An Electron Diffractometer for Nanomaterial Structure Characterisation

确定原子如何精确地排列在晶体中，对于科学家了解一种材料的性质是至关重要的，无论是药物，电子设备的一部分，甚至是更大集合的一个组成部分。多年来，x射线衍射一直是金标准，用x射线束击中目标材料的晶体，对x射线衍射结果的分析可以确定结构。这项技术支持了著名的科学突破，如了解青霉素的结构，第一种抗生素和DNA双螺旋结构，这两个都是在英国实现的。然而，尽管x射线晶体学取得了巨大的进步，但它仍然需要大约10微米大小的晶体，这大约是云中的水滴的直径。因此，只有某些材料可以用这种技术来研究，而且通常不是他们将使用的形式，这意味着我们在检查粒径小于此的材料方面存在重大差距。在这个项目中，我们建议购买世界上第一个商用电子衍射仪之一。这项最先进的技术使用电子衍射而不是x射线，这意味着可以分析更小的样本，包括所谓的纳米材料。电子衍射可以用来分析比x射线衍射小约200倍的样品，极大地扩展了可以进行结构表征的材料的范围。因此，电子衍射的广泛应用将导致我们制造和理解材料的方式发生真正的变化。我们将在格拉斯哥大学的分析套件中安装衍射仪，与其他用于确定材料结构的设备一起，形成一个具有最先进专业知识和基础设施的综合区域设施。该设施将为格拉斯哥以及英国北部其他大学和公司的广泛科学家提供服务。我们将与现有的衍射专家联盟（如国家晶体学服务）密切合作，确保通过提供适当的专业知识、设备、基础设施和支持，分析和战略性地满足英国科学界的需求。通过这样做，我们将确保英国保持在材料科学的前沿，保持其在衍射领域的世界领先地位，并在制药制造和超现代能源材料等不同领域刺激一系列新的研究项目，以使英国经济和整体研究和创新战略受益。

Determination of how atoms are precisely arranged within a crystal is essential for scientists to understand the properties of a material, be it a drug, part of an electrical device, or even a component of a much larger ensemble. For a number of years, X-ray diffraction has been the gold standard, where crystals of the target material are hit with an X-ray beam, and analysis of the resulting diffraction of the X-rays allows the structure to be determined. This technique has underpinned famous scientific breakthroughs such as understanding the structure of penicillin, the first antibiotic, and the DNA double helix, both of which were achieved in the UK. However, despite huge advances in X-ray crystallography it still requires crystals around 10 microns in size, which is approximately the diameter of a water droplet in a cloud. As such, only certain materials can be studied by this technique, and often not in the form they will used, meaning there is a major gap in our capability for examining materials with particle sizes smaller than this.In this project, we propose to purchase one of the world's first commercial electron diffractometers. This state-of-the-art technique uses diffraction of electrons instead of X-rays, and means much smaller samples can be analysed, including so-called nanomaterials. Electron diffraction can be used to analyse samples that are approximately 200 times smaller than X-ray diffraction, hugely expanding the scope of materials which can be structurally characterised. As such, widespread uptake of electron diffraction will result in a genuine step-change in how we make and understand materials.We will install the diffractometer in the University of Glasgow's Analytical Suite, alongside other equipment that is used to determine the structure of materials, to generate a comprehensive regional facility with state-of-the-art expertise and infrastructure. The facility will serve a wide range of scientists at Glasgow and at other universities and companies across northern UK. We will work closely with existing consortia of experts in diffraction, such as the National Crystallography Service, to ensure that the needs of the UK scientific community are analysed and strategically served through provision of appropriate expertise, equipment, infrastructure, and support. In doing so, we will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of materials science and maintains its position as a world-leader in diffraction, and stimulate a whole range of new research projects in diverse areas such as pharmaceutical manufacturing and ultramodern energy materials, to benefit the UK economy and overall research and innovation strategy.