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[April 2009]
NASA Technology Inspires New Benchtop XRD/XRF Instrument
Following from technology developed for the NASA Mars Science Laboratory, inXitu Inc (Mountain View, CA, USA), a Silicon Valley based company, has introduced a new benchtop combination X-Ray Diffraction, X-Ray Fluorescence instrument. Ideally suited for routine laboratory based analysis, BTX performs mineral/phase identification and quantification for routine quality control applications. inXitu Inc is a leader in portable XRD/XRF based instrumentation specialising in developing the technologies required to enable the next generation of scientific instruments used for materials analysis.
The technology used in its portable rock and mineral analyser received a prestigious R&D 100 award and was chosen to fly on the Mars Science Laboratory rover scheduled for launch in 2011.
The powder handling methods can dramatically improve the quality of XRD data while reducing the requirements for sample preparation. inXitu’s patented technique makes possible quality XRD data to be collected regardless of the grain size of the sample. Grain sizes up to 400µm have been tested producing data normally obtained with micron size particles.
Incorporating key technologies from its portable XRD instrument and advanced sample handling techniques, inXitu has developed solutions targeted for identification and analysis in several areas. This new line of instruments offers performance comparable to laboratory XRD systems with the benefit of ease of use, significantly reduced sample preparation and reduced cost of acquisition and operation.
ENDS