Next MCF Image Contest in live until June 30, 2024!

1st place - The Beauty of Cancer Cells
1st place from the last image contest: Aref Valipour, F. Sarioglu Group Hitachi SU 8230 SEM

The Materials Characterization Facility hosts a running image contest that resets bimonthly. The current image contests will run through June 30, 2024.  In addition to displaying some of the imaging and analysis capabilities of our labs, it gives our users a chance to display their creative side. Check back here the first week of each month for updates on submission and in June we will announce our annual winners.

To submit your images, please go here!

https://gatech.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1934698

More information on the contest, rules, and how to make submissions can be found here

https://mcf.gatech.edu/news/

Example of Previous Submissions and Winners

https://mcf.gatech.edu/monthly-image-contest-results/

X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Symposium on January 5th and 6th, 2023

The Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) is pleased to announce that in January, in collaboration with Rigaku, we will be hosting a workshop on X-ray Diffraction. January 5th will feature seminars from researchers and faculty at Georgia Tech and across the southeast including but not limited to Clemson, Emory, Florida State University, and JSNN. January 6th will feature hands on training and application of techniques and showing off the capabilities of the tools and the software.

Registration information will be posted on the MCF (mcf.gatech.edu) website as well on the Rigaku website.

https://events.rigaku.com/symposium-gt-2023/registration

We look forward to seeing you at our workshop in the New Year!

New Rigaku Miniflex in the MCF

Demonstrations this Friday, August 12, 3:00-6:00PM

Interior View of Miniflex

The benchtop XRD from Rigaku is now available for use in the MCF and is on SUMS! More information about the instrument can be found here! This Friday, August 12, from 3:00-6:00, David Tavakoli will be demonstrating the capabilities of the newest XRD on campus. If you have samples you would like to try or are curious and want to know more, please make an appointment.

New Crystalmaker Software Suite for 2021

The Crystalmaker Software suite is available for download for students and staff at Georgia Tech! The crystalmaker suite will enable you to create crystal models, simulate XRD patterns, and generate CIFs. For the codes, please contact David Tavakoli (david.tavakoli@mse.gatech.edu) from a GT email address.

Rigaku Virtual Conference on XRD and XRF August 4-6!

Rigaku will be hosting a virtual conference on XRD and XRF this week that is free to register here!

Due to the COVID-19 induced cancellations of the Microscopy & MicroAnalysis, Denver X-ray, and American Crystallographic Association physical conferences this summer, Rigaku will be live webcasting a 3-day virtual Analytical X-ray Convention from our laboratory facility in Texas. The webcasts will take place Tuesday 8/4 – Thursday 8/6 and will feature live seminars on X-ray techniques and live instrument demonstrations.

Enjoy the presentations on Channel 1 (XRD), Channel 2 (XRF) and Channel 3 (X-ray Microscopy), and make sure to stop by our Concierge Booth on Channel 4 to say hello, live video chat, and participate in some fun events. We will be announcing upcoming Channel 4 events on the channel itself and via our Rigaku twitter feed (@rigaku, hashtag #RAXC2020), which you can view see on the right to keep up to date with what is going on.

Check the starting times for each day in the program, as different channels have different starting times. All four channels will be broadcast simultaneously and you can move among the four booths using the channel links.

Note that the three guest presentations—to be given by Rigaku sponsors—will all take place on channel 3. This has been updated on the program schedule.

Webinar: Focus on Battery Research: Studying Battery Cathode Materials Using X-Ray Diffraction

Tuesday, April 22: 10:30-11:30AM.

The cathode in a lithium-ion battery undergoes unique electrochemical reactions as lithium enters and leaves the atomic structure of the intercalated lithium compound. The intricacies of this reaction are one source of degradation and, therefore, an opportunity to improve performance. X-ray diffraction and scattering is well-suited to study these atomic phase changes, as well as a tool to understand and optimize the pathways that lithium uses to move through the cathode. However, studying battery materials requires special considerations that are different than the routine powder diffraction measurement.

This webinar, hosted by Malvern PANalytical will review the information that X-ray diffraction and scattering provides and discuss special considerations for experimental design such as selecting an X-ray tube, measurement geometry, and sample holder. We will then show examples of how these considerations are applied to cathode material analysis, including Rietveld refinement to quantify phase mixtures and atomic structure, pair distribution function analysis to examine local structural defects, and phase analysis of thick (10mm) commercial pouch cells, and in operando analysis of LFP based batteries to track phase changes during discharge and charging.

You can sign up for it here.

Speakers

Dr. Scott Speakman – Principal Scientist Malvern Panalytical
and Dr. Reeves-McLaren of The University of Sheffield

More information

– Who should attend?
Those working within the field of battery research or manufacturing or anyone interested in X-ray Diffraction of materials.
– What will you learn?
You will be educated on the X-ray diffraction and scattering application of lithium-ion batteries, including: Electrochemical reactions and atomic phase changes, with discussion on the special considerations needed for this application.

 

MCF is adding another XRD!

X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) is a powerful tool to look at crystals for characterizing microstructural and crystallographic properties of powders, thin films, fibers and other solid materials. The MCF has recently added another XRD, a Malvern PANalytical MPD to its capabilities. This XRD has a flat sample stage (default) for the analysis of powders and small solids, a non-ambient stage capable of running from -196C-450C, and a reflectivity stage. It should be on SUMS no later than 8/12/2019!

Image result for ford xrd gatech

Webinar – How is Particle Size Measured

Masterclass
October 23
10:30 ET
The MCF will be showing this webinar on the monitor in Marcus at 10:30AM on October 23rd.
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There is a gamut of particle size distribution measurement techniques each with established history and advantages.

The killer word in particle size distribution is the last one (distribution) and measurement of broad distributions is the bane of all sizing techniques.

After a very short introduction to ‘how much sample should we measure to describe the distribution’, we’ll be running through the background of some of the more popular techniques (sieves, sedimentation, electrical-sensing zone) and will emphasize the popular light scattering techniques of laser diffraction and dynamic light scattering.

As an aside, we’ll be mentioning Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS).

MCF Image Contest!

The MCF Image Contest is still going strong! Please consider sending your images/spectra so we can highlight what you are doing to the Georgia Tech Community and beyond!

More information as to how to submit your images and our guidelines can be found here: https://mcf.gatech.edu/news/image-contest-guidelines/

To see past images that have been submitted, they can be found here: https://mcf.gatech.edu/monthly-image-contest-results/

Thank you!

-MCF Staff-