Grazing Incidence Wide-Angle X-Ray Scattering (GIWAXS) diffractometer

• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 580404017

The research focus of the research group is on crystalline nanoporous thin film materials of metal-organic frameworks (MOF thin films) and related materials. In our studies, we explore the properties and potential applica-tions in various fields, including molecular separation, energy-storage, gas/vapor sensing and smart/responsive materials. These projects are funded by various sources, including the Eu-ropean Union (ERC Consolidator Grant) and the DFG. These applications are based on fun-damental physicochemical processes in the nanoporous crystalline films such as adsorption and diffusion of guest molecules, electronic, ionic and protonic conduction as well as light-induced processes like photoconduction and photoswitching. A goal of the group is to achieve thorough understanding of these processes and of the molecular interactions. This thorough understanding requires a precise characterization of the structure of the material. Thus, the applied Grazing Incidence Wide-Angle X-Ray Scattering (GIWAXS) diffractometer allowing also in-plane X-ray diffraction (ip-XRD) and out-of-plane X-ray diffraction (oop-XRD) meas-urements is urgently needed to precisely characterize the crystalline thin films. For high-throughput measurements allowing to characterize many samples in a short time (required to establish and optimize the syntheses of novel functional MOF films) as well as for an efficient use of measuring time, the system is equipped with an automatic sample changer system. This allows the characterization of the thin film samples with different measurement modes, which are GIWAXS and ip-XRD as well as oop-XRD for a large number of samples. Techniques for the precise characterization of crystalline thin films, such as GIWAXS, are lacking at the FU Berlin, and in Berlin in general. Therefore, the applied device is fundamental for the future research on thin functional crystalline films as well as for the physical chemistry and the material research in Berlin.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Diffraktometer für Weitwinkel-Röntgenstreuung unter streifendem Einfall (GIWAXS)
• Instrumentation Group: 4010 Einkristall-Diffraktometer
• Applicant Institution: Freie Universität Berlin
• Leader: Professor Dr. Lars Heinke