Versatile in situ powder X-ray diffraction cells for solid–gas investigations

Two multipurpose sample cells of quartz (SiO2) or sapphire (Al2O3) capillaries, developed for the study of solid–gas reactions in dosing or flow mode, are presented. They allow fast change of pressure up to 100 or 300 bar (1 bar = 100 000 Pa) and can also handle solid–liquid–gas studies

A new material for hydrogen storage, ScAl0.8Mg0.2

A novel aluminium rich alloy for hydrogen storage has been discovered, ScAl0.8Mg0.2, which has superior properties regarding hydrogen storage capacity, kinetics and stability towards air oxidation in comparison to hydrogen absorption in state-of-the-art intermetallic compounds. Detailed analysis of the hydrogen absorption in ScAl0.8Mg0.2 has been performed using in situ synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction, neutron powder diffraction and quantum mechanical calculations. The results from calculations and experiments are in good agreement with each other

Status of the MAX IV Laboratory

On the day of the 2016 summer solstice, June 21, MAX IV, the new synchrotron radiation facility in Lund, Sweden, will be inaugurated. MAX IV is setting a new standard in terms of emittance, thereby providing beamlines with the best possible brilliance and coherence. At the same time, MAX IV continues a more than three-decades-long successful history of Swedish synchrotron-radiation-based research. The activities at the present MAX-lab, which officially started when the MAX I storage ring opened for users in 1986, have been concluded with a “last beamdump” ceremony for the MAX II and MAX III storage rings on December 13, 2015, Saint Lucy's Day. In Sweden, the winter solstice is celebrated with a festival of light

The yellow mini-hutch for SAXS experiments at MAX IV Laboratory

I911-SAXS is the new SAXS (Small-Angle-X-ray-Scattering) beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden. It is one of the 5 stations of the hard X-ray Cassiopeia beamline (I911) at the 1.5 GeV ring MAX II. I911-4 was converted into a multipurpose SAXS station which opened to the scientific community in May 2011. The SAXS users community at this laboratory comes from diverse fields of research with different needs and requirements at the end-station. This results in different set-ups routinely being installed in the easy-accessible experimental mini-hutch. The beam can be focused at sample-to-detector distances between a few hundred millimeters and more than two meters. This versatility permits a selection of q-ranges between 0.006 1/Å and 2 1/Å. The recent acquisition of a fast readout, low noise pixel detector (PILATUS 1M) and the implementation of a high-throughput solution SAXS are the latest beamline upgrades

Formation and transformation of five different phases in the CaSO4-H2O system: Crystal structure of the subhydrate beta-CaSO4 center dot 0.5H(2)O and soluble anhydrite CaSO4

At least five crystalline-phases can be found in the CaSO4-H2O system, which are gypsum CaSO4 center dot 2H(2)O, the subhydrates alpha- and beta-CaSO4 center dot 0.5H(2)O, and the soluble and insoluble anhydrite CaSO4. The formation of these five phases in the CaSO4-H2O system and their transformations were investigated by in situ time-resolved synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction (SR-PXD) in this study. Furthermore, revised structural models for beta-CaSO4 center dot 0.5H(2)O and soluble anhydrite CaSO4 are presented. The hydration of alpha-CaSO4 center dot 0.5H(2)O was studied at 25 degrees C and showed that the reaction with H2O started immediately after mixing the two reactants and that the formation of CaSO4 center dot 2H(2)O was coupled to the depletion of alpha-CaSO4 center dot 0.5H(2)O. The thermal decomposition of CaSO4 center dot 2H(2)O was investigated in the temperature range of 25-500 degrees C and showed the fon-nation of alpha-CaSO4 center dot 0.5H(2)O followed by the formation of soluble anhydrite AIII-CaSO4, which was gradually converted to insoluble anhydrite AII-CaSO4. The thermal decomposition of alpha-CaSO4 center dot 0.5D(2)O was investigated in the temperature range of 25-500 degrees C and showed successive phase transformations to beta-CaSO4 center dot 0.5D(2)O, soluble anhydrite AIII-CaSO4, and insoluble anhydrite AII-CaS04. The two polymorphs of anhydrite coexist in the investigated temperature range of 200-500 degrees C. The hydrothermal decomposition of CaSO4 center dot 2H(2)O was investigated in the temperature range of 25-200 degrees C using a 1 M HNO3 or a 1 M LiCl solution, and in both experiments, CaSO4 center dot 2H(2)O was converted to alpha-CaSO4 center dot 0.5H(2)O and further to insoluble anhydrite AII-CaSO4. A structural model for beta-CaSO4 center dot 0.5H(2)O is proposed on the basis of SR-PXD data and a trigonal unit cell (in hexagonal setting) a = 6.93145(3), c = 12.736 17(4) angstrom, Z = 6, and space group P3(1). A structural model for soluble anhydrite AIII-CaSO4 is also proposed on the basis of powder neutron diffraction data, and a hexagonal unit cell parameters are a = 6.9687(1), c = 6.3004(1) angstrom, Z = 3, and space group P6(2)22