Equipment and Tools
Capillaries: Thin Wall Glass and Fused Quartz
Thin wall glass or fused quartz capillaries are often used in powder diffraction experiments.
These are available from several vendors such as:
- Charles-Supper http://www.charles-supper.com
- Hampton Research http://hamptonresearch.com
Typical both glass ('special' or 'borosilicate') or fused (amorphous) quartz capillaries are available.
As purchased from both vendors above, the tubes are pre-sealed on one end, and have a flared opening on the other end for easy powder loading.
When selecting a capillary material and size, consider your experiment and sample(s).
Glass and quartz are stable over different temperature ranges. Glass adds a lower background to a diffraction pattern and is easier to seal with a flame (you can use Bic style lighter), but fused quartz tubes are stronger, more chemical resistant, and more likely to survive shipping and handling.
Smaller diameter capillaries (e.g 0.3 mm) may be useful to lower [https://wiki-ext.aps.anl.gov/ug11bm/index.php/X-ray_absorption_%26_fluorescence X-ray absorption.
Drill Bits
A #68 wire gauge size Jobber drill bit (diameter = 0.031" = 0.787 mm) can be useful for loading & packing powder inside the standard 11-BM mail-in 0.8 mm Kapton tubes
These small diameter drill bits cost $2 or less, and can easily be purchased online. If you intend to use it frequently, you might consider also purchasing a small pin vise (Starrett makes good ones) to more easily hold the small bit.
Powder Sieves
11-BM has a selection of powder sieves available for use by on-site users.
Small and large agate mortars and pestles are also available for grinding powders.
The available sieve sizes are as follows.
| Sieve # | Mesh (microns) |
|---|---|
| 40 | 425 μm |
| 70 | 212 μm |
| 140 | 106 μm |
| 200 | 75 μm |
| 325 | 45 μm |
Mortar and Pestle
An agate mortar and pestle is an invaluable tool for grinding powder samples. Can you used with dry or wet powders. 11-BM has a selection of mortar and pestles available for use by on-site users at the beamline.
