X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy is one of the few
experimental techniques that can provide information on interatomic distances
in non-crystalline materials such as solutions, amorphous solids, and molecular
gases. Furthermore, the technique does not require
any special sample conditions, which makes it especially suitable for
the study of real-world samples under natural conditions. As a consequence
it is increasingly used for studies in environmental science and biology.
XAFS has not achieved its full potential, however, and there are not
many experimenters in the world with expertise to successfully carry out
XAFS experiments on nontrivial systems. XAFS is relatively insensitive
technique, which requires intense x-ray beams produced by synchrotron
radiation sources, and there are no existing detectors that really
meet the experimental requirements. Data analysis is time consuming,
arcane, and potentially error prone.
This talk will describe recent progress we at IIT and others have made
in addressing each of these limitations, and describe future implications
for environmental and biological sciences. |