#24/7ED · The Electron Diffraction Company

Sample to Certainty.

When your crystals are too small for single-crystal X-ray and hidden below the powder-diffraction threshold, electron diffraction resolves the structure – directly from the nanocrystals themselves.

ELDICO ED-1 electron diffractometer

Who we are

The Electron Diffraction Company.

The problem

The structure is there. Your current methods just can't see it.

Crystals too small for SCXRD

Single-crystal X-ray needs crystals you often cannot grow. Electron diffraction works down to 10–100 nm crystallites.

Below the PXRD threshold

Powder X-ray misses trace phases and impurities under ~1–2% mass. ED operates at the single-crystallite level.

Scarce & precious material

Too little material to grow a diffraction-quality crystal for X-ray. Electron diffraction solves the structure from just a few milligrams.

A 3D electron-diffraction pattern collected on the ED-1

The method

Electron diffraction, as a service.

Send us your sample. Our team runs the electron-diffraction workflow and returns a crystal structure – with a feasibility check first if you're not sure it fits. Service-led, results-first.

Pharma

Electron diffraction for pharmaceutical R&D

Resolve polymorphs, salts and co-crystals, confirm absolute configuration and identify impurities – from samples whose crystals are too small for single-crystal X-ray.

ED for pharma →
A sample being mounted on the ED-1 holder tip, ready for electron diffraction

Latest application notes

Real solid-form, absolute-configuration and materials-science cases, solved by ED.

Ritonavir – 3D ED and CSP: Derisking Drug Development

AN19 · Pharma

3D ED and CSP: Derisking Drug Development

Ritonavir

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Dapsone – A new polymorphic form of Dapsone

AN18 · Pharma

A new polymorphic form of Dapsone

Dapsone

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Vitamin B2 – 3D ED for biomolecules: Vitamin B2

AN17 · Biomolecules

3D ED for biomolecules: Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2

Download

Browse the full library →

Latest news

What's new at ELDICO.

Application · 2026-05-20

How 3D electron diffraction solved lutein – and enabled a landmark patent

A structure determination that underpinned a landmark patent.

Read more →

Distribution · 2026-04-16

ELDICO to enable first dedicated MicroED deployment in Asia-Pacific

Crystal Pharmatech brings dedicated electron diffraction to the Asia-Pacific region.

Read more →

Insight · 2026-02-27

Electron diffraction: the missing link between SC-XRD and XRPD

Where dedicated electron diffraction fits between single-crystal and powder X-ray.

Read more →

All news →

Proof

Real structures, solved.

From a marketed-drug polymorph to chiral absolute configuration, electron diffraction has resolved structures that matter – commercially and scientifically. See the DOI-backed cases behind the service.

See customer stories →

Holodiag Quantum Design Crystal Pharmatech Hoffmann-La Roche Boehringer Ingelheim Swiss Nanoscience Institute, University of Basel

Trusted in peer-reviewed science

ED-1 data in the literature.

Structures solved with ELDICO electron diffraction appear in peer-reviewed journals across pharma, agrochem and materials.

See the publications →

FAQ

Electron diffraction, briefly.

What is electron diffraction (3D ED / MicroED)?

A structure-determination method that uses electrons instead of X-rays to solve crystal structures from crystallites far too small for single-crystal X-ray – down to 10–100 nm. It is also called 3D ED or MicroED.

How do you get a structure from a nanogram or sub-micron crystal?

Electrons interact far more strongly with matter than X-rays, so a single sub-micron crystallite gives measurable diffraction. We collect 3D diffraction data by rotating the nanocrystal, then solve and refine the structure – from just a few milligrams of sample.

What is an ED-CRO service?

You send a sample; our team runs the full electron-diffraction workflow – feasibility, measurement, structure solution and a report – and returns the crystal structure. No instrument or in-house method build-out needed.

When does ED help where PXRD or single-crystal X-ray don't?

When crystals are too small to grow for single-crystal X-ray, or when a phase or impurity sits below the powder-diffraction detection threshold of roughly 1–2% by mass. Electron diffraction works at the single-crystallite level.

A sample holder being loaded into the ED-1 sample port

Have a sample in mind?

Start with a feasibility study – we'll tell you whether electron diffraction can resolve it.

Discuss feasibility study

Strategy follows structure.

Our industry newsletter – automation, throughput and solid-form strategy in electron diffraction, a few times a quarter. The academic Nano-crystallography Update is available too.

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