PANalytical has announced a new detector for X-ray diffraction (XRD) at PITTCON 2015. The new GaliPIX3D will be shown on PANalytical’s flagship X-ray diffractometer, Empyrean – the flexible and future-proof multipurpose laboratory instrument for an ever-changing materials landscape. GaliPIX3D is intended to further expand the range of X-ray scattering applications that are available with the Empyrean platform.

With resolution comparable to that of PIXcel3D, GaliPIX3D boasts pixel dimensions of 60 microns x 60 microns and an overall sensor dimension of 30.7 mm x 24.8 mm. The high-quality CdTe sensor provides an unrivalled stopping power for X-rays, dramatically improves the detector efficiency for all laboratory wavelengths, and is responsible for close to 100% efficiency for higher energy radiation such as Ag and Mo. This positions GaliPIX3D as the new detector of choice for computed tomography (CT) and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis on the Empyrean.

PANalytical demonstrates excellent PDF data quality using GaliPIX3D on the Empyrean, for the combined analysis of crystalline, nanocrystalline and amorphous materials. This new capability will find application in crystallization studies, process chemistry, catalysis and nanocrystallography. By bringing PDF analysis from synchrotrons into the lab, PANalytical adheres to its vision to support laboratory chemists with the materials challenges of the 21st century.

GaliPIX3D takes CT on the multipurpose Empyrean diffractometer to the next level by supporting higher energy radiation, such as silver. The range of engineered components, archeological artifacts and pharmaceuticals that can now be non-destructively examined is considerably increased, opening the way for CT in areas that were once considered the domain of dedicated instruments only.