Last year, a new X-ray center was opened at the Vienna University of Technology, where highly efficient equipment for materials research has been available ever since. Now the center is being expanded even further - with a new X-ray diffractometer, provided by the company PANalytical.

On Monday, 2nd of July, the cooperation agreement was signed by EMEA Sales Director Dr. Annemie van den Boom and Business Manager Austria Dr. Norbert Weissenbacher of PANalytical and Prof. Johannes Fröhlich, Vice Rector for Research of the Vienna University of Technology, and Dr. Klaudia Hradil, Head of the X-ray Center of the Vienna University of Technology.

Powerful all-rounder

The new X-ray diffractometer is very flexible: it can be used to study crystalline powders as well as thin films, and is just as suitable for nanostructures as for larger, solid objects. "The device enables stress and texture measurements to characterize components," says Klaudia Hradil, director of the X-ray center. "Also important for us is the ability to characterize thin films, which has been lacking in our lab."

Rapid conversion

A big advantage of the new device is also that it can be quickly converted. If one wants to perform different measurements, time-consuming adjustment work usually has to be carried out in between - and that can often take hours. The new X-ray diffractometer has pre-adjusted units that enable rapid changeover.

Measuring material structures

X-ray analysis has become an indispensable part of modern materials science. When new materials are being developed and the microscopic structure of material samples needs to be measured accurately, X-rays are an indispensable tool. Their wavelength is comparable to the distances between the individual atoms of the material, so X-rays are scattered by different material structures in characteristic ways.

Profitable cooperation

The new X-ray diffractometer will be used by PANalytical together with the Vienna University of Technology for instrument demonstrations and scientific studies. PANalytical chose Vienna as a location for this project and for its cooperation with the Vienna University of Technology for many reasons: Vienna is extremely conveniently located and offers a good infrastructure for customer contacts.  In addition, potential new customers benefit from the outstanding analytical competence at the TU Vienna. For the TU Vienna, this offers numerous opportunities to learn about application issues from research and industry from all over Europe. In addition, the TU Vienna has access to one of the most modern X-ray diffractometers for materials science and receives optimal support from PANalytical's application scientists.

"We have already had good experience with X-ray equipment from PANalytical, and the cooperation with PANalytical is a win-win situation for both sides," Klaudia Hradil is certain.
Vice Rector Johannes Fröhlich adds: "The new facility will open up new possibilities for our researchers working in the field of materials science and thus contribute to further strengthening the TU's research focus on "Materials and Matter". This success reinforces our strategy of bundling high-quality equipment in equipment research centers and thus increasing the visibility of the infrastructure and, above all, the associated scientific expertise for potential research and cooperation partners in academia and industry.