Synchrotron Scattering Methods for Nanomaterials and Soft Matter Research

Abstract

This article aims to provide an overview of broad range of applications of synchrotron scattering methods in the investigation of nanoscale materials. These scattering techniques allow the elucidation of the structure and dynamics of nanomaterials from sub-nm to micron size scales and down to sub-millisecond time ranges both in bulk and at interfaces. A major advantage of scattering methods is that they provide the ensemble averaged information under in situ and operando conditions. As a result, they are complementary to various imaging techniques which reveal more local information. Scattering methods are particularly suitable for probing buried structures that are difficult to image. Although, many qualitative features can be directly extracted from scattering data, derivation of detailed structural and dynamical information requires quantitative modeling. The fourth-generation synchrotron sources open new possibilities for investigating these complex systems by exploiting the enhanced brightness and coherence properties of X-rays.

Shear-free mixing to achieve accurate temporospatial nanoscale kinetics through scanning-SAXS: ion-induced phase transition of dispersed cellulose nanocrystals

“…Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is one of the powerful synchrotron techniques to characterize interactions and spatial structures of material on the length scale between 1–100 nm, which has been widely adopted in material, medical, biological and chemical sciences. 1 In soft matter systems, SAXS can yield structural information regarding the size, shape and ordering of the individual nanoscale entity ( i.e. the form factor) in dilute systems, including polymers, 2 proteins, 3 viruses, 4,5 nanofibers 6,7 and other nanoparticles.…”

High-power Terahertz Waves for a Recycle System of Amyloid Fibrils

“…In both cases, the inclination of the scattering curve from 3 nm -1 to 9 nm -1 was larger after the irradiation (red) than that before irradiation (black). This means that the shape of the aggregate was changed into the thick lamellar type 45 . In addition, there can be observed a scattering peak at around 3.8 nm -1 in lysozyme (upper) and at 3.7 nm -1 in 2-microglobulin (lower) after irradiation.…”

Plasmonic Supercrystals with a Layered Structure Studied by a Combined TEM‐SAXS‐XCCA Approach

“…As a complementary approach, SAXS at partially coherent photon sources is routinely used to determine the crystalline order of volume materials. [6,7] Scanning SAXS experiments allow mapping of comparably large areas and detailed structural information can be obtained by X-ray cross-correlation analysis Supercrystals composed of plasmonic nanoparticles constitute a promising material platform for tailored light-matter interactions. The optimization of their optical properties requires precise syntheses and a detailed structural characterization that addresses not only the basic geometrical parameters but also the degree of order.…”

“…Finally, we discuss the effect of film thickness on the degree of orientational order. While the lattice constant was found to depend on the number of layers, the question arises if this can also be observed for |ˆ| 6 I . Increase of the degree of local order as well its variation has been reported for heterogeneously ordered films of AuNP.…”

“…As a complementary approach, SAXS at partially coherent photon sources is routinely used to determine the crystalline order of volume materials. [ 6,7 ] Scanning SAXS experiments allow mapping of comparably large areas and detailed structural information can be obtained by X‐ray cross‐correlation analysis (XCCA). [ 8–12 ] Recently, the use of XCCA in structural studies of self‐assembled nanoparticles has increased, [ 8,13–15 ] including in‐situ experiments of phase transitions.…”