New detector and Cu X-ray tube for a single crystal diffractometer (renewal)

• Subject Area: Materials Science
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 583909167

The aim of this proposal is to modernize an existing single-crystal diffractometer at the Institute of Chemistry. For many years, the instrument has served as the central infrastructure for the structural characterization of novel inorganic and organic compounds. Scientific requirements in single-crystal structure analysis have increased significantly in recent years, particularly due to the rise of purely organic structures with very large unit cells and samples consisting of extremely small crystals. The current instrumentation has reached its performance limits, which restricts data quality and often prevents the determination of publishable structures in demanding cases. The planned upgrade comprises three core components: 1. replacement of the more than ten-year-old, failure-prone detector by a modern detector, 2. installation of a Cu microfocus source, and 3. renewal of the video microscope to enable precise centering of very small crystals. The new detector, featuring high sensitivity, small pixel size, and a wide dynamic range, significantly reduces measurement times and enables complete, high-quality datasets even for weakly scattering or sensitive samples. The additional Cu radiation markedly improves the analysis of organic light-atom compounds, as it increases scattering intensity, enables reliable determination of absolute configurations, and substantially reduces reflection overlap in large-unit-cell structures. Moreover, Cu radiation allows the analysis of particularly small single crystals. The new video microscope is essential because such tiny crystals can only be centered accurately using high-resolution imaging. The modernized dual-beam system thus significantly expands the experimental capabilities of single-crystal structure analysis. It supports ongoing and planned projects in synthetic, natural product, photochemical, and materials chemistry that rely on the reliable elucidation of complex molecular structures. The upgrade considerably extends the lifetime of the existing large-scale instrument and avoids the need for an expensive new acquisition. At the same time, it leads to a significant reduction in resource consumption through shorter measurement times and the elimination of temporary dehumidification measures. The modernized diffractometer thus ensures the long-term viability of structural science research at the site and provides a powerful, sustainable, and broadly applicable infrastructure for a wide range of chemical research projects.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Detektor für ein Einkristalldiffraktometer
• Instrumentation Group: 4010 Einkristall-Diffraktometer
• Applicant Institution: Universität Potsdam
• Leader: Dr. Eric Sperlich