Sample Environment

The SAXS/WAXS station has been designed such that it is possible to mount and interface relatively large equipment. In most experiments the user group has to provide the sample environment, which can be mounted on the beamlines with help/advice of the DUBBLE staff. There are several sample environments available for general use. These are listed below:

• Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The operating temperature range is from –150 °C to +575 °C. This is routinely installed on the beamline and can be mounted in less than half an hour.

• For solution scattering on biological samples a system has been designed based on a Peltier heater/cooler. This system has an operating temperature range from –10 °C to +60° C.

• Hot stages 600 ºC

• Hot stage 1500 °C

• A high temperature furnace for experiments on ceramic samples has been obtained from the Royal Institution. This furnace can heat samples up to 1100 °C with a temperature gradient of less than 5 °C at 1000 °C. A second furnace for temperatures up to 1500 °C is also available.

• A Couette shear cell (Leuven University) with two configurations is available. In one configuration PMMA cylinders are used which have a high X-ray transparency. The other configuration is based upon cylinders made out of the high temperature resistant polymer Vespel. This can handle temperatures up to 175 °C.

• A parallel plate shear cell is obtained from Linkam. This shear cell can operate in the temperature range from –50 °C to +400 °C.

• Rheometer Anton Paar (DPI)

• Tensile tester

• Cryostat

• Polymer extruder (Caltech)

• For magnetic fields below 1.5 Tesla a simple system is constructed based on two permanent magnets. Temperature control is available for temperatures up to 150 °C.

• A development that is only available in collaboration with in-house staff is a 10 Tesla superconducting magnet. The special feature of this magnet is that it is possible to maintain the samples at temperatures ranging from –10 °C to + 60° C at ambient pressures. At present this is a unique facility. However, the installation and operation require specialised manpower.