The Environmental Mineralogy Labs are equipped with a very diverse suite of spectroscopic and scattering instruments to determine material chemical composition, structure, surface area and grain size of both synthetic and natural samples. For instance,

• Our powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD) consists of two individual instruments capable of X-ray scattering analysis using both Cu (λ=1.54 Å) and Ag radiation (λ=0.56 Å) in transmission geometry. XRD can be used to analyze both crystalline …

The ElMiE Lab is a research-oriented facility and part of the Helmholtz center in Potsdam. The ElMiE – Lab offers the sample preparation and analyses of geological or environmental inorganic samples for element concentrations and mineralogy of inorganic materials. Laboratories and instruments associated with the ElMiE Lab include the XRD, XRF, …

The Rigaku SmartLab is a multipurpose X-Ray diffractometer system equipped with a high-flux 9kW rotating Cu anode and a 2D-detector. The X-Y-Z table holds samples up to 20 kg in weight and allows mappings on samples with a dimension of up to 87 x 100 mm. The device can be used for powder diffraction and for µ-spot analysis on different types of rock sections. Samples: Rock powders, sections up to 20 kg and 87 x 100 mm; Spot size: 100 μm / 300 μm / 500 μm

The X-Ray Powder Diffraction Lab is equipped with a Panalytical Empyrean X-Ray Diffractometer, which includes two different types of tubes: a cobalt-tube and a copper-tube. It also includes a PIXcel 1 Detector, which is capable of very fast measuring, a sample-changer with a 15-round magazine, and fixed divergence slit optics with different apertures from 1/16° – 2°.

X-Ray Powder Diffractometer (XRD)

The determination of angles and intensities produced by diffraction of X-Ray radiation by mineral lattices provides information, which is characteristic for their crystalline structures. X-Ray powder diffraction is used by for identification, quantitative phase analysis and structure refinement of phases in synthesized powders. Most diffraction data is processed by the Rietveld method using the GSAS software package.
The lab includes two STOE Stadi P …

A Rigaku Miniflex 600 is used for solids (sediments and rocks; powdered samples) to determine (semi-quantitatively) the mineral composition of calcite, quartz etc.

An X-Ray Diffraction analysis is a method in which a beam of X-Rays is usually directed at a fine powder of randomly oriented grains of crystalline substances. The X-Rays are scattered in directions that depend on the crystal structure of the sample and the resulting X-Ray diffraction pattern can uniquely identify the material. The method is used to identify individual minerals in randomly oriented bulk rock powder samples (grain sizes < 62 μm for qualitative analysis, < 10 μm for quantitative …

X-Ray Powder diffraction is a non-destructive technique for phase- and Rietveld analysis of crystalline materials. It is used for the determination of detailed phase composition, quantitative Rietveld analysis, nanocrystallite-sizes, lattice parameters, amorphous content, and 1d-Mappings. The lab is equipped with an Empyrean powder X-Ray diffractometer (Panalytical), working in reflection (Bragg-Brentano) or transmission theta-theta geometry. It is equipped with a Cu-tube, a fast PIXcel 1d …