Powder X-ray diffraction unit for the characterization of food and soft materials

粉末X射线衍射（XRD）装置是多学科中广泛使用的仪器。 它主要用于晶体和液晶材料的指纹识别。 晶格应变以及微晶尺寸也可以用这种技术进行研究。 在食品科学中，XRD被广泛用于研究食用脂肪的多晶型、淀粉和其他多糖聚合物（如纤维素）的结晶度。 它还用于包装薄膜的研究，其中聚合物的结晶和非结晶状态的平衡强烈影响包装机械性能和渗透性。 该仪器在学术研究人员中很受欢迎，但工业（国内和国际）对它的需求也很高，因为工业很少/从未在内部拥有这种仪器。 Marangoni实验室被认为是世界上研究食用脂肪和脂肪模拟物的固态结构和纳米结构的主要实验室之一。这些材料的晶体学的许多进展都发生在这里，使用2002年由CFI基金购买的理学Multiflex衍射仪。 入侵现在已经失败，理学不再支持。 具体来说，仪器中的压力表和流量表损坏，仪器的“心脏”--测角仪上的齿轮磨损松动。 因此，不再可能精确地控制角分辨率。 这台仪器是马兰戈尼的NSERC资助的发现计划的核心和必不可少的，被他所在小组的所有学生、博士后和技术人员使用，更不用说圭尔夫大学的其他人也使用这台机器了。 我们现在也不能再接受任何工业合同了。 这次故障发生在9月中旬，一直是一个严重的“表演停止”位。 我们也不能支持Pensini、Wright、Rogers Joye、Lim、Keener和其他人的工作。 从积极的方面来说，新的粉末X射线衍射仪，Miniflex机器，确实是了不起的。首先，这些机器现在是台式机器，大约是原来尺寸的1/5-大型变压器和Haskis制冷机组消失了。检测器速度超快，分析时间缩短了十分之一，可用于过程动力学研究！该仪器配备了专用的安东帕尔冷却和加热单元，理学最近增加了一个特殊的透镜，允许在1度2 θ以下进行测量。 现在可以可靠地进行（近）小角度X射线散射工作了！ 所有这一切加上用于光谱分析的软件的新进展，使这台仪器以15万加元的价格成为一笔令人惊叹的交易。这种新的仪器将保证在食品科学和工程在圭尔夫部门的研究计划的持续高生产力和世界一流的质量，将继续帮助支持加拿大食品制造业，并帮助开发未来的食品。

A powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) unit is a widely-used instrument in multiple disciplines. It is mainly used to fingerprint crystalline and liquid crystalline materials. Lattice strain as well as crystallite size can also be studied with this technique. In Food Science, XRD is widely used to study the polymorphism of edible fats, the crystallinity of starch and other polysaccharide polymers, like cellulosics. It is also used in the study of packaging films where the balance of crystalline and amorphous states of polymers strongly influence package mechanical properties and permeability. The instrument is popular among academic researchers, but it is also in very high demand by industry (national and international), since industry rarely/never has such instruments in-house. The Marangoni lab is considered to be one of the main laboratories in the world for the study of the solid-state structure and nanostructure of edible fats and fat mimetics. Many advances in the crystallography of these materials have taken place here, using a Rigaku Multiflex diffractometer purchased with CFI funds in 2002. The intrument has now failed and is not supported by Rigaku any longer. Specifically, the pressure and flow gauges in the instrument are damaged and the gears on the goniometer, the "heart" of the instrument, are worn down and loose. Thus, it is not possible to accurately control angular resolution anymore. This instrument is central and essential to Marangoni's NSERC-funded Discovery program and used by all of the students, post-docs and technicians in his group, not to mention everyone else at the University of Guelph who uses the machine as well. We cannot accept any more industrial contracts at this time either. This breakdown happened in mid September and has been a bit of a serious "show-stopper". We cannot support the work of Pensini, Wright, Rogers Joye, Lim, Keener and others either. On a positive note, the new powder X-ray diffraction, the Miniflex machine, is truly remarkable. First of all, these machines are now benchtop machines about 1/5th of the original size - gone are the large transformers and Haskis refrigeration units. The detectors are ultra-fast, cutting down on analysis time by 1/10th of the time, allowing for the study of the kinetics of processes! The instrument comes with a dedicated Anton Paar cooling and heating unit, and Rigaku has recently added a special lens, allowing measurements to be made below 1 degree 2theta. (Near) small-angle X-ray scattering work can now be reliably carried out! All of this plus new advances in the software used for the analysis of spectra, makes this instrument an amazing deal for CAD$150,000. This new instrument would guarantee the continued high productivity and world-class quality of the research programs in the Departments of Food Science and Engineering at Guelph, would continue help support the Canadian Food Manufacturing Industry, and help develop the foods of the future.