The ARC is excited to announce a major expansion of its materials characterization infrastructure through a recent Federal Appropriations award administered through the NIST Congressionally Identified Projects Program (CIPP). The investment will bring a new state-of-the-art Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer to ARC while also expanding capabilities across our existing XRD and NMR facilities.
Together, these investments will create a complementary suite of tools for studying materials from their three-dimensional atomic structures to bulk powders, thin films, and materials under changing environmental or operating conditions. The new capabilities will support research across areas including advanced energy materials, polymers, pharmaceuticals, catalysis, quantum materials, biomaterials, and other emerging materials technologies.
New Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer
At the center of the project is a new SC-XRD, which will replace ARC’s aging single-crystal instrumentation and significantly expand what researchers can do on campus. The system will include two different X-ray sources, providing greater flexibility for studying a broad range of materials, from organic compounds and proteins to inorganic and heavy-element materials.
A new large-area, highly sensitive detector will allow researchers to obtain high-quality data from smaller or more challenging crystals and reduce data collection times. The system will also enable advanced experiments such as diffuse scattering, providing new opportunities to investigate defects and disorder in crystalline materials.
The SC-XRD will be accompanied by a new digital stereomicroscope with polarized-light capabilities and live camera imaging. The microscope will help researchers identify and select suitable crystals before data collection while making it much easier for ARC staff to demonstrate crystal screening, cutting, and mounting techniques during user training.
Higher-Throughput Walk-Up NMR
The award will also fund a Bruker SampleCase Plus 60-slot autosampler for ARC’s walk-up ASC-400 MHz NMR system in Chemistry Research. ARC’s autosampler-equipped NMR systems are among our most heavily utilized instruments, frequently operating around the clock. Adding automation to the remaining system will allow researchers to queue samples for unattended collection, increasing instrument availability and throughput for routine NMR analysis.
Expanded XRDynamic 500 Capabilities
ARC’s recently installed Anton Paar XRDynamic 500 will also receive a substantial suite of upgrades. New high- and low-temperature stages will allow researchers to follow structural changes as materials are heated or cooled, including measurements ranging from cryogenic conditions to temperatures as high as 1,200 °C.
Additional upgrades will include an automated XY sample stage, new sample holders for powder XRD and SAXS measurements, and expanded capabilities for in situ electrochemical studies of battery materials, including pouch cells and low-temperature battery measurements. These additions will increase sample throughput while opening new opportunities to study how materials behave under real-world operating conditions.
Building an Integrated Materials Characterization Platform
Rather than operating as isolated additions, these investments will complement one another. Researchers will be able to combine detailed single-crystal structure determination with powder and thin-film XRD, SAXS, variable-temperature and in situ measurements, and high-throughput NMR, providing multiple ways to understand structure and behavior across complex material systems.
The new capabilities will be available through ARC to CSU researchers as well as external academic, government, and industry users, extending the impact of the federal investment throughout Colorado and the region.
Stay tuned! Procurement and installation activities will begin this fall, with additional updates on installation timelines, training opportunities, workshops, and availability shared as the new capabilities come online.