Workshops
Monday, 4 August - Tuesday, 5 August
a.m. workshops: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon 
p.m. workshops: 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

 

Workshops, Monday a.m.

XRD & XRF

W-1 Technical Communication (Evergreen A)
Organizers & Instructors: J.A. Kaduk, BP Chemicals, Naperville, IL
I.C. Noyan, IBM, Yorktown Heights, NY

This workshop is intended to convey the basic requirements of producing understandable technical documents. Guidelines for defining the audience and tailoring the information content to the defined audience will be included. The workshop will also include a set of criteria for the evaluation of documents prepared by others, jargon detectors and discuss the referee guidelines provided by leading publications.

W-2 Optics (Evergreen B)
Organized by:  S.T. Misture, NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
J.P. Cline, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Instructors:  J. Wiesmann, C. Michaelsen, Incoatec GmbH, Geesthacht, Germany
H.E. Goebel, Emeritus, Siemens AG, Munich, Germany
L. Jiang, Osmic, Inc., Auburn Hills, MI
D. Gibson, X-ray Optical Systems, Inc., East Greenbush, NY
T. Holz, AXO DRESDEN GmbH, Heidenau, Germany

This workshop provides an overview of the X-ray optics currently available for use in the analytical laboratory. Included in the discussions will be multilayer optics, capillary and polycapillary optics, total reflection optics, and hybrid optics that include crystals. The principles of operation for each optical component will be covered, as well as the resulting beam conditioning. Applications for and advantages of the optical components will be described in detail including examples of materials characterization problems.

Now available: Presentations from the Optics Workshops from 2003 DXC

XRD

W-3 Rietveld Applications I (Evergreen C)
Organizers & Instructors: J. Faber, International Centre for Diffraction Data, Newtown Square, PA
A. Kern, Bruker AXS GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany,


A better understanding of the Rietveld method as applied to structural characterization and quantitative phase analysis will be emphasized. A brief introduction of the Rietveld method will start the workshop. However, the focus will be on recovering the information content of a powder pattern, optimizing modeling of the individual structural and nonstructural contributions of the data, interpreting and understanding the results. Instrument-sample contributions of all kinds, peak shape behavior and its origin will be covered. Measurement and data acquisition strategies that optimize the structural information content will be examined. Discussions will include quantifying the quality of the results, graphical results and several statistical tools used to judge the quality of the fit between theory and experiment. The major components of this workshop are on problem solving and the identification of needs for improved experimental or modeling methods. Problems that can be assigned to either data quality or deficiencies of the refinement model will be identified. Methods to overcome these problems will be explored.

XRF

W-4 Specimen Preparation I—XRF (Evergreen D)
Organized by: J. Anzelmo, Bruker AXS Inc., Madison, WI
D. Broton, Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc., Skokie, IL
Instructors: John Anzelmo, Bruker AXS Inc., Madison, WI
D. Broton, S. Nettles, Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc., Skokie, IL
J. Pitre, Corporation Scientifique Claisse, Quebec, Canada
U. Peukert, Herzog Maschinenfabrik, GmbH & Co., Osnabrück-Lüstringen,
Germany
F. Antosz, Pharmacia, Corp., Kalamazoo, MI

This workshop will focus on the basics of sampling from large and small quantities, the equipment used, and special techniques that are necessary in order to present a representative specimen to the XRF spectrometer for analysis. Topics covered will include the preparation of powders, fusions, metals, oxides, and organic materials. Special problems encountered in sampling ore piles, boat holds, molten metals, and pharmaceutical materials will be discussed. Tips and tricks of the trade for selecting, using, and maintaining sample preparation equipment will be presented. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and describe their experiences during the question and answer sessions.

 

Workshops, Monday p.m.

XRD

W-5 Alignment & Standards (Evergreen B)
Organizers & Instructors: S.T. Misture, NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
J.P. Cline, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Gaithersburg, MD

This workshop will address alignment procedures for divergent-beam diffractometers as well as the alignment of parallel beam diffractometers that include multilayer optics and crystals. Development of NIST standards and the use of the standards in alignment and evaluation of instrument performance will be covered in detail as well.

W-6 Rietveld Applications II (Evergreen C)
Organizers & Instructors: J. Faber, International Centre for Diffraction Data, Newtown Square, PA
A. Kern, Bruker AXS GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany

Continuation of W-3.


XRF

W-7 Specimen Preparation II—XRF (Evergreen D)
Organized by: J. Anzelmo, Bruker AXS Inc., Madison, WI
D. Broton, Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc., Skokie, IL
Instructors:  John Anzelmo, Bruker AXS Inc., Madison, WI
D. Broton, S. Nettles, Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc., Skokie, IL
J. Pitre, Corporation Scientifique Claisse, Quebec, Canada
U. Peukert, Herzog Maschinenfabrik, GmbH & Co., Osnabrück-Lüstringen,
Germany
F. Antosz, Pharmacia, Corp., Kalamazoo, MI

Continuation of W-4.

W-8 Working Close to Detection Limits—XRF (Evergreen A)
Organized by: R. Van Grieken, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Instructors: B. Vrebos, PANalytical, Almelo, The Netherlands
J. Heckel, Spectro Analytical Instruments, Kleve, Germany
P. Wobrauschek, C. Streli, Atominstitut der Österreichischen Universitäten,
Vienna, Austria
P. Van Espen, R. Van Grieken, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

The theory and statistical background of the detection limit concept will be presented. Both increasing the signal and reducing the background lowers detection limits. The X-ray intensity can be enhanced by better excitation/detection geometries and more performing tubes, application of synchrotron radiation, etc. The background can instrumentally be reduced in e.g., polarized-beam and TXRF approaches. Avoiding sample contamination and introducing a chemical or physical preconcentration step may enhance the sensitivity and reduce detection limits. Each aspect will be discussed.

 

 

For more information please contact Denise Flaherty - flaherty@icdd.com