the quality rating of coal and analysis of rock. With its main laboratories located in Brisbane, Maitland and Newcastle, ALS Coal also has satellite laboratories throughout Australia as well as several mine site laboratories. ALS Coal uses two Supermini WDXRF benchtop spectrometers in their coal analysis work - one in a mine site laboratory and one in the Emerald satellite laboratory. Read more >

Featured Application Note Lubricating Oil Analysis by Benchtop WDXRF According to ASTM D6443-04 Lubricating oils are given specific functional properties by mixing additives with base oil. In order to assure consistent and desirable performance, it is very important to control the concentrations of the additives during the lubricant manufacturing process. This application note demonstrates the capability of a low-cost compact benchtop WDXRF spectrometer for quantitative analysis of Ca, Cl, Cu, Mg, P, S and Zn in base oils, lubricating oils and additives. Read more >

Material Analysis in the News News for August 2013 Each month we highlight material analysis stories that have been covered in the press. Read more >

Scientific Book Review Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein Brilliant Blunders describes "colossal mistakes" made by five of our most brilliant scientists: Charles Darwin, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), Linus Pauling, Fred Hoyle, and Albert Einstein. Read more >

Recent Scientific Papers of Interest

Heterocyclic and aromatic based polyurethane scaffolds: morphology and crystallinity studied by X-ray diffraction, small-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry. Madkour, Tarek M.; Mohamed, Sahar K. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p980-992. 13p.
DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813013733.

Clay orientation effect on the thermal stability of polyethylene-nanoclay nanocomposites. Cheng, Shan; Cairncross, Richard A.; Hsuan, Y. Grace; Li, Christopher Y. Polymer. Aug2013, Vol. 54 Issue 18, p5016-5023. 8p. DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2013.07.011.

Potential use of V-channel Ge(220) monochromators in X-ray metrology and imaging. Korytár, D.; Vagovic, P.; Végsö, K.; Siffalovic, P.; Dobrocka, E.; Jark, W.; Ác, V.; Záprazný, Z.; Ferrari, C.; Cecilia, A.; Hamann, E.; Mikulík, P.; Baumbach, T.; Fiederle, M.; Jergel, M. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p945-952. 8p. DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813006122.

LPG sensing application of graphene/Bi₂O₃ quantum dots composites. Nemade, K.R.; Waghuley, S.A. Solid State Sciences. Aug2013, Vol. 22, p27-32. 6p.
DOI: 10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2013.05.008.

Pulsed current electrodeposition of Zn-Ag₂S/TiO₂ nanocomposite films as potential photoelectrodes. Gomes, A.; Videira, A.; Monteiro, O.; Nunes, C.; Carvalho, M.; Lopes, A. Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry. Aug2013, Vol. 17 Issue 8, p2349-2359. 11p.
DOI: 10.1007/s10008-013-2099-y.

Modeling electron density distributions from X-ray diffraction to derive optical properties: Constrained wavefunction versus multipole refinement. Hickstein, Daniel D.; Cole, Jacqueline M.; Turner, Michael J.; Jayatilaka, Dylan. Journal of Chemical Physics. Aug2013, Vol. 139 Issue 6, p064108. 14p. DOI: 10.1063/1.4817662.

Investigation of the blue-green emission and UV photosensitivity of Cu-doped ZnO films. Li, F.M.; Zhu, C.T.; Ma, S.Y.; Sun, A.M.; Song, H.S.; Li, X.B.; Wang, X. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing. Aug2013, Vol. 16 Issue 4, p1079-1085. 7p.
DOI: 10.1016/j.mssp.2013.03.012.

SASET: a program for series analysis of small-angle scattering data. Muthig, Michael; Prévost, Sylvain; Orglmeister, Reinhold; Gradzielski, Michael. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p1187-1195. 9p.
DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813016658.

A low cost synthesis of fly ash-based mesoporous nanocomposites for production of hydrogen by photocatalytic water-splitting. Zhang, Yaojun; Kang, Le; Shang, Jun; Gao, Hanxuan. Journal of Materials Science. Aug2013, Vol. 48 Issue 16, p5571-5578. 8p. 2 Black and White Photographs, 1 Diagram, 1 Chart, 7 Graphs. DOI: 10.1007/s10853-013-7351-4.

Core-shell strain structure of zeolite microcrystals. Cha, Wonsuk; Jeong, Nak Cheon; Song, Sanghoon; Park, Hyun-jun; Thanh Pham, Tung Cao; Harder, Ross; Lim, Bobae; Xiong, Gang; Ahn, Docheon; McNulty, Ian; Kim, Jungho; Yoon, Kyung Byung; Robinson, Ian K.; Kim, Hyunjung. Nature Materials. Aug2013, Vol. 12 Issue 8, p729-734. 6p. 3 Color Photographs, 1 Graph.
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3698.

Relationship between performance and microvoids of aramid fibers revealed by two-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering. Zhu, Caizhen; Liu, Xiaofang; Guo, Jing; Zhao, Ning; Li, Changsheng; Wang, Jie; Liu, Jianhong; Xu, Jian. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p1178-1186. 9p.
DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813010820.

Alloy content determination of fully strained and partially relaxed semi-polar group III-nitrides by x-ray diffraction. Oehler, F.; Vickers, M. E.; Kappers, M. J.; Oliver, R. A. Journal of Applied Physics. Aug2013, Vol. 114 Issue 5, p053520. 12p. 3 Diagrams, 1 Chart, 5 Graphs. DOI: 10.1063/1.4817422.

X-ray study of thermal expansion behaviors and Grüneisen parameters of cadmium germanium arsenide crystal over the temperature range 25-450 °C. Liu, W.; Zhao, B.; Zhu, S.; He, Z.; Chen, B.; Huang, W.; Tang, J.; Yu, Y. Journal of Applied Physics. Aug2013, Vol. 114 Issue 5, p053513. 8p. 1 Diagram, 5 Charts, 4 Graphs. DOI: 10.1063/1.4817416.

In situ and time resolved nucleation and growth of silica nanoparticles forming under simulated geothermal conditions. Tobler, Dominique J.; Benning, Liane G. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. Aug2013, Vol. 114, p156-168. 13p. DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2013.03.045.

Rietveld analysis, dielectric and impedance behaviour of Mn³⁺/Fe³⁺ ion-modified Pb(Zr_0.65Ti_0.35)O₃ perovskite. Sahu, Niranjan; Panigrahi, S. Bulletin of Materials Science. Aug2013, Vol. 36 Issue 4, p699-708. 10p. DOI: 10.1007/s12034-013-0522-8.

Micropower energy harvesting using poly(vinylidene fluoride hexafluoropropylene). Sukwisute, Pisan; Muensit, Nantakan; Soontaranon, Siriwat; Rugmai, Supagorn. Applied Physics Letters. 8/5/2013, Vol. 103 Issue 6, p063905. 4p. DOI: 10.1063/1.4818339.

Effect of electrodeposition potential on composition and morphology of CIGS absorber thin film. Sang, N; Quang, P; Tu, L; Hop, D. Bulletin of Materials Science. Aug2013, Vol. 36 Issue 4, p735-741. 7p. DOI: 10.1007/s12034-013-0497-5.

Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering study on ultrananocrystalline diamond films. Sternschulte, H.; Staudinger, I.; Sepe, A.; Papadakis, C.M.; Perlich, J.; Roth, S.V.; Ghodbane, S.; Steinmüller-Nethl, D. Diamond & Related Materials. Aug2013, Vol. 37, p68-73. 6p.
DOI: 10.1016/j.diamond.2013.04.015.

A new X-ray pinhole camera for energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence imaging with high-energy and high-spatial resolution. Romano, F.P.; Altana, C.; Cosentino, L.; Celona, L.; Gammino, S.; Mascali, D.; Pappalardo, L.; Rizzo, F. Spectrochimica Acta Part B. Aug2013, Vol. 86, p60-65. 6p. DOI: 10.1016/j.sab.2013.04.012.

Experimental demonstration of direct L-shell x-ray fluorescence imaging of gold nanoparticles using a benchtop x-ray source. Manohar, Nivedh; Reynoso, Francisco J.; Cho, Sang Hyun. Medical Physics. Aug2013, Vol. 40 Issue 8, p080702. 6p. DOI: 10.1118/1.4816297.

Effects of Different Drying Conditions on Water Absorption and Gelatinization Properties of Pasta. Zhang, Lifen; Nishizu, Takahisa; Hayakawa, Shiho; Nakashima, Rie; Goto, Kiyokazu. Food & Bioprocess Technology. Aug2013, Vol. 6 Issue 8, p2000-2009. 10p.
DOI: 10.1007/s11947-012-0976-5.

CRAFS: a model to analyze two-dimensional X-ray diffraction patterns of plant cellulose. Oliveira, Rafael P.; Driemeier, Carlos. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p1196-1210. 15p.
DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813014805.

Coherent X-ray radiation produced by microbunched beams in amorphous and crystalline radiators. Ispirian, K.A. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B. Aug2013, Vol. 309, p4-9. 6p. DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2013.01.072.

Fundamental characteristics of hybrid X-ray focusing optics for micro X-ray fluorescence analysis. Komatani, Shintaro; Nakamachi, Kazuo; Nakano, Kazuhiko; Ohzawa, Sumito; Uchihara, Hiroshi; Bando, Atsushi; Tsuji, Kouichi. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B. Aug2013, Vol. 309, p260-263. 4p. DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2013.02.023.

The calibration of a pixel sensor using both fluorescence and transmitted X-ray photons. Bissi, L.; Bizzaglia, S.; Bizzarri, M.; Farnesini, L.; Menichelli, M.; Meroli, S.; Papi, A.; Piluso, A.; Saha, A.; Scolieri, G.; Servoli, L. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A. Aug2013, Vol. 718, p336-338. 3p. DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2012.10.092.

Optical properties and phase transition in photodoped amorphous Ge-Sb-Te:Ag thin films. Kumar, S.; Singh, D.; Thangaraj, R. Thin Solid Films. Aug2013, Vol. 540, p271-276. 6p.
DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2013.04.154.

Spectrometric methods for the determination of chlorine in crude oil and petroleum derivatives — A review. Doyle, Adriana; Saavedra, Alvaro; Tristão, Maria Luiza B.; Mendes, Luiz A.N.; Aucélio, Ricardo Q. Spectrochimica Acta Part B. Aug2013, Vol. 86, p102-107. 6p.
DOI: 10.1016/j.sab.2013.06.003.

Evaluation of pore structures and cracking in cement paste exposed to elevated temperatures by X-ray computed tomography. Kim, Kwang Yeom; Yun, Tae Sup; Park, Kwang Pil. Cement & Concrete Research. Aug2013, Vol. 50, p34-40. 7p.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cemconres.2013.03.020.

Ordered stacking of crystals with adjustable curvatures for hard X- and γ-ray broadband focusing. Neri, Ilaria; Camattari, Riccardo; Bellucci, Valerio; Guidi, Vincenzo; Bastie, Pierre. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p953-959. 7p. DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813011333.

Characterization of SiGe thin films using a laboratory X-ray instrument. Ulyanenkova, Tatjana; Myronov, Maksym; Benediktovitch, Andrei; Mikhalychev, Alexander; Halpin, John; Ulyanenkov, Alex. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p898-902. 5p. DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813010492.

Photoelectric X-ray Polarimetry with Gas Pixel Detectors. Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Brez, Alessandro; Costa, Enrico; Minuti, Massimo; Muleri, Fabio; Pinchera, Michele; Rubini, Alda; Soffitta, Paolo; Spandre, Gloria. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A. Aug2013, Vol. 720, p173-177. 5p. DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2012.12.006.

Optical characterisation of lithium fluoride detectors for broadband X-ray imaging. Heidari Bateni, S.; Bonfigli, F.; Cecilia, A.; Baumbach, T.; Pelliccia, D.; Somma, F.; Vincenti, M.A.; Montereali, R.M. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A. Aug2013, Vol. 720, p109-112. 4p. DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2012.12.023.

Elastic mechanical grain interactions in polycrystalline materials; analysis by diffraction-line broadening. Koker, M.K.A.; Welzel, U.; Mittemeijer, E.J. Philosophical Magazine. Aug2013, Vol. 93 Issue 22, p2967-2994. 28p. DOI: 10.1080/14786435.2013.793852.

Nondestructive mapping of chemical composition and structural qualities of group III-nitride nanowires using submicron beam synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction. Bonanno, P.L.; Gautier, S.; Gmili, Y.El.; Moudakir, T.; Sirenko, A.A.; Kazimirov, A.; Cai, Z.-H.; Martin, J.; Goh, W.H.; Martinez, A.; Ramdane, A.; Le Gratiet, L.; Maloufi, N.; Assouar, M.B.; Ougazzaden, A. Thin Solid Films. Aug2013, Vol. 541, p46-50. 5p. DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2012.12.099.

Assessment of the out-plane and in-plane ordering of high quality ZnO nanorods by X-ray multiple diffraction. Martínez-Tomás, M.C.; Montenegro, D.N.; Agouram, S.; Sallet, V.; Muñoz-Sanjosé, V. Thin Solid Films. Aug2013, Vol. 541, p107-112. 6p. DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2012.10.131.

X-ray and synchrotron studies of porous silicon. Sivkov, V.; Lomov, A.; Vasil’ev, A.; Nekipelov, S.; Petrova, O. Semiconductors. Aug2013, Vol. 47 Issue 8, p1051-1057. 7p.
DOI: 10.1134/S1063782613080174.

Diffraction studies under in situ electric field using a large-area hybrid pixel XPAD detector. Fertey, Pierre; Alle, Paul; Wenger, Emmanuel; Dinkespiler, Bernard; Cambon, Olivier; Haines, Julien; Hustache, Stephanie; Medjoubi, Kadda; Picca, Frederic; Dawiec, Arkadiusz; Breugnon, Patrick; Delpierre, Pierre; Mazzoli, Claudio; Lecomte, Claude. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p1151-1161. 11p.
DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813013903.

Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction of single GaAs nanowires at locations defined by focused ion beams. Bussone, Genziana; Schott, Rüdiger; Biermanns, Andreas; Davydok, Anton; Reuter, Dirk; Carbone, Gerardina; Schülli, Tobias U.; Wieck, Andreas D.; Pietsch, Ullrich. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p887-892. 6p. DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813004226.

A scanning CCD detector for powder diffraction measurements. Toby, B. H.; Madden, T. J.; Suchomel, M. R.; Baldwin, J. D.; Von Dreele, R. B. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p1058-1063. 6p.
DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813013824.

High-quality quartz single crystals for high-energy-resolution inelastic X-ray scattering analyzers. Hönnicke, Marcelo Goncalves; Huang, Xianrong; Cusatis, Cesar; Koditwuakku, Chaminda Nalaka; Cai, Yong Q. Journal of Applied Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography - IUCr). Aug2013, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p939-944. 6p.
DOI: 10.1107/S0021889813004731.