My work uses scattering techniques to study the structure of materials in a wide variety of contexts. I run the Physics Department's x-ray scattering facility which has four experimental stations on three x-ray sources. Measurements are also done at synchrotron radiation and neutron scattering facilities in the US and Europe. Primary research topics in the department facility are 1) study of thin films formed in wetting processes, 2) study of biologically related lipid membranes, and 3) characterization of semiconductor thin films prepared by a variety of deposition techniques.

A major research thrust concerns the development of a new x-ray probe of microstructure in polycrystalline materials. In collaboration with a group at Risoe National Laboratory in Denmark, we are developing a high energy, three-dimensional x-ray diffraction microscope (3DXDM). This synchrotron based system probes internal grain and grain boundary geometries inside of bulk materials. Being non-destructive, the technique makes it possible to watch the dynamical behavior of microstructure well away from the influence of surfaces. A wide variety of materials applications can be imagined. This project is part of the Mesoscale Interface Mapping Project at CMU.

J. Moon, J. Lowekamp, P. Wynblatt, S. Garoff, R.M. Suter, "Effects of concentration dependent diffusivity on the growth of precursing films of Pb on Cu(111)", Surf. Sci. 488, 73 (2001)

H.F. Poulsen, S.F. Nielsen, E.M. Lauridsen, S. Schmidt, R.M. Suter, U. Lienert, L. Margulies, T. Lorentzena and D. Juul Jensen, "Three-Dimensional Maps of Grain Boundaries and the Stress-State of Individual Grains", J. Appl. Cryst., 34, 751--756 (2001)

E.M. Lauridsen, S. Schmidt, R.M. Suter and H.F. Poulsen, J., "Tracking: a Method for structural Characterization of Grains in Powders or Polycrystals", Appl. Cryst., 34, 744--750 (2001).

B. Luokkala, S. Garoff, R. Tilton, R.M. Suter, "Interfacial structure and rearrangement of nonionic surfactants near a moving contact line", Langmuir, 17, 5917 (2001).

J. Moon, J. Lowekamp, P. Wynblatt, S. Garoff, R.M. Suter, "Effects of concentration dependent diffusivity on the growth of precursing films of Pb on Cu(111)", submitted.

B.B. Luokkala, S. Garoff, and R.M. Suter, "Using X-ray reflectivity to determine the structure of surfactant monolayers", Phys. Rev. E 62, 2405 (2000).

R. K. Heilmann and R. M. Suter, "In-situ specular and diffuse x-ray reflectivity study of growth dynamics in quench condensed xenon films", Phys. Rev. B 59, 3075 (1999).

R. M. Suter and K. Kosack, "Development of the Three-Dimensional X-ray Diffraction Microscope", to appear in the proceedings of ICOTOM12, Nat'l. Res. Council of Canada.

J. F. Nagle, H. I. Petrache, N. Gouliaev, S. Tristram-Nagle, Y. Liu, R. M. Suter, and K. Gawrisch, "Multiple Mechanisms for critical behavior in the biologically relevant phase of lecithin bilayers", Phys. Rev. E 58, 7769 (1998).

H. I. Petrache, N. Gouliaev, S. Tristram-Nagle, R. Zhang, R. M. Suter, and J. F. Nagle, "Interbilayer Interactions from High Resolution X-ray Scattering", Phys. Rev. E 57, 7014 (1998).

S. Tristram-Nagle, H. I. Petrache, R. M. Suter, and J. F. Nagle, "Effect of Substrate Roughness on D Spacing Supports Theoretical Resolution of Vapor Pressure Paradox", Biophys. J. 74, 1421 (1998).

B.L. Adams, D. Juul Jensen, H.F. Poulsen, R.M. Suter, "Future trends: Texture analysis for structure-sensitive properties", in Texture and Properties of Materials conference proceedings, R. Schwarzer, ed., 1997.