Instrumentation

X-ray Diffraction (XRD)

X-ray Diffractometer equipped with a Cu Ka X-ray source and in-situ stages
Capabilities and Applications:
- Phase identification
- Quantitative Phase Analysis (QPA)
- In-situ XRD: variable temperature and atmospheric control
- Crystallite size, internal strain assessment
- Crystallinity evaluation
- Lattice parameter refinement
- Transmission geometry setup is available (capillary setup & Transmission cup)
- Air tight holder and dome holder are available for atmosphere sensitive samples
Technical Specification:
- 1600W Cu-anode X-ray source with Ni Kß filter
- Vertical theta - 2theta goniometer
- Motorised divergence slits
- LynxEye XE 1D energy discriminative strip detector
- Focusing Gobel mirror for transmission geometry
- Anton-Paar HTK 1200N Non-ambient sample chamber with capillary extensions (r.t.p to 1200ºC in air, inert gas or vacuum)
- mri MTC Basci in-situ high temperature chamber (r.t.p to 1400 ºC in inert gas or under vacuum)
X-ray Diffractometer specifically configured for ferrous samples
Capabilities and Applications:
- Phase identification
- Quantitative Phase Analysis (QPA)
- Crystallite size, internal strain assessment
- Crystallinity evaluation
- Lattice parameter refinement
- Air tight holder and dome holder are available for atmosphere sensitive samples
Technical Specification:
- 1000W Co-anode X-ray source with Fe Kß filter
- Vertical theta - 2theta goniometer
- LynxEye XE 1D energy discriminative strip detector
- Rotation Stage or Flipsick autosampler (up to 9 samples) configuration
X-ray Diffractometer equipped with a Cu Ka source and sample autochanger
Capabilities and Applications:
Phase identification
Quantitative Phase Analysis (QPA)
Crystallite size, internal strain assessment
Crystallinity evaluation
Lattice parameter refinement
Air tight holder and dome holder are available for atmosphere sensitive samples
Technical Specification:
1000W Cu-anode X-ray source with Ni Kß filters
Vertical theta - 2theta goniometer
Motorised divergence slits
LynxEye XE 1D energy discriminative strip detector
Hight-throughput upgradable magazine bype15x3 position autochanger tower
A full size, versatile X-ray Diffraction instrument configured for a range of advanced X-ray diffraction applications for materials based scientific research across metallurgy, additive manufacturing and thin film including energy materials
Capabilities and Applications:
- Texture Analysis and extended Texture Analysis
- Residual Stress Measurement with full range of methods
- In-situ XRD with Deben Microtester (under constant stress or strain with temperature control)
- Grazing incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXD/GIXRD)
- Off-axis X-ray Diffraction (OAXRD)
- Microdiffraction
- XRD wafer mapping
- Customised in-situ experiments such as electrochemical setups or photo-current measurements
Technical Specification:
- 1600W Cu-anode X-ray radiation generated with a twist tube for point beam or line beam options
- Polycap conditioned point beam or Gobel mirror conditioned parallel line beam
- Horizontal Omega - 2theta goniometer
- Centric Eulerian cradle with rotation, tilt and X-, Y-, Z-transition for precise specimen alignment or mapping
- LynxEye XE-T high speed 1D energy discriminative strip detector
- Vantec-500 2D detector
- 5kN Deben Microtester with tensile or 3/4 beading test and temperature control (from -25ºC to 165 ºC)
Purposely built for fast data collection and in-situ XRD, the diffractometer is equipped with a Mo Ka radiation source and multiple in-situ chambers (pending installation & commissioning)
Capabilities and Applications:
- Variable Temperature Chambers
- Different atmosphere (vacuum, inert gas, air)
- Both reflection and transmission (capillary) geometry
- Further customisation for sample environment
Technical Specification:
- 3kW Mo-anode X-ray source
- LynxEye XE-T high resolution position sensitive linear detector
- Eiger-2 R 500k (CdTe) Hybrid Photon Counting (HPC) Pixel 2D detector
- Low & high temperature Capillary setup
- Fast data collection for XRD pattern within seconds
- Anton Paar TTK 600 Low-Temperature Chamber for in-situ XRD in reflection and transmission (capillary) geometry from -190 °C to 600 °C , suitable for air-sensitive samples and in-operando studies on batteries
- Anton Paar XRK 900 Reactor Chamber for solid state and solid state-gas reactions up to 900 °C and 10 bar
- Anton Paar HTK 1200N Non-ambient sample chamber with capillary extensions (r.t.p to 1200ºC in air, inert gas or vacuum)
- mri MTC Wide Range in-situ high temperature chamber (r.t.p to 1400 ºC in inert gas or under vacuum)
The Rigaku SmartLab installation completed in April, 2024 and full commissioned in 2025
High Flux, High Resolution Rigaku SmartLab High Resolution X-ray Diffractometer (HRXRD) with 9kW Rotating Anode,
Capabilities and Applications:
- High flux, High Resolution X-ray Diffraction (HRXRD) for Line Profile Analysis (LPA) and thin film (TF) applications
- Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD)
- X-ray Reflectometry (XRR) for thin film thickness, density, surface and interface roughness
- Reciprocal Space Mapping (RSM), including Wide Range RSM (WR-RSM) and High Resolution RSM (HR-RSM).
- In-plane XRD
- Transmission geometry (capillary stage)
- Micro-diffraction & XRD mapping (2D & 1D)
- In-situ XRD for Air Sensitive samples: variable temperature dome holder, also suitable for specialised XRD techniques below,
  - GIXD
  - XRR
  - HR-RSM
  - Limited in-plane XRD
  - Limited Stress measurement
- Applications from conventional powder XRD to advanced thin film and pharmaceutical research
Technical Specification:
- 9kW Cu rotating anode X-ray source with High Resolution cross-beam optics (CBO)
- Sample stage: big Chi stage (5-Axis Geometry), rotation stage, xy stage
- Johansson monochromator
- Ge(220) 2, 4 Bounce Monochormator and analysers
- In-plane goniometer
- Detector: HyPix-3000 Hybrid Pixel Array Detector
- Anton-Paar DCS 500 Dome heating stage
- CBO-u for micro-diffraction with XY-20mm stage (+/-10mm)
- CBO-f with XY-4 inch stage (+/-50mm)
- Capillary setup
- Coin cell battery attachment for relfection XRD

Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS)

A small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) system with a microfocus X-ray source and a vertical beam path
Capabilities and Applications:
- Investigation of 3-dimensional structures, particles, or arrangements with dimensions on the order of 1 nm up to about 100 nm
- Liquids, solids, films, fibres, gels or pastes can be investigated in transmission geometry
Technical Specification:
- 300W microfocus Cu-anode X-ray source
- Vantec-500 2D detector
- Montel multilayer optics
- Scatex pinhole collimators
- Motorised XY samples stage
- Integrated camera for quick and easy sample positioning
A Full-size Versatile small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) system with a Rotating Anode Cu X-ray source and a horizontal beam path
Capabilities and Applications:
- Investigation of 3-dimensional structures, particles, or arrangements with dimensions on the order of sub nm up to about 100 nm
- High resolution mode, the beam diameter is 0.65mm (FWHM), a beam flux of ~2.5 million cps, and a Q-range ~0.006Å-1 to 0.22Å-1
- High flux (standard) mode the beam diameter is 1mm (FWHM), the beam flux ~45 million cps and Q-range 0.01Å-1 to 0.35Å-1.
- Liquids, solids, films, fibres, gels or pastes can be investigated in transmission geometry
- Two Temperature control blocks for in-situ SAXS
- Full-size, versatile and highly customisable for various applications
Advanced techniques and capabilities upon request for suitable research:
- Semi-transparent beam-stop for simultaneous measurement of transmission
- Normal pressure SAXS (with about 1/3 of intensity loss and making the SAXS possible for samples which are not compatible with vacuum)
- WAXS with 2theat range ~14 degree (Q range up to ca. 1.0 A-1 )
- GI-SAXS (Grazing Incidence SAXS)
- GI-WAXS with 2theat range ~14 degree (Q range up to ca. 1.0 A-1)
- WAXS with 2theat range ~39 degree (Q range up to ca. 2.7 A-1)
- GI-WAXS with extended 2theta angle range ~22 degree (Q range up to ca. 1.5 A-1)
Technical Specification:
- TXS Rotating Anode Cu Kα X-ray source (5.4 kW) (0.3 × 1 mm filament)
- Vantec-2000 2D detector
- Montel single-bounce multilayer optics provide a point focussing beam with low-divergence (<1 mrad)
- Two scatterless-pinhole collimator which optimises flux, resolution and signal-to-noise ratio
- computer-controlled sample stage covers a large XY area (90×120mm2)
- temperature-controlled blocks, one covering the temperature range -10°C to 95°C, and a second block for ambient to 300°C

X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT)

High-resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) provides non-destructive three-dimensional imaging of a wide range of materials, including soils, rocks, concrete, metals, polymers, additively manufactured parts and fossils.
Manufacturer and Model:
- Zeisss Xradia 520 Versa X-ray Microscope (XRM)
Capabilities and Applications:
- Submicron imaging of micro-structural features of materials
- A unique set of objectives (0.4X, 4X, 20X, 40X) which allows scanning of full samples or small sub-regions within large samples
- Various advanced insitu imaging capabilities including low to high pressure triaxial systems for soils and rocks, unconfined compressive and one-dimensional compression load-stages
Technical specifications:
- High Spatial resolutions (0.7μ)
- Geometrical & optical magnifications
- Sample size: ~ 100 mm & Mass ~15 kg
- Objectives: 0.4x, 4x, 20x, 40x
- Source: 160kV, 10W
- In-situ imaging capability using user designed rigs
- Post-processing of images were undertaken using AVIZO and Drishti
Details are also accessible via the former XCT facility website.

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)

A multi capability surface analysis system integrating X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and a number of other analytical techniques to give a correlative, multi-technique characterisation approach
Capabilities and Applications:
- X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) – Quantitative elemental composition analysis and chemical and electronic state identification of elements at a materials surface
- Ultra-violet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS) - Valence band and work function measurements
- Vacuum transfer module for air sensitive samples
- Ion gun sputter depth profile analysis and surface cleaning of both soft and hard materials
- Angle resolved XPS (ARXPS) – non-destructive information on the chemical composition of ultra-thin film surface layers up to 5-10nm
- Ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS) – Elemental composition of the outermost atomic layer
- Reflected electron energy loss spectroscopy – electronic structure (e.g. band gap) measurements and hydrogen detection
- XPS Mapping
Technical Specification:
- 180, double-focusing, hemispherical analyser with a 128-channel detector
- Micro-focused, monochromated Al Ka source with adjustable X-ray spot from 10-400 um in 5 um steps
- Dual beam low energy electron and ion flood source for charge neutralisation
- High intensity UV lamp with automated two-stage differential pumping
- Variable size and energy Ar gas cluster from 75 – 2000 atoms and 2 keV – 8 keV
- Monatomic Ar beam mode from 50 eV – 4 keV
- Vacuum System:2 x 260 l.s turbo molecular pumps, with automated titanium sublimation pump and backing pump

Monash X-ray Platform

Monash X-ray Platform

Instrumentation

X-ray Diffraction (XRD)

Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS)

X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT)

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)