Bolingbrook High School - Study of Crystalline and Non-Crystalline Structures Using Diffraction: Studying the crystal structure of a variety of materials
Authors:
- Students:
- Joshua Bozarth
- Anson DeMille
- Tammy Kwok
- Hans Manganti
- Zachary Natsheth
- Tejas Patnaik
- Nikitha Sheth
- Teachers:
- Lois Emde
- Mentors:
- Paul Chow (Argonne National Laboratory, Sector 16 ID-D)
Advanced Photon Source Sector 16: HP-CAT
The purpose of the experiment is to determine the crystalline structure of various crystals and to elucidate the structures of non-crystals, possibly determining whether or not they are similar to existing known crystals. By using x-ray crystallography techniques to produce a distinct diffraction pattern, the inner structure of the crystal can be observed indirectly when it is otherwise difficult to quantify on a macroscale. This method forces incident beams through a sample which, through the shape of their periodically recurring unit cells, diffracts the light in a measurable pattern; post analysis of the distance between the resultant diffraction pattern conveys the unit cells’ form. Using x-ray diffraction, one can understand these constituent atomic compositions and structures, learn how they correlate to certain properties of the aggregate particle, and draw connections between them and dissimilar elements.