New Materials Analysis Facility under Construction at Diamond

Johnson Matthey, Oxford University and Diamond Light Source have announced the creation of a state-of-the-art materials characterisation facility at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus (August 4). This world class site is close to both Oxford University and Johnson Matthey’s Sonning Common Research laboratories and is home to Diamond, the UK’s synchrotron science facility, where currently 24 experimental stations (beamlines) are operational with funding in place to increase this number to 33 by 2018.

As part of Diamond’s pioneering hard X-ray nanoprobe beamline (I14) and electron microscopy centre, Johnson Matthey and Oxford University will each contribute cutting-edge microscopes from JEOL to support research in the Physical Sciences. These microscopes will complement two other advanced electron microscopes that will also be built at the new centre as part of a National Facility for Cryo-Electron Microscopy. Overall, the new centre will offer unrivalled facilities for research across biological and physical sciences.

The hard X-ray nanoprobe will take structural analysis with detailed element mapping to the highest spatial X-ray resolution available anywhere in the world. Oxford University will bring a unique JEOL 300kV electron microscope dedicated to atomic scale imaging at world-leading resolution and Johnson Matthey will install a world-leading JEOL double-EDX and EELS capable microscope dedicated to chemical analysis with atomic scale resolution. Collaborations between Johnson Matthey, Oxford University and Diamond’s I14 beamline will facilitate the interchange of samples between these systems and enable analyses at near-duty catalytic conditions to observe the influence of chemical and thermal challenges on material structure.

 Dr Elizabeth Rowsell (Director, Johnson Matthey Technology Centre) said; “This is an exciting development for Johnson Matthey research, we chose to bring our investment to Diamond’s I14 beamline to further strengthen our extensive collaborations in advanced characterisation”;

Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, added: “Bringing together these powerful instruments in one place will be hugely beneficial to researchers, both in academia and industry, who are studying materials at the atomic scale. This new facility could lead to advances in many exciting research areas including graphene technology and the development of cleaner, greener fuels.”

Mr. Koichi Fukuyama (Director JEOL Europe) commented “This is a wonderful opportunity for JEOL and we are excited to be supporting the advanced characterisation research facilities that are being planned for the benefit of both academic and industrial scientists from the UK and beyond.”

Professor Andrew Harrison (CEO Diamond Light Source) said “We welcome closer engagement with UK companies such as JM. This development is part of a more general trend to develop strategic partnerships with industry and university, often underpinned by investment in complementary equipment or people, to exploit more fully our synchrotron facilities.”

The beamline, which will come online in spring 2017, will be a dedicated facility for micro-nano small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and nanoscale microscopy. The facility will have the potential to investigate samples under both static or real (e.g. wet, heated, in situ strain) conditions.