TY - CONF A1 - Stawski, Tomasz A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Scoppola, E. A1 - Jha, D. A1 - Morales, L. A1 - Moya, A. A1 - Wirth, R. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Van Driessche, Alexander T1 - Seeds of imperfection rule the mesocrystalline disorder in natural anhydrite single crystals N2 - In recent years, we have come to appreciate the astounding intricacy of the formation process of minerals from ions in aqueous solutions. In this context, a number of studies have revealed that nucleation in the calcium sulfate system is non-classical, involving the aggregation and reorganization of nanosized prenucleation particles. In a recent work we have shown that this particle-mediated nucleation pathway is actually imprinted in the resultant single micron-sized CaSO4 crystals. This property of CaSO4 minerals provides us with an unique opportunity to search for evidence of non-classical nucleation pathways in geological environments. In particular, we focused on the quintessential single crystals of anhydrite extracted from the Naica mine in Mexico. We elucidated the growth history from this mineral sample by mapping growth defects at different length scales. Based on these data we argue that the nano-scale misalignment of the structural sub-units observed in the initial calcium sulfate crystal seed propagate through different length-scales both in morphological, as well as strictly crystallographic aspects, eventually causing the formation of large mesostructured single crystals of anhydrite. Hence, the nanoparticle mediated nucleation mechanism introduces a 'seed of imperfection', which leads to a macroscopic single crystal, in which its fragments do not fit together at different length-scales in a self-similar manner. Consequently, anisotropic voids of various sizes are formed with very well-defined walls/edges. But, at the same time the material retains its essential single crystal nature. These findings shed new light on the longstanding concept of crystal structure. T2 - S4SAS Conference 2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 01.09.2021 KW - SAXS KW - Calcium sulfate KW - Anhydrite KW - Mesocrystals PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53630 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob T1 - Structural characterization using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) N2 - A short introduction to small-angle scattering, followed by a "choose your own adventure" style of talk on the characterisation of different materials using SAXS/WAXS. T2 - Operando workshop “SAXS and Ptychography” at the Paul Scherrer Institut CY - Villigen, Switzerland DA - 17.08.2021 KW - SAXS KW - Materials KW - Characterisation PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53188 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob T1 - Following the formation of zeolites and MOFs in-situ N2 - Porous materials are of a great interest due to their ability to interact with ions and molecules not only on their surface but throughout their bulk. Porous materials are conventionally used in applications; such as ion exchange, adsorption/separation and in catalysis, exploiting the huge internal surface area of highly ordered porous materials. [1, 2] The ability for these materials to succeed, in a particular field, is dependent greatly upon the uniformity of the shape and size of the pores within the material. However, despite how well we are able to understand the stability of 3-D frameworks in crystalline or polycrystalline zeolites and ZIFs, there still remains major limitations in fully understanding the synthetic mechanisms occurring prior to their formation. [3, 4] Though the syntheses of a wide variety of porous solids are already well established, their formation mechanisms continue to be of great interest to both academic and industrial communities, with the thought that with greater understanding of the formation of these solids can lead to their rational design. By obtaining a better knowledge of the underlying nucleation mechanisms, it can allow for increased predictability of new structures and in addition can reveal valuable information regarding the particle dimensions aiding in controlling particle morphology and size. Small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) are ideal techniques for determining morphological changes in-situ, where the shape, size and crystallinity can be followed at a high temporal resolution, and when these techniques are deployed alongside complimentary techniques, such as ex-situ microscopy, a great deal of information on the formation of materials can be obtained. The above-mentioned methodologies were utilised to study the formation of Silicalite-1 from multiple silica sources to obtain a detailed picture of the formation as a whole, including the formation of intermediate species (Image 1 show the in-situ SAXS data collected from the formation of Silicalite-1 from tetraethyl orthosilicate). In-situ SAXS/WAXS studies were also utilized to observe the formation of ZIF-8 alongside in-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) experiments to probe both the morphological changes, as well as any changes occurring to the local structure during synthesis (Image 2 show the in-situ SAXS data collected from the formation of ZIF-8). These timeresolved in-situ studies have been utilised to follow changes in crystallinity and crystallite size, whilst also providing valuable information on the formation of intermediate species, the nucleation of crystalline ZIFs, and their subsequent growth. References: [1] M E Davis. Nature, 417(6891):813–21, 2002 [2] S T Meek, J A Greathouse, M D Allendorf, Advanced Materials, 23 (2): 249-267, 2011 [3] J Grand, H Awala, CrystEngComm,18 (5): 650–664, 2016 [4] M J V Vleet, T Weng, X Li, J R Schmidt. Chem.Rev.,118 (7): 3681–3721, 2018 T2 - 8th Conference of the Federation of European Zeolite Associations (FEZA 2021) CY - Online meeting DA - 05.07.2021 KW - SAXS KW - Zeolites KW - MOFs KW - In situ PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53187 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard T1 - Introduction to SAXS N2 - A simplified introductions to small-angle scattering (SAXS), to put across the main concepts and not get bogged down in equations. T2 - Better with Scattering workshop 2020 CY - BAM, Berlin, Germany DA - 16.03.2020 KW - SAXS KW - WAXS KW - MOFs KW - Data analysis KW - Nano PY - 2020 UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YY9XtQfANk AN - OPUS4-51021 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Thünemann, Andreas T1 - A look inside nanoparticles N2 - Small-angle scattering is the method of choice when it comes to obtaining information about the interior of nanoparticles. The aim is to make nanotechnology safer. While the use of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is limited to a few instruments in the world, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is widely accessible, with an upward trend. The example of core-shell particles shows how simple their analysis is with data from an Anton Paar laboratory system. Here, SAXS is a central tool for the development of new reference materials based on poly(methyl) acrylate-PVDF core-shell particles. The dimensions of the cores and shells can be precisely determined. A detailed analysis makes it possible to show that the cores contain fluorinated and nonfluorinated polymers, whereas the shell consist only of PVDF. This core-shell particles with a diameter around 40 nm show a significantly higher PVDF beta phase content than the PVDF homopolymer when using an emulsion polymerization technique. This finding is of importance with respect to applications in electroactive devices. T2 - SAXS excites: International SAXS Symposium 2019 CY - Graz, Austria DA - 24.09.2019 KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - SAXS KW - Nanoplastics PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49126 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Thünemann, Andreas T1 - The Single Chain Architecture of (Bio)Polymers in Contact with Nanoplastics N2 - In contrast to microplastics, little is known about nanoplastics (1 to 100 nm). In order to make the dectecability of nanoplasics more reliable, we started to develop nanoplastic reference materials. This project also aims to anser the question of how the single chain conformation of bio(polymers) changes in contact with nanoplastics. Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering methods are suitable methods for studing this topic. Recently the soft and hard interactions between polystyrene nanoplasics and human serum albumin corona was investigated with small-angle neutron scattering. Here we concentrate on small-angle X-ray scattering as our favorite method to study how (bio)polymers change their conformation in contact with nanoplastics. The scattering of bovine serum albumin in its native state can be detected easily. The scattering pattern of this biopolymer changes dramatically when its globular stucture changes to a coil structure. Modeling of chain conformations and the calculation of the scattering pattern is relatively easy to perform. Numerous model calculations will be provided to predict the changes of conformation of single bio(polymer) chains when in conatact with nanoplastics. These predictions will be compared with recent experimenal results from in situ measurments of bio(polymers) in contact with nanoplastics. The impact of temperature, polymer concentration and salt on the single-chain conformation changes will be discussed. T2 - PolyDays 2019 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 11.09.2019 KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - SAXS KW - Nanoparticle KW - Protein KW - Nanoplastics PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-48959 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob T1 - Experimenting on MAUS N2 - Initial results, findings and experience after 1.5 years of using the Multi-scale Analyser for Ultrafine Structures (MAUS), a bespoke wide-range SAXS instrument for the nanostructure quantification of demanding materials science samples. T2 - S4SAS Conference 2019 CY - Diamond Light Source, Didcot, UK DA - 06.06.2019 KW - X-ray scattering KW - SAXS KW - Nanostructure quantification KW - Nanocharacterisation PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-48193 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Breßler, Ingo T1 - McSAS for SAS analysis: Usage, benefits, and potential pitfalls N2 - Introducing McSAS, the analytical tool (software) we developed for extracting form-free size distributions from X-ray scattering patterns. T2 - Small Angle Scattering Training School 2019 CY - Diamond Light Source, Didcot, UK DA - 04.06.2019 KW - X-ray scattering KW - SAXS KW - Software KW - Monte Carlo KW - Nanocharacterisation KW - Nanostructure PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-48192 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Saadeh, Qais A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Günster, Jens T1 - In-Situ SAXS Techniques N2 - Our project's aim is to enhance the capabilities of additive manufacturing techniques, where enabling a Two-Photon-Polymerization (TPP) 3D printer of producing arrays of precisely aligned nanoparticles is of an enormous value. As heterogeneous functional nanostructures with arrays of oriented nanoparticles are very promising in many fields; electrochemistry, energy storage, nanoelectronics among other vital fields. The feasibility and the convenience of orienting nanoparticles using magnetic, electric fields and ultrasonic vibrations will be systematically investigated, using Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), since SAXS can provide detailed information about the orientation characteristics of nano-Ensembles. Corresponding to our prerequisites, a set ad hoc functional sample holders, sample stages and other In-Situ SAXS solutions were developed, and incorporated to be compatible with a state-of-the-arts SAXS machine, called Multi-scale Analyzer for Ultrafine Structures (MAUS). The MAUS has been customized and engineered to serve as a miniaturized synchrotron, and that is exactly what we need. Experiments attempting to orient superparamagnetic nanoparticles will be discussed, where the outcomes will not only help in understanding the mechanics of field-particle interactions, it will also help in further developing the adequate needed set of corrections to the SAXS data, that is especially regards oriented samples. T2 - XVII International Small Angle Scattering Conference – SAS 2018 CY - Traverse City, Michigan, USA DA - 07.10.2018 KW - In-Situ Techniques KW - SAXS KW - Magnetic nano-particles PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-46443 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Saloga, Patrick E. J. T1 - SAXS in Analysis of Ultra-small Size-adjustable Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Controlled Band Gap Engineering N2 - Zinc oxide (ZnO) as a wide-bandgap II-VI semiconductor finds application in areas like optoelectronics, photocatalysis as well as in detection systems. While band-gap engineering in macroscopic ZnO can be performed by alloying, the band-gap of ZnO nanoparticles is also dependent on their size. Since small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) provides a much higher resolution in terms of ultra-small nanoparticle size analysis compared to other techniques, it allows for a careful examination of the correlation between particle size and band-gap. We report on the microwave-assisted synthesis of oleate-capped, photoluminescent zinc oxide nanoparticles with adjustable size as dispersions in organic solvents. The spherical particles were obtained by hydrolysis of the metal precursor in presence of a strong base at temperatures above the solvent’s boiling point. Hence, the reaction is dramatically accelerated and within seconds – instead of hours at lower temperatures –, narrowly dispersed particle systems are yielded. The particles’ sizes as derived from SAXS strongly depend on the reaction temperature and time. Choosing the right reaction conditions, the particle size and thus their band gap can be finely tuned. A size increase can be achieved both by increasing the reaction temperature and the reaction time. See Figure 1 for an exemplary comparison of five-minute syntheses at different temperatures. Here, the yielded particles display diameters between 5.0 and 7.6 nm and corresponding band-gaps of 3.32 up to 3.41 eV. The size increase is accompanied by a red-shift of the UV/Vis absorption edges and fluorescence emission. Furthermore, these particles can be transferred into water by coating with polysorbates. T2 - SAS2018 XVII International Small Angle Scattering Conference CY - Traverse City, Michigan, USA DA - 07.10.2018 KW - SAXS KW - Zinc oxide nanoparticles KW - Microwave synthesis PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-46348 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -