Exploring a nanostructured X-ray optical device for improved spatial resolution in laboratory X-ray diffraction imaging

Analytical methods with wide field range and high spatial resolution are required to observe the distribution of the crystal structure in micro-regions undergoing macroscopic chemical reactions. A recent X-ray diffraction (XRD) imaging method combines XRD with an X-ray optical device such as a glass polycapillary consisting of a bundle of numerous monocapillaries. The former provides the crystal structure, while the latter controls the shape of the incident or diffracted X-rays and retains the positional information of the sample. Although reducing the monocapillary pore size should improve the spatial resolution, manufacturing technology challenges must be overcome. Here, an anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) film, which forms self-ordered porous nanostructures by anodic oxidation in an electrolyte, is applied as an X-ray optical device. The AAO film (pore diameter: 110 nm; size of the disc: 11 mm; and thickness: 620 µm) was fabricated by anodization in a mixture of oxalic acid and ethylene glycol. The film was incorporated into a laboratory XRD instrument. Compared with using a glass polycapillary alone, using a combination of a glass polycapillary and the AAO film improved the spatial resolution of the XRD imaging method by 40%. This XRD imaging method should not only provide practical analysis in a laboratory environment but also support various observations of the crystal structure distribution.