Seeing materials in a new light - MXP flagship diffractometer launch

The Monash X-ray Platform (MXP) has officially launched two newly commissioned state-of-the-art X-ray diffractometers "Moly" and "SmartLab", further strengthening its advanced research capabilities.

More than 60 industry and academic stakeholders, platform users and students attended this week's launch, with VIP guests including Dr Qinfen Gu and Dr Yang Cao of ANSTO; Dr Nathan Webster and Dr Aaron Seeber of CSIRO; Professor Matthew Hill, Head of Monash Materials Science and Engineering; and Dr Raveen Wijesuriya from the University of Melbourne.

Following opening addresses by Professor Adrian Neild and MXP Director Dr Yuxiang Wu, Dr Tian Zhang introduced "Moly" MXP’s new high-energy in situ and operando XRD capability. The system incorporates Australia’s first EIGER 2D detector on a high-energy Bruker diffractometer, enabling researchers to follow structural evolutions as they occur.

MXP Manager Dr Jisheng Ma then showcased “SmartLab”, a high-flux, high-resolution XRD system with advanced optics for thin-film and semiconductor characterisation. Its capabilities include measuring film thickness and density, assessing surface and interface roughness, and resolving the fine details of epitaxially grown thin films.

Of the new instruments, Dr Ma said "We are incredibly excited to make these new capabilities available to our research community. Their real potential will be shaped by the imagination of our researchers. Their research questions continually inspire us to develop new diffraction methods and design tailored experiments to tackle increasingly complex scientific challenges.”

Together, these new instruments significantly extend MXP's capabilities in advanced materials characterisation; in situ experiments; thin-film analysis and high-resolution X-ray diffraction, further positioning MXP among Australia's premier in-house X-ray research facilities.

In closing, Dr Wu acknowledged MXP Scientific Adviser Ian Madsen for his longstanding contribution to educating the next generation of X-ray researchers at Monash and guiding the continued development of MXP’s capabilities.

“We hope these capabilities will help researchers explore new scientific frontiers and contribute to addressing important societal challenges. By bringing together advanced infrastructure, technical expertise and ambitious research questions, MXP aims to support discoveries that lead to meaningful scientific, industrial and societal impact,” Dr Wu said.

Learn more about MXP here.

To discuss your next research project, contact Dr Jisheng Ma, Manager MXP - jisheng.ma@monash.edu.