Update

Figure 1: The FT-SSX set-up available at I24.

Figure 2: The SmarGon goniometer installed in I04.

Our fixed target approach makes use of silicon nitride ‘chips’ with the current generation of chip capable of holding more than 25,000 crystals. Chips are mounted on a high-speed, high-precision xyz stage mounted at the sample position (Fig. 1). This setup allows data collection from all 25,600 positions on a chip in less than 10 minutes.

2017 has seen the final touches to the capabilities of the dedicated in situ VMXi beamline being commissioned and new workflows developed. The beamline is now at a state where regular user operation and further hardware/ software refinement is continuing in parallel. Input from initial users has been invaluable in progressing the beamline development, and indeed the demand for acting as beta testers from users has illustrated the keen interest amongst the MX community for the new capabilities that the beamline now provides. Alongside the beamline development, the VMXi team has also brought facilities together in a new central crystallisation laboratory located at the Research Complex (RCaH) next to Diamond. This facility is now open to users and can be used to prepare crystallisation experiments for the VMXi beamline – as well as for the Membrane Protein Laboratory and the XChem facility. Furthermore, the beamline team is working with the Diamond-based XFEL Hub to develop serial crystallography functionality which will also become part of the beamlines future offering to the MX community.

Figure 3: The large format goniometer in I03 supporting cornea lens experiments.