Diamond Annual Review 2023/24

42 D I A M O N D L I G H T S O U R C E A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 2 3 / 2 4 Crystallography Group Joe Hriljac, Science Group Leader (- June 2024) Philip Chater, Science Group Leader (June 2024 -) T he Crystallography Group comprises the High-Resolution Powder Diffraction beamline (I11), the Extreme Conditions beamline (I15), the X-ray Pair Distribution Function (XPDF) beamline (I15-1), and the Small-Molecule Single-Crystal Diffractionbeamline (I19). The staffat the beamlines are not only experts in supporting research at their own beamlines but most have broader knowledge of the other beamlines and available techniques. This allows the group to fully exploit the technical and scientific capabilities to support research over a broad range of topics that include biomaterials, catalysis, energy production and storage, environmental understanding and remediation, and fundamental physics and chemistry. Studies under in situ and operando conditions are common to further enhance the breadth of scientific studies. Major upgrades to I11 and I15-1 started in past years are nearing completion and these will improve the quality of data that can be collected as well as provide greater automation and capabilities for user operations. Operations at I15 and I15-1 in the past have been hampered by problems with the superconducting wiggler that produces the required high energy X-rays but this is nowworking well and a spare to mitigate future problems has been ordered. I11 update The high brightness beamline uses monochromatic X-rays in the range of 6 - 25 keV for high-resolution and time-resolved powder diffraction experiments in the first Experimental Hutch (EH1) or for Long Duration Experiments in EH2. The varied science program supports a wide range of studies by chemists, physicists, materials scientists and environmental scientists in particular for non-ambient applications and experiments requiring unusual hardware setups such as toxic/corrosive gas absorption studies at cryogenic temperatures, resonant diffraction at high temperature and time-resolved in operando lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery work. After running for over ten years, many components such as the monochromator, diffractometer and multi-analyser crystal (MAC) detector began to show signs of wear. An upgrade plan, endorsed by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and the Diamond Industrial Science Committee (DISCo) at the end of 2017, to replace these components started in 2019 and the new Newport diffractometer was partly installed when the site was shut in March 2020. During the course of 2020, the installation and commissioning resumed when possible under the COVID-19 working protocols and finally in January 2021 the last stage, commissioning of the robot sample changer, was completed and the beamline became operational again. Another part of the upgrade was the construction of a new linear position sensitive detector (PSD) usingMythen3 technology and this has nowbeen installed on the beamline and should be in routine use by the middle of 2024. This will lead to the ability for even faster collection of powder patterns for, such as time-resolved studies. I15 update The Extreme Conditions beamline, I15, employs high energy X-rays to explore the structure of materials at high pressures, high and low temperatures, as well as other in situ and in operando conditions. The beamline receives an X-ray continuum from the superconducting wiggler; this allows for experiments that require monochromatic X-rays between 20 and 80 keV. I15 was originally designed to serve the mineral physics community, which it has, whilst also I15 team (L-R): Egor Koemets, Laura Arcidiacono, Annette Kleppe, Allan Ross and Xiaojiao Liu.