Advancing Beyond the 1-Micron Threshold in Three-Dimensional Structural Analysis

Crystals smaller than 1 μm present a considerable obstacle, making X-ray measurement difficult in the three-dimensional structural determination. Recently, the structural biology community has turned to electron beam techniques as a potential solution to this issue.

JEOL and RIGAKU collaborated in 2020 to create the world’s first vertical Electron Diffractometer, known as the XtaLAB Synergy-ED specifically designed for the determination of structures from crystals measuring less than 1 μm (Figure 1). The optimized electron optical configuration minimizes the necessity for frequent alignments and calibrations, while Rigaku’s HyPix-ED detector guarantees exceptional data quality, even at extremely low radiation doses. The installation of this instrument in an X-ray facility facilitates immediate structure determination for materials that exclusively form nanocrystals. To date, over 15 XtaLAB Synergy-ED installations have been successfully completed across the globe. Additionally, more than 55 publications (including Nature) have showcased the data obtained using XtaLAB Synergy-ED, with this number exponentially increasing rapidly even as this document is being prepared.

Further Reading:                                

1. Ito, et al.: Structure determination of small molecule compounds by an electron diffractometer for 3D ED/MicroED. CrystEngComm. 23, 8622–8630 (2021).
2. Ito, and A. Yamano: Structure Analysis of Nano-Size Crystals by the XtaLAB Synergy-ED: An Integrated Platform for 3D ED/MicroED

S. Ito, and A. Yamano: Breaking the 1-μm barrier with the electron diffractometer XtaLAB Synergy-ED.