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Rigaku: Leading with Innovation X-ray Diffraction & Elemental Analysis
The Bridge
MiniFlex – qualitative and quantitative analysis of polycrystalline materials
MiniFlex
Benchtop X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument
Ideally-suited for today's fast-paced XRD analyses, the new 5th generation MiniFlex delivers speed and sensitivity through innovative technology enhancements such as the optional D/teX high speed detector coupled with the new 600 W X-ray source. The optional graphite monochromator, coupled with the standard scintillation counter, maximizes sensitivity by optimizing peak-to-background ratios. If resolution is paramount, incident and diffracted beam slits can be selected to provide the desired resolution. For high sample throughput, MiniFlex is the only benchtop XRD system with an available sample changer. Whether used for teaching X-ray diffraction at the college and university level, or routine industrial quality assurance, the MiniFlex delivers both performance and value.
For more >
Video of the Month
Video of the Month
8th Annual "Dance Your Ph.D." Contest
Put away those PowerPoint slides and get ready to dance! That's right: the eighth annual "Dance Your Ph.D." contest is on. At stake are $2500 in prizes and a trip to sunny Stanford University. For deadlines and other critical information, read on at Science.
Survey of the Month
survey
Take the Survey >
Conferences and Workshops
PITTCON in New Orleans
Join Rigaku
at future meetings
Rigaku will be sponsoring, attending or exhibiting at the following conferences and trade shows:

AAPG
Denver, CO, USA
May 31 – June 3, 2015

XRF Spectrometry Short Course with Special Topical Workshops
London, Ontario, Canada
June 1 – 12, 2015

ICDD Summer School
(XRD) – Session 1

Newtown Square, PA, USA
June 1 – 5, 2015

ICDD Summer School
(XRD) – Session 2

Newtown Square, PA, USA
June 8 – 12, 2015

See the complete list >
Rigaku XRD Seminar
at the University of Tokyo
Rigaku seminar
Introduction to X-ray Diffraction Seminar
on June 23, 2015
This seminar is intended for international researchers and students who wish to acquire an understanding of crystallography, the principles of X-ray diffraction, and experimental techniques on powder diffraction. See video of last year's seminar >

Attendees outside of Univ. of Tokyo and industries are also welcome. This seminar will be limited to 16 participants.
For more >
Planning to Submit a Grant?
grants
Rigaku is happy to assist
If you are planning on submitting an instrument grant proposal, Rigaku will be happy to assist you. We can help you determine the correct instrument and configura­tion best suited for your analytical needs. Start the process >
Rigaku's Materials Analysis eNewsletter, The Bridge
Subscribe to The Bridge
Join us
Each month, Rigaku distributes two eNewsletters: The Bridge, which focuses on Materials Analysis, and Crystallography Times, which concentrates on life sciences. Register >
 

Welcome

For the May 2015 issue of The Bridge, we are introducing two new segments: the "video of the month" and a "survey of the month." Depending on the month, our video selection will seek to either entertain or educate relative to some aspect of materials science. This month we explore the intersection of scientific education and arts. Similarly, our surveys will explore a variety of topics, spanning scientific issues to laboratory culture. Results from the prior month's survey will be published each month (starting with the June issue).

For your continuing education, the third to last installment of the X-ray diffraction Thin Film Training Textbook is published. Our book review covers molecular analytical techniques. Finally, the use of Supermini XRF and MiniFlex XRD instruments for solid-earth science research at Senshu University is highlighted. Enjoy the newsletter.

R.C. Tisdale, Ph.D. – Editor

Thin Film Training Textbook cover   Thin Film Training Textbook
High-resolution X-ray Diffraction Method (Part 17)
Rigaku Corporation

The kinematical theory of diffraction describes the intensity or angle distribution of the X-ray diffraction generated by a mosaic crystal. A mosaic crystal refers to a crystal containing numerous lattice defects such as grain boundaries and dislocations and disordered three-dimensional periodicity. Due to these disorders, the incident X-ray beam can be assumed to scatter only once in the crystal. This is the concept of the kinematical theory of diffraction. For more >
Rigaku Journal cover   Featured Rigaku Journal Article
Applications of the two-dimensional detector HyPix-3000
in X-ray diffractometry

Application Laboratory, Rigaku Corporation

Various types of detectors have previously been used in X-ray diffractometers. Scintillation counters (SC) have been used as zero-dimensional (0D) detectors, position-sensitive proportional counters (PSPC) and semiconductor detectors as one-dimensional (1D) detectors, and devices such as imaging plates (IP) and CCD detectors as two-dimensional (2D) detectors. For more >
oxide powder   WDXRF Application Note
Fused Bead Analysis for Wide Concentration Ranges of Various Oxide Materials on Benchtop WDXRF
Rigaku Corporation

The fusion method in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is an effective sample preparation technique for getting accurate analysis results of powder samples, since the technique eliminates heterogeneity due to grain size and mineralogical difference. In addition, the homogenization of material property by vitrification makes it possible to expand the calibration range by the use of synthetic standards of fused beads with reagents or by using diverse reference materials. For more >
soil   EDXRF Application Note
Agricultural Soils & Plant Materials
Applied Rigaku Technologies

In the agri-food sector, it is important to study not only the soil composition and use of fertilizers, but also the uptake of nutrients and potentially toxic elements within the plants and crops themselves. XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) is an accepted technique in the industry. The Rigaku NEX CG meets the challenges of soil and crop analysis using indirect excitation EDXRF (Energy Dispersive XRF). Secondary targets and polarization give the operator high precision instrumentation with a simple and intuitive software design ideal to meet the demanding trace measurements as well as the measurements of major and minor elements. For more >
Professor Hiroshi Sato   Customer in the Spotlight
Using Supermini & MiniFlex for Solid-Earth Science research
at Senshu University


Professor Hiroshi Sato, Senshu University was in charge of petrological and geochemical analysis of the mid-ocean ridge basalts of Southwest India, in a research project called "TAIGA" (Ministry of Education Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from 2008 to 2012). For more >
book cover   Scientific Book Review
Methods of Molecular Analysis in the Life Sciences
Andreas Hofmann, Anne Simon, Tanja Grkovic and Malcolm Jones, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2014, 225 pages, ISBN: 978-1107622760.

The authors set out to provide a broad view of the numerous techniques available for analytical methods in the life sciences. They do a reasonably good job of providing an introduction to many of the available tools. Each chapter concludes with a section containing both references and web-based resources. For more >
Bragg's Law   Material Analysis in the News
News for May 2015

May 1, 2015. University of Manchester spin-out firm Nanoco joined the London Stock Exchange's main market. The firm, which makes cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, delisted from the AIM market at the same time. The net proceeds of the Placing of £18.65m will enable Nanoco to fund its growth plan, involving accelerated research, development and commercialization in its four key target markets - electronic display, LED lighting, solar power and biological imaging.

May 4, 2015. Rice researchers calculated that atomically thin layers of molybdenum disulfide can take on the qualities of plastic through exposure to a sulfur-infused gas at the right temperature and pressure. That means one can deform it without breaking it — a property many materials scientists who study two-dimensional materials should find interesting.

May 11, 2015. The much anticipated mobile drug testing lab was launched this week by the Gujarat health ministry, making it the first state in India to possess such a high tech on the go-spot-detecting drug testing laboratory. The lab is equipped with near infrared spectrophotometer, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, ion mobility spectrometer and the Raman spectrophotometer.

May 12, 2015. An international team of scientists has announced the discovery
of a new state of matter, called 'Jahn-Teller metals', in a material that appears
to be an insulator, superconductor, metal and magnet all rolled into one, saying that it could lead to the development of more effective high-temperature superconductors.

May 20, 2015. Thanks to a new grant, students at Frostburg State University will get a leg up on the competition. The school is receiving $100,000 in federal funding to develop a new geochemistry laboratory on campus, as well as another $100,000 from state sources of funding. The funding will help replace overused and outdated equipment, and bring in new technology that can speed up analysis. New tools include an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, a laser diffraction particle size analyzer, a closed chamber piston corer and portable sprectrophotometers.

May 20, 2015. Tilting of guanine crystal arrays is key to light-induced color change in the skin of the neon tetra fish. Lia Addadi and Steve Weiner at Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, and Peter Fratzl and his team at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany, used microspot X-ray diffraction to investigate the behavior of the cells in physiologically active skin.

May 22, 2015. Based in part on research using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), former Ames Laboratory Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) student William Robin Lindemann has been awarded a prestigious scholarship from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GFRP). Lindemann is a senior at Iowa State University majoring in materials science and engineering.

periodic table background w/ test tubes   Recent Scientific Papers of Interest
Papers for May 2015

Recent Scientific Papers of Interest is a monthly compilation of material analysis papers appearing in recently released journals and publications. See below

Machine learning for ultrafast X-ray diffraction patterns on large-scale GPU clusters. Ekeberg, Tomas; Engblom, Stefan; Liu, Jing. International Journal of High Performance Computing Applications. May2015, Vol. 29 Issue 2, p233-243. 11p. DOI: 10.1177/1094342015572030.

The stoichiometry of synthetic alunite as a function of hydrothermal aging investigated by solid-state NMR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Grube, Elisabeth; Nielsen, Ulla. Physics & Chemistry of Minerals. May2015, Vol. 42 Issue 5, p337-345. 9p. DOI: 10.1007/s00269-014-0724-7.

Determination of the phase boundary of the omega to beta transition in Zr using in situ high-pressure and high-temperature X-ray diffraction. Ono, Shigeaki; Kikegawa, Takumi. Journal of Solid State Chemistry. May2015, Vol. 225, p110-113. 4p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2014.12.006.

Detection of nanoscale embedded layers using laboratory specular X-ray diffraction. Beekman, Matt; Rodriguez, Gabriel; Atkins, Ryan; Kunert, James; Moore, Daniel B.; Johnson, David C. Journal of Applied Physics. 2015, Vol. 117 Issue 18, p185306-1-185306-6. 6p. 1 Diagram, 6 Graphs. DOI: 10.1063/1.4920928.

Small-angle X-ray scattering of two-phase atomistic models for amorphous silicon–germanium alloys. Ben Brahim, R.; Chehaidar, A. Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids. May2015, Vol. 416, p4-13. 10p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2015.02.007.

XAS and XRF investigation of an actual HAWC glass fragment obtained from the Karlsruhe vitrification plant (VEK). Dardenne, K.; González-Robles, E.; Rothe, J.; Müller, N.; Christill, G.; Lemmer, D.; Praetorius, R.; Kienzler, B.; Metz, V.; Roth, G.; Geckeis, H. Journal of Nuclear Materials. May2015, Vol. 460, p209-215. 7p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.02.021.

Simultaneous PIXE and XRF elemental analysis of atmospheric aerosols. Reyes-Herrera, J.; Miranda, J.; de Lucio, O.G. Microchemical Journal. May2015, Vol. 120, p40-44. 5p. DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2015.01.004.

Grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering study of silver nanoparticles in ion-exchanged glasses. Cheng, Weidong; Wu, Zhaojun; Gu, Xiaohua; Xing, Xueqing; Mo, Guang; Wu, Zhonghua. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B. May2015, Vol. 351, p51-55. 5p. DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2015.04.014.

Correlation Map, a goodness-of-fit test for one-dimensional X-ray scattering spectra. Franke, Daniel; Jeffries, Cy M; Svergun, Dmitri I. Nature Methods. May2015, Vol. 12 Issue 5, p419-422. 4p. 2 Graphs. DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.3358.

Using small-angle X-ray scattering to investigate the compaction behaviour of a granulated clay. Laity, Peter R.; Asare-Addo, Kofi; Sweeney, Francis; Šupuk, Enes; Conway, Barbara R. Applied Clay Science. May2015, Vol. 108, p149-164. 16p. DOI: 10.1016/j.clay.2015.02.013.

Calculation of remanence and degree of texture from EBSD orientation histograms and XRD rocking curves in Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets. Sawatzki, Simon; Woodcock, Thomas G.; Güth, Konrad; Müller, Karl-Hartmut; Gutfleisch, Oliver. Journal of Magnetism & Magnetic Materials. May2015, Vol. 382, p219-224. 6p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmmm.2015.01.046.

Chemisorption—XRD particle size discrepancy of carbon supported palladium: Carbon decoration of Pd? Tengco, John Meynard M.; Lugo-José, Yuliana K.; Monnier, John R.; Regalbuto, John R. Catalysis Today. May2015, Vol. 246, p9-14. 6p. DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2014.07.006.

Depth profiling of low energy ion implantations in Si and Ge by means of micro-focused grazing emission X-ray fluorescence and grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence. Kayser, Yves; Hönicke, Philipp; Banas, Dariusz; Dousse, Jean-Claude; Hoszowska, Joanna; Jagodzinski, Pawel; Kubala-Kukus, Aldona; Nowak, Stanislaw H.; Pajek, Marek. JAAS (Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry). May2015, Vol. 30 Issue 5, p1086-1099. 14p. DOI: 10.1039/c4ja00461b.

Multivariate Statistical Techniques to Determine Essential and Toxic Elements in Biological Samples by X-Ray Fluorescence. Mbaye, M.; Traore, A.; Ndao, A. S.; Wague, A. Instrumentation Science & Technology. May/Jun2015, Vol. 43 Issue 3, p369-378. 10p. DOI: 10.1080/10739149.2014.991967.

Determination of trace amounts of hexavalent chromium in drinking waters by dispersive microsolid-phase extraction using modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes combined with total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Bahadir, Z.; Bulut, V.N.; Hidalgo, M.; Soylak, M.; Marguí, E. Spectrochimica Acta Part B. May2015, Vol. 107, p170-177. 8p. DOI: 10.1016/j.sab.2015.03.010.

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