What is the only planet in our solar system currently known to be inhabited solely by robots?
That riddle has been around long enough that many people probably know the answer: Mars.
Scientists who want to analyze substances from the Moon or from comets and asteroids or other planets have two options. They can either send a probe to bring material back to Earth, or they can send a laboratory to perform the analyses in the remote locations.
Rigaku was involved in the analysis of materials gathered from the Ryugu asteroid in the asteroid belt closest to Earth. These samples were retrieved by a spacecraft called Hayabusa2 that touched down on the asteroid and collected 5 g of sample. X-ray fluorescence was used to determine composition, and thermal analysis revealed the water content.
Getting there and back again can be problematic, though, especially when dealing with interplanetary travel. The six rovers successfully sent to Mars so far (two of which, Curiosity and Perseverance, are still in operation) will never return to Earth. Instead, they were sent on a long, one-way voyage (followed by a perilous plunge to the planet's surface), equipped with on-board labs and the technology required to get the results back to scientists on Earth. The rovers have robotic arms to collect samples, drills and cleaning tools to prepare them, lasers to vaporize rocks, and spectrometers of various types to analyze the chemical and mineralogical composition of the samples.
Within the past few weeks, scientists think they may have discovered another dwarf planet at the outer edges of the solar system, beyond Pluto. It takes over 25,000 (Earth) years to orbit the sun in an eccentric path that takes it as far as 1600 times the distance from the Earth to the sun. We won’t likely be exploring it any time soon.
We have detected objects billions of light years from our planet, but there's still a lot we don't know about our celestial neighborhood. By the same token, there are parts of the Earth (the bottom of the Mariana Trench, for example) that may hold great mysteries. We still have many “final” frontiers to explore.
Upcoming Events
International School of Crystallography 2025 | Erice, Italy | May 30 - Jun 7, 2025 | Website
Erice - 60th Course Electron Crystallography 2025 | Erice, Italy| May 30 - Jun 7, 2025 |Website
ICDD Summer School XRD 2025 | Newtown Square, PA, USA | Jun 2 - 13, 2025 | Website
Solving Pharma’s Toughest Solid Form Challenges with Electron Diffraction | Webinar | Jun 4, 2025 |Website
Texas Chiefs Deputies Association Conference | San Marcos, TX USA | Jun 9 - 13, 2025 |Website
Dr. Akhilesh Tripathi reflects on over 20 years of experience teaching X-ray diffraction and supporting users of Rigaku’s MiniFlex system. In this interview, he discusses the progress of benchtop XRD technology, its expanding role in modern labs, and how it continues to evolve to meet analytical demands across research and industry.
Multipurpose X-ray Diffraction System with Built-In Intelligent Guidance
Powder diffraction, thin film diffraction, SAXS, pole figure, residual stress and non-ambient experiments
The SmartLab SE is a highly versatile multipurpose X-ray diffractometer with built-in intelligent guidance. It offers continued refinement of the original ease of use features that enabled the original SmartLab to receive the R&D 100 Award in 2006: automatic alignment, component recognition, cross beam optics and advanced photon counting hybrid pixel array detectors (HPAD).
SmartLab Studio II software based on a new architecturally integrated modular platform
HyPix-400 2D detector enables seamless switch between 0D, 1D and 2D detection mode depending on application type
Integrated intelligent Guidance software enables fully automated measurement including optics and sample alignment
Cross-beam optics module switches between Bragg-Brentano and parallel beam without the need to change optics
D/teX Ultra 250 1D detector accelerates powder diffraction by a factor of 250 in speed and provides adjustable energy resolution of approximately 20% or 4% depending on sample type
Self-aligned optics maximize instrument uptime and minimize cost of ownership
Join us for the next MiniFlex Office Hour on June 10, 2025, at 10:30 AM CDT, a LinkedIn Live session where we’ll answer your real-time questions about the MiniFlex X-ray diffractometer. Hosted by Akhilesh Tripathi, X-ray Diffraction Application Manager, and Aya Takase, Head of Global Marketing Communications at Rigaku, this interactive session is your chance to connect, ask questions, and explore all things MiniFlex. Whether you're new to XRD or a longtime user, we welcome your insights.
This is just the beginning of a recurring series, so stay tuned for more opportunities to join the conversation. Drop your questions in the chat, and let’s talk XRD!
In a highly secured lab in the Netherlands, ASML spent a decade developing a $400 million machine that’s transforming how microchips are made. High NA is the latest generation of EUV, the only machines in the world that can etch nanoscopic blueprints on advanced chips for giants like Intel, TSMC and Samsung. The size of a double-decker bus, only five of these machines have been shipped so far. It’s unclear how Trump’s tariffs will impact the complex global supply chain for the lithography machines. But without them, no advanced chips can be made by the likes of Nvidia, Apple and AMD. No filming of High NA has ever been allowed until CNBC went to the Netherlands for this exclusive first look.
May 21, 2025: Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new way to study the random behavior of tiny magnetic structures. This breakthrough could help create smarter, more flexible computer systems that learn and adapt like the human brain. It may also lead to stronger data protection methods, making it harder for cyberattacks to succeed as threats become more advanced.
May 22, 2025: A new approach allows researchers to catch a photocatalyst in action. Using SLAC’s X-ray laser, the method revealed atomic motions in a simple catalyst, opening the door to study more complex molecules key to chemical processes in industry and nature.
May 22, 2025: A chance observation has led to the discovery of a new kind of material that can pull water from the air—without using any external energy. This nanostructured material absorbs moisture, stores it in tiny pores, and then releases it onto surfaces. The research could lead to new ways of collecting water in dry climates and cooling electronics or buildings using simple evaporation.
May 23, 2025: More than a decade ago, scientists predicted that boron atoms would stick too strongly to copper to form borophene—a thin, flexible material with exciting potential for use in electronics, energy, and chemical reactions. New research confirms that prediction, but with a surprising twist. Instead of simply blending into the copper surface like other materials such as graphene, the boron atoms formed a brand-new, two-dimensional compound called copper boride that has its own unique atomic structure. The discovery opens the door to exploring a largely unexplored group of ultrathin materials.
May 27, 2025: Researchers have come up with a way to electrify airplanes, trains and ships. Instead of a battery, the new concept is a kind of fuel cell that uses inexpensive and widely available liquid sodium metal as the fuel. The other side of the cell is air, which serves as a source of oxygen atoms. In between, a layer of solid ceramic material serves as the electrolyte, allowing sodium ions to pass freely through, and a porous air-facing electrode helps the sodium to chemically react with oxygen and produce electricity.
Featured Application Notes
Quantitative Analysis of Cast Iron using ZSX Primus III NEXT
Cast iron is important engineering material such as for machines and automotive industry parts. Cast iron is often manufactured in electric induction furnaces. There are various types of cast irons such as grey cast iron, ductile cast iron and Ni-resist cast iron. Specific property of each cast iron is controlled by the concentrations of alloying elements. Therefore, the rapid elemental analysis of the alloying elements including carbon and silicon for controlling composition of molten metal in furnaces is crucial for the quality control in the cast iron production. Sand casting molds are mostly used for casting cast iron. The elemental analysis of casting sands such as silica sand and olivine sand is also required to check the quality of recycled casting sands.
The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer ZSX Primus III NEXT can cover all necessary elemental analyses from carbon for various kinds of cast iron and casting sand. This note describes the application of cast iron analysis including ductile cast iron.
TiO₂ is added to lotions, creams, and various cosmetics as a whitening agent and acts as a sunscreen. ZnO is added as a sunscreen and is very effective at blocking UV light. Its concentration is a factor in determining the SPF (sun protection factor) of lotions and creams. ZnO is also a mild astringent with mild antiseptic properties used in lotions and creams to help retain moisture, provide a protective layer to the skin, and prevent diaper rash in baby products. When iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) is also added the TiO₂ (white) and Fe₂O₃ (red) are blended in various proportions to create the many shades of reds and browns in cosmetics, make-up, rouge, and lipsticks.
Lattice constants are fundamental parameters of a crystal structure. They are measured, for example, to understand the causes of changes in physical properties. Lattice constants are often evaluated because they are sensitive to changes in ambient conditions such as temperature and pressure.
This paper describes the traditional method of calculating lattice constants and the Whole Powder Pattern Fitting method, which is currently mainstream. For each method, an overview, advantages and disadvantages, profile functions and parameters to be used, and points of attention are explained. Finally, application examples of lattice constants analysis will be introduced.
Small Crystals, Big Insights: How Electron Diffraction is Transforming Materials, Life Science, and Chemistry Research
Solving Pharma’s Toughest Solid Form Challenges with Electron Diffraction
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 9:00 AM CDT
Do you work with tiny, impure samples in drug development where you still need structural insights like connectivity or polymorphism?
In this session, we will explore how Micro Electron Diffraction (MicroED) can address some of the toughest solid form challenges in pharmaceutical development, particularly when working with sub-milligram samples that are impure, highly disordered, or nanocrystalline. You will learn how MicroED supports structural characterization during early discovery and development, including determining connectivity and polymorphism in imperfect crystals and evaluating disorder caused by processing. The session will also include real-world examples, such as polymorph screening and analysis of nanoparticle delivery systems, showing how MicroED helps guide better decisions throughout the drug development process. Join us to learn more.
Are you exploring better ways to ensure product integrity and quality during pharmaceutical manufacturing without destroying your samples?
In this session, we’ll dive into how X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) can be used to non-destructively inspect pharmaceutical products across a range of dosage forms. From solid tablets and capsules to aerosol and injectable delivery devices, X-ray CT offers a powerful way to visualize internal structures, detect coating inconsistencies or agglomerates, and evaluate packaging integrity. Our expert, Dr. Angela Criswell, will demonstrate how this imaging technique provides quantitative data to guide manufacturing decisions and support quality control measures. Whether you're optimizing processes or identifying hidden defects, X-ray CT can be a valuable tool for pharmaceutical product characterization. Join us to learn more.
The Opioid Matrix is a podcast for anyone looking for the latest information in the illegal drug supply chain—beginning to end. Each episode will feature a discussion with industry experts about the current opioid crisis, including drug trafficking, drug manufacturing, drug identification, drug addiction, as well as the role of government, law enforcement, new health and social programs, and more.
.jpg?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=SmartLab%20SE%20highly%20versatile%20multipurpose%20X-ray%20diffractometer%20(doors%20open).jpg)
%20-%20Summer%202024/Rigaku%20Journal%20cover%20-%20Summer%202024%20Vol.%2040%20No.%202.jpg?upscale=true&width=354&upscale=true&name=Rigaku%20Journal%20cover%20-%20Summer%202024%20Vol.%2040%20No.%202.jpg)
