Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-20T19:12:02.786Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Capillaries prepared from thin-walled heat-shrink poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) tubing for X-ray powder diffraction analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2012

Joseph H. Reibenspies
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3255
Nattamai Bhuvanesh
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3255

Abstract

Thin-walled heat-shrink poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) tubing is reported for use as an alternative for glass and Kapton® capillaries. PET tubing displays properties such as low X-ray absorption and smooth diffraction profiles. The 2.0 mm thin-walled (0.05 mm thick) and 0.5 mm thin-walled (0.02 mm thick) heat-shrink PET capillaries are 86% and 96% transparent to 1.54 Å X-rays. The low X-ray absorption and relatively smooth X-ray scattering profile of PET make it an ideal material for the home laboratory where the long wavelength, low flux, and low brilliance X-ray sources are employed. PET capillaries can be easily cut and manipulated and fixed to copper pins, which in turn can be employed in low-temperature and automated data collection routines.

Type
Laboratory Notes
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beu, K. E. and Claassen, H. H. (1948). “A rapid method for preparing powder carmea specimens with cellulose acetate capillary tubes,” Rev. Sci. Instrum. RSINAK 10.1063/1.1741227 19, 179180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, E. S. (1996). “Unit cell information on some important polymers,” in Physical Properties of Polymers Handbook (AIP, Woodbury, New York), pp. 409415.Google Scholar
Conte, G., D’ilario, L., and Pavel, N. V. (1976). “An X-ray and conformational study of kapton H,” J. Polym. Sci. JPSCAU 14, 15531560.Google Scholar
Jenkins, R., Fawcett, T., Smith, D. K., Visser, J. W., Morris, M. C., and Frevel, L. K. (1986). “Sample preparation in X-ray powder diffraction,” Powder Diffr. PODIE2 1, 5163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalinin, Y., Kmetko, J., Bartnik, A., Stewart, A., Gillilan, R., Lobkovsky, E., and Thorne, R. (2005). “A new sample mounting technique for room temperature macromolecular crystallography,” J. Appl. Crystallogr. JACGAR 38, 333339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ness, R. K. (1946). “Laboratory preparation of thin-walled plastic capillaries,” Rev. Sci. Instrum. RSINAK 10.1063/1.1770503 17, 344345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tallman, R. L. and Margrave, J. L. (1960). “Plastic capillaries as containers for X-ray diffraction samples,” Rev. Sci. Instrum. RSINAK 31, 574575.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
VonDreele, R. B. (2006). “A rapidly filled capillary mount for both dry powder and polycrystalline slurry samples,” J. Appl. Crystallogr. JACGAR 39, 124126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, J. M. (1964). “Small diameter thin-walled gelatin capillaries for powder X-ray diffraction use,” Rev. Sci. Instrum. RSINAK 34, 1430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar