Other applications of synchrotron radiation
This incredibly progressive technique has remained quite similar over the years, but as the power of X-rays has increased, so many more uses for crystallography are relevant. It is likely that for the next several decades, a great deal of research will continue to be done on the following topics because they can be more fully understood by using X-ray crystallography on continually advancing machinery.
Cancer Research
The medical implications of findings in this field are immense. Research is ongoing to see if the radiation from the synchrotron can be used for radiation therapy on cancer patients because the beams can be focused so precisely. Additionally, the powerful and luminescent X-rays generated by a the synchrotron are constantly in use to probe deeper into determining the real cause of cancer and seeking to find potential solutions.
Nanotechnology Development
As a greater understanding of macromolecules is achieved, the separate but related field of nanotechnology is also developing rapidly. Nano-fabrication is necessary for many of the components that make up the synchrotrons, so development in the strength of X-rays emitted means inevitable leaps forward in other fields.
Engineering
When certain materials are needed for a specific purpose, synchrotron radiation can be employed in ways to understand the structure of the material, then ways to improve on the form can be investigated. A key method used at Cornell University involves a load frame, which holds the target material in clamps and then can apply forces to reveal the weaknesses and grains. The load frame has the ability to decompress and compress the target substance and then X-rays will do their work as always. This is just one way out of many that engineering is being affected as X-ray crystallography also progresses.
Cancer Research
The medical implications of findings in this field are immense. Research is ongoing to see if the radiation from the synchrotron can be used for radiation therapy on cancer patients because the beams can be focused so precisely. Additionally, the powerful and luminescent X-rays generated by a the synchrotron are constantly in use to probe deeper into determining the real cause of cancer and seeking to find potential solutions.
Nanotechnology Development
As a greater understanding of macromolecules is achieved, the separate but related field of nanotechnology is also developing rapidly. Nano-fabrication is necessary for many of the components that make up the synchrotrons, so development in the strength of X-rays emitted means inevitable leaps forward in other fields.
Engineering
When certain materials are needed for a specific purpose, synchrotron radiation can be employed in ways to understand the structure of the material, then ways to improve on the form can be investigated. A key method used at Cornell University involves a load frame, which holds the target material in clamps and then can apply forces to reveal the weaknesses and grains. The load frame has the ability to decompress and compress the target substance and then X-rays will do their work as always. This is just one way out of many that engineering is being affected as X-ray crystallography also progresses.