In the Spring of 2018, The DEXS instrument (“Dual Source and Environmental X-ray Scattering”) that incorporates a Xeuss 2.0 small-angle system was installed. The system provides scientists with an unprecedent capability to measure structures of materials from the subnanometer to the micron scale on the same instrument. The DEXS instrument is also equipped with a wide variety of sample environments and special configurations, including controlled temperature, humidity, grazing incidence, and measurements under tension.
The system was installed in the LRSM and funded by an NSF-MRI grant with matching support from the LRSM and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). The instrument is now being used by research groups in Materials Science, Physics, and Chemistry, as well as outside academic and industrial users. Anticipated applications of the research being conducted using this instrument include nanoporous metals for energy storage, nanocrystals for light harvesting, polycarbonates in ionic liquids with tunable chemical reactivity, and a variety of others.