EXPO is a software for the determination of the atomic structure of various materials (organic, metallorganic, inorganic), available in the form of microcrystalline powders, in order to derive the structure-property relationships. EXPO requires the molecular formula of the material, the experimental X-ray diffraction data and, in some cases, the expected molecular geometry. The developers of EXPO, belonging to IC-CNR of Bari, have high scientific skills and provide the experimental and methodological know-how to: crystallise the material (if not available in the crystalline form); collect X-ray diffraction data through the powder diffractometer at IC-CNR; solve the structure by EXPO; support users for properly running the software and its updates. EXPO can be used by research groups and companies interested in the structural characterisation of materials, e.g. chemical and pharmaceutical companies.
Compared to other software for structure solution by microcrystalline powder, available on the national and international market, the competitive aspects are: ease of use, supported by a user-friendly graphical interface. This feature allows effective use of EXPO also by non-experts in crystallography; high level of automatism; ability to perform all the steps of the structure solution process; update in terms of innovative theoretical approaches and advanced computational performances; continuous support by EXPO developers.