Small Angle X-ray Scattering, or SAXS, provides structural and dynamic information across the nanometre to mesoscopic length scales. At Diamond, SAXS supports research across biology, chemistry, physics, soft matter, materials science, environmental science, conservation science and nanoscience. It is used to study systems including macromolecules, polymers, colloids, gels, nanoparticles, supramolecular assemblies, phase-separated materials, nucleation and crystal growth.

Diamond provides a coordinated SAXS capability through two dedicated synchrotron beamlines, I22 and B21, together with an offline laboratory SAXS instrument, labSAXS. Additional SAXS-related experiments may also be possible on other Diamond beamlines, including high-energy SAXS on I12 and grazing-incidence SAXS on I07.

Together, these instruments provide a flexible route from early-stage feasibility testing and sample screening through to high-throughput BioSAXS, advanced synchrotron SAXS/WAXS experiments, sample environment development and complex in situ measurements.

Diamond’s SAXS instruments are complementary. The best route depends on your sample type, scientific question, required q-range, time resolution, sample environment and whether synchrotron flux is needed.

Use labSAXS if you need offline SAXS measurements, early-stage feasibility testing, training, sample screening, method development or sample environment development. The facility is based around a Xenocs Xeuss 3.0 Q-Zoom instrument and is available through Diamond access routes including Rapid and PRP access, as well as for training, sample environment development and industrial use.

labSAXS is particularly useful where synchrotron flux is not essential, or where preliminary measurements can improve the quality of a subsequent B21 or I22 proposal. It is also an important route for developing and testing sample environments before deployment on I22 or other beamlines.

Typical labSAXS applications include:

• sample screening before synchrotron beamtime
• SAXS training and user familiarisation
• feasibility measurements for new sample systems
• development of sample holders and sample environments
• offline measurements of solids, liquids and gels
• industrial or rapid-access SAXS measurements

Go to labSAXS / Offline SAXS

Use B21 if you need high-throughput SAXS for biological or solution samples. B21 is a dedicated high-throughput SAXS beamline using a bending magnet source, delivering approximately 4 × 10¹² photons/s to the sample over a large beam cross-section of approximately 1.1 × 0.2 mm. This beam geometry is particularly useful for reducing radiation damage while maintaining signal from particles in solution.

B21 is well suited to routine and advanced BioSAXS experiments, including automated workflows and sample-shipment-based access. The beamline page includes direct links for Rapid Access, beamtime applications, sample shipment information and BioSAXS resources.

Typical B21 applications include:

• biological SAXS
• solution scattering from proteins, complexes and assemblies
• SEC-SAXS and high-throughput workflows
• radiation-sensitive biological samples
• routine SAXS measurements where automated sample handling is advantageous
• experiments requiring efficient measurement of many related samples

Go to B21

Use I22 if your experiment requires the performance and flexibility of a high-brilliance synchrotron SAXS/WAXS beamline. I22 supports simultaneous SAXS and WAXS, high flux, tuneable energy, millisecond timescale measurements, advanced sample environments, microfocus capability, GI-SAXS and USAXS via a drop-in Bonse-Hart camera.

I22 is suited to soft matter, materials science, polymers, colloids, gels, complex fluids, biomaterials and in situ or operando experiments where sample environment integration is central to the science. At 12.4 keV, the SAXS q-range is reported as 0.0187–9.8 nm⁻¹ depending on camera length, with WAXS coverage from 0.72 to 47 nm⁻¹.

The I22 beamline paper provides a detailed technical description of the beamline and should be cited for work carried out on I22

Typical I22 applications include:

• fast kinetics and time-resolved SAXS/WAXS
• weakly scattering samples requiring high flux
• simultaneous SAXS/WAXS measurements
• complex in situ and operando sample environments
• pressure, temperature, flow, shear or processing studies
• GI-SAXS, USAXS and microfocus SAXS
• experiments requiring tunable energy or advanced beamline configuration

Go to I22