This one-semester course will focus on the modern applications of X-ray scattering techniques in structural chemistry, biology, and materials science, as well in nanoscience. As such, the course is intended for a wide audience, including the graduate students of chemistry, physics, materials science, and chemical engineering. The course may also be useful to the students of several graduate programs at the UVA School of Medicine. The following topics will be covered:
- X-rays and their interaction with matter
- Structure analysis of small molecules
- Protein structure analysis
- X-ray powder diffractometry
- Methods of X-ray scattering in polymer science
- Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)
- X-ray techniques for surface and thin film characterization
- Applications of X-rays in nanoscale research.
Several instruments, including a Bruker CCD single-crystal diffractometer and powder diffractometers, will be available through the newly organized X-Ray Scattering Facility
for Quantum and Nanoscale Research and Education. The instrumentation should provide an excellent opportunity for gaining hands-on experience and learning the practical aspects of modern X-ray scattering methods.