TY - JOUR A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard T1 - The MOUSE project - A meticulous approach for obtaining traceable, wide-range X-ray scattering information N2 - Herein, we provide a "systems architecture"-like overview and detailed discussions of the methodological and instrumental components that, together, comprise the "MOUSE" project (Methodology Optimization for UltrafineStructure Exploration). The MOUSE project provides scattering information on a wide variety of samples, with traceable dimensions for both the scattering vector (q) and the absolute scattering cross-section (I). The measurable scattering vector-range of 0.012≤ q (nm-1) ≤ 92, allows information across a hierarchy of structures with dimensions ranging from ca. 0.1 to 400 nm. In addition to details that comprise the MOUSE project, such as the organisation and traceable aspects, several representative examples are provided to demonstrate its flexibility. These include measurements on alumina membranes, the tobacco mosaic virus, and dual-source information that overcomes fluorescence limitations on ZIF-8 and iron-oxide-containing carbon catalyst materials. KW - X-ray scattering KW - MOUSE KW - Instrumentation KW - SAXS KW - Methodology KW - Traceability KW - Wide-range KW - Data curation KW - FAIR KW - Uncertainties KW - Nanomaterials KW - Nanometrology PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-528669 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/16/06/P06034 VL - 16 IS - 6 SP - 1 EP - 50 PB - IOP CY - Bristol, UK AN - OPUS4-52866 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Omar, Hassan A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Henning, S. A1 - Li, Z. A1 - Wang, D.-Y. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina T1 - Calorimetric and Dielectric Investigations of Epoxy-Based Nanocomposites with Halloysite Nanotubes as Nanofillers N2 - Epoxy nanocomposites are promising materials for industrial applications (i.e., aerospace, marine and automotive industry) due to their extraordinary mechanical and thermal properties. Here, the effect of hollow halloysite nanotubes (HNT) on an epoxy matrix (Ep) was the focus of the study. The structure and molecular mobility of the nanocomposites were investigated using a combination of X-ray scattering, calorimetry (differential (DSC) and fast scanning calorimetry (FSC)) and dielectric spectroscopy. Additionally, the effect of surface modification of HNT (polydopamine (PDA) and Fe(OH)3 nanodots) was considered. For Ep/HNT, the glass transition temperature (Tg) is was de-creased due to a nanoparticle-related decrease of the crosslinking density. For the modified system, Ep/m-HNT, the surface modification resulted in enhanced filler–matrix interactions leading to higher Tg values than the pure epoxy in some cases. For Ep/m-HNT, the amount of interface formed between the nanoparticles and the matrix ranged from 5% to 15%. Through BDS measurements, localized fluctuations were detected as a β- and γ-relaxation, related to rotational fluctuations of phenyl rings and local reorientations of unreacted components. A combination of calorimetry and BDS dielectric spectroscopy revealed a dynamic and structural heterogeneity of the matrix, as confirmed by two glassy dynamics in both systems, related to regions with different crosslinking densities. KW - Rigid amorphous fraction KW - Epoxy nanocomposites KW - Halloysite nanotubes KW - X-ray scattering KW - Differential scanning calorimetry KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Flash DSC PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-526668 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13101634 VL - 13 IS - 10 SP - 1634 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-52666 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kolmangadi, Mohamed Aejaz A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Alentiev, D. A1 - Bermeshev, M. A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular Dynamics of Janus Polynorbornenes: Glass Transitions and Nanophase Separation N2 - For the first time, dielectric and calorimetric investigations of an homologous series of Janus polynorbornenes with rigid main backbones and flexible -Si(OR)3 side groups, of differing length alkyl chains (R = Propyl, Butyl, Hexyl, Octyl, Decyl) is reported. Generally, this class of polymers has some potential for applications in the field of gas separation membranes. Two dielectrically active processes are observed at low temperatures, denoted as β- and α- relaxation. The former can be assigned to localized fluctuations, whilst the latter is related to the glassy dynamics of the flexible -Si(OR)3 side groups, creating a nanophase separation in both the alkyl chain rich and backbone rich domains. This is confirmed through temperature modulated DSC measurements and X-ray scattering experiments. The glass transition temperatures of the backbone rich domains, which are beyond or near to their degradation temperatures in terms of conventional DSC, are determined for the first time using Fast Scanning Calorimetry employing both fast heating and cooling rates. This is complimented with scattering experiments that show how the size of the alkyl chain rich domains increases with chain length. Alongside these results, a significant conductivity contribution was observed for all poly(tricyclononenes) with -Si(OR)3 side groups, which is interpreted in terms of a percolation model. KW - Polynorbornenes KW - Broadband Dielectric Spectrscopy KW - Advanced calorimetry PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.0c01450 VL - 53 IS - 17 SP - 7410 EP - 7419 PB - ACS AN - OPUS4-51196 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kolmangadi, Mohamed Aejaz A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Bermeshev, M. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Molecular mobility of polynorbornenes with trimethylsiloxysilyl side groups: Influence of the polymerization mechanism N2 - We report dielectric and calorimetric studies on metathesis and addition-type polytricyclononenes, both based on the same monomer bearing three pendant OSiMe3 groups. For the addition-type polymer, dielectric spectroscopy reveals a β*-process related to the microporosity, whereas for its metathesis counterpart, the segmental dynamics manifests as an α-process related to a glass transition. Besides active dielectric processes, a significant conductivity contribution is detected for both samples which for the microporous additiontype polymer is three orders of magnitude greater than for the metathesis polymer. The broadband dielectric spectroscopy is complemented by detailed calorimetric investigations, comprising DSC, FSC, and TMDSC. The calorimetric methods detected the glass transition for the metathesis polymer in agreement with the observed dielectric α-process. Furthermore, the already reported gas transport properties for both polymers are compared, setting them in correlation with the observed molecular mobility and conductivity behavior. The discussed results reflect significant differences in molecular mobility of the two polymers affecting the appearance of microporosity which strongly determines the gas transport properties. KW - Microporous polymers KW - Molecular mobility KW - Electrical conductivity KW - Membrane polymers KW - Gas separation PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.22079/JMSR.2021.538060.1495 SN - 2476-5406 VL - 8 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Membrane Processes Research Laboratory (MPRL) CY - Tehran AN - OPUS4-54303 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Falqueto, J. B. A1 - Clark, A. H. A1 - Štefančič, A. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Vaz, C. A. F. A1 - Schuler, A. J. A1 - Bocchi, N. A1 - Kazzi, M. E. T1 - High performance doped Li-rich Li1+xMn2–xO4 cathodes nanoparticles synthesized by facile, fast, and efficient microwave-assisted hydrothermal route N2 - Li-rich nanoparticles of Li1+xMn2–xO4 doped with Al, Co, or Ni are successfully synthesized using a facile, fast, and efficient microwave-assisted hydrothermal route. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction confirms the formation of the crystalline cubic spinel phase type. X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis at the Co and Ni K- and L-edges verifies that the dopants are within the Li1+xMn2–xO4 spinel structure and are inactive during cycling in the bulk and at the surface. Moreover, we demonstrate that nanocrystallinity and cationic doping play an important role in improving the electrochemical performance with respect to LiMn2O4 microparticles. They significantly reduce the charge-transfer resistance, lower the first cycle irreversible capacity loss to 6%, and achieve a capacity retention between 85 and 90% after 380 cycles, with excellent Coulombic efficiency close to 99% without compromising the specific charge at a 5C cycling rate. Furthermore, the Mn K- and L-edges attest that after long cycling, the Mn oxidation state in the bulk differs from that at the surface caused by the Mn disproportion reaction; however, the cationic doping helps mitigate the Mn dissolution with respect to the undoped Li1+xMn2–xO4 nanoparticles, as indicated by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. KW - XAS KW - SAXS KW - Li-ion battery KW - Cathode material KW - Spinel KW - The MOUSE PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.2c00902 SN - 2574-0962 VL - 5 IS - 7 SP - 8357 EP - 8370 PB - ACS Publ. CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-55359 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sprachmann, J. A1 - Grabicki, N. A1 - Möckel, Anna A1 - Maltitz, J. A1 - del Refugio Monroy Gómez, J. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Dumele, O. T1 - Substituted Benzophenone Imines for COF Synthesis via Formal Transimination N2 - Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a prominent class of organic materials constructed from versatile building blocks via reversible reactions. The quality of imine-linked COFs can be improved by using amine monomers protected with benzophenone forming benzophenone imines. Here, we present a study on substituted benzophenones in COF synthesis via formal transimination. 12 para-substituted N-aryl benzophenone imines, with a range of electron-rich to electron-poor substituents, were prepared and their hydrolysis kinetics were studied spectroscopically. All substituted benzophenone imines can be employed in COF synthesis and lead to COFs with high crystallinity and high porosity. The substituents act innocent to COF formation as the substituted benzophenones are cleaved off. Imines can be tailored to their synthetic demands and utilized in COF formation. This concept can make access to previously unattainable, synthetically complex COF monomers feasible. KW - Materials Chemistry KW - Metals and Alloys KW - Surfaces, Coatings and Films KW - General Chemistry KW - Ceramics and Composites KW - Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials KW - Catalysis PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-586449 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CC03735E SN - 1359-7345 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-58644 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dal Molin, E. S. A1 - Henning, L. M. A1 - Müller, J. T. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Bekheet, M. F. A1 - Gurlo, A. A1 - Simon, U. T1 - Robocasting of ordered mesoporous silica‐based monoliths: Rheological, textural, and mechanical characterization N2 - Hierarchically porous, high‐surface‐area silica materials are excellent candidates for multiple applications like catalysis and environmental remediation. Shaping these materials with additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, like robocasting, could enable their use with the benefit of on‐demand, customized shaping and maximizing performance. Herein, ordered mesoporous silica COK‐12 slurries were robocasted into monoliths, containing different ratios of uncalcined COK‐12 and sodium bentonite (0–25 wt.%). The rheology of the mixed slurries is characterized by lower flow indexes (0.69 vs. 0.32) and higher yield stresses (96 vs. 259 Pa) compared to pure COK‐12 ones. Monoliths were printed in woodpile structures and calcined at 600°C. Micro‐CT measurements showed a linear shrinkage of 25% after calcination. Mechanical characterization showed increased uniaxial strength (0.20 ± 0.07 to 1.0 ± 0.3 MPa) with increasing binder/solids ratio from 13 to 25%. The amorphous, mesoporous structure of COK‐12 was retained. The structures exhibited open porosities of 52 ± 4% and showed higher specific mesopore volumes, and increased average mesopore size (6 vs. 8 nm) compared to COK‐12. Small‐angle x‐ray scattering analysis revealed an increased lattice parameter (10.3 vs. 11.0 nm) and reduced wall thickness (3.1 nm vs. 4.1 nm) of the COK‐12 in the monoliths. These properties indicate suitability for their application as porous supports and adsorbents. KW - Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering KW - Additive manufacturing KW - OMS KW - Porous materials KW - Robocasting KW - X-ray scattering KW - MOUSE PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-582503 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/nano.202300109 VL - 4 IS - 11-12 SP - 615 EP - 631 PB - Wiley-VCH GmbH AN - OPUS4-58250 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Foroutan, Farzad A1 - Abrahams, Isaac A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Kanwal, Nasima A1 - di Pasquale, Roberto A1 - Knowles, Jonathan C. A1 - Smith, Andrew J. A1 - Carta, Daniela T1 - A sol-gel templating route for the synthesis of hierarchical porous calcium phosphate glasses containing zinc N2 - Hierarchical porous phosphate-based glasses (PPG) have great potential in biomedicine. Micropores (pore size <2 nm) increase the surface area, mesopores (pore size 2–50 nm) facilitate the absorption and diffusion of therapeutic ions and molecules making them ideal controlled delivery systems, while macropores (pore size >50 nm) facilitate the movement and diffusion of cells and fluids. In addition, the bioresorbability of PPG allows for their complete solubility in body fluid, alongside simultaneous formation of new tissue. Making PPG via the traditional melt-quenching (MQ) synthesis method used for phosphate-based glasses (PG), is not straightforward. Hence, we present here a route for preparing such glasses using a combination of sol-gel (SG) and templating methods. Hierarchical PPG in the P₂O₅–CaO–Na₂O system with the addition of 1, 3 and 5 mol % of Zn²⁺ were prepared with pore dimensions ranging from the micro-to the macro scales using Pluronic 123 (P123) as a surfactant. The presence of micropores (0.30–0.46 nm), mesopores (1.75–9.35 nm) and macropores (163–207 nm) was assessed via synchrotron-based Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), with the presence of the latter two confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Structural characterisation performed using ³¹P solid state magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies shows the presence of Q², Q¹ and Q⁰ phosphate species with a predominance of Q¹ species in all compositions. Dissolution studies in deionised (DI) water confirm that controlled release of phosphates, Ca²⁺, Na⁺ and Zn²⁺ is achieved over a period of 7 days. In particular, the release of Zn²⁺ is proportional to its loading, making its delivery particularly easy to control. KW - Sol-gel KW - Phosphate-based glasses KW - Mesoporous materials KW - Hierarchical porosity PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-613698 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2024.07.180 SN - 0272-8842 VL - 50 IS - 20, Part A SP - 38174 EP - 38182 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-61369 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hayward, E. C. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Takeguchi, M. A1 - Kulak, A. A1 - Hunter, R. D. A1 - Schnepp, Z. T1 - The effect of catalyst precursors on the mechanism of iron-catalysed graphitization of cellulose N2 - Iron-catalysed graphitization of biomass is a simple and sustainable route to carbons with high graphitic content. It uses abundant precursors and moderate processing temperatures and generates carbons with high porosity. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the choice of biomass precursor can have a significant impact on the textural and compositional properties of the resulting carbon. In this paper, we demonstrate that the choice of catalyst is also critical to the carbon structure. Aqueous iron(III) nitrate and iron(III) chloride convert cellulose to carbons with very different textural properties. This is due to the choice of iron catalyst changing the mechanism of cellulose decomposition and also the nature of the active graphitization catalyst. KW - Catalyst KW - Carbon materials KW - Cellulose KW - Small-angle scattering KW - Green energy KW - Graphitic carbon KW - Green synthesis PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-614800 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00365A SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-61480 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hallier, Dorothea C. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Seitz, H. A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin T1 - Bio-SAXS of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins: Radiation protection by the compatible solute ectoine N2 - Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) can be used for structural determination of biological macromolecules and polymers in their native states (e.g. liquid phase). This means that the structural changes of (bio-)polymers, such as proteins and DNA, can be monitored in situ to understand their sensitivity to changes in chemical environments. In an attempt to improve the reliability of such experiments, the reduction of radiation damage occurring from exposure to X-rays is required. One such method, is to use scavenger molecules to protect macromolecules against radicals produced during radiation exposure, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study we investigate the feasibility of applying the compatible solute, osmolyte and radiation protector Ectoine (THP(B)), as a scavenger molecule during SAXS measurements of the single-stranded DNA-binding protein Gene-V Protein (G5P/GVP). In this case, we monitor the radiation induced changes of G5P during bio-SAXS measurments and the resulting microscopic energy-damage relation was determined from microdosimetric calculations by Monte-Carlo based particle scattering simulations with TOPAS/Geant4 and a custom target-model. This resulted in a median-lethal energy deposit of pure G5P at 4 mg mL−1 of E1/2 = 7 ± 5 eV, whereas a threefold increase of energy-deposit was needed under the presence of Ectoine to reach the same level of damage. This indicates that Ectoine increases the possible exposure time before radiation-damage to G5P is observed. Furthermore, the dominant type of damage shifted from aggregation in pure solutions towards a fragmentation for solutions containing Ectoine as a cosolute. These results are interpreted in terms of indirect radiation damage by reactive secondary species, as well as post-irradiation effects, related to preferential-exclusion of the cosolute from the protein surface. Hence, Ectoine is shown to provide a non-disturbing way to improve structure-determination of proteins via bio-SAXS in future studies. KW - BioSAXS KW - Bio-SAXS KW - Cosolute KW - Ectoine KW - G5P KW - GVP KW - Radiation damage KW - Radical Scavenger KW - Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins KW - X-ray scattering KW - DNA KW - ssDNA KW - Protein KW - SAXS KW - Small-angle xray scattering KW - McSAS3 KW - Dosimetry KW - Microdosimetry KW - Geant4 KW - Geant4-DNA KW - Topas KW - Topas-MC KW - Monte-Carlo simulations KW - Particle scattering simulations KW - Topas-nBio KW - OH Radical KW - OH radical scavenger KW - LEE KW - Ionizing radiation damage KW - Protein unfolding KW - Ectoin PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-568909 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2cp05053f SN - 1463-9076 SN - 1463-9084 VL - 25 IS - 7 SP - 5372 EP - 5382 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-56890 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -