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- Acoustic levitation (3)
- High resolution (3)
- In-situ (3)
- SyXRD (3)
- Synchrotron radiation (3)
- X-Ray diffraction (3)
- Cement hydration (2)
- Crystallization (2)
- ELISA (2)
- LC-MS/MS (2)
For the investigation of small sample volumes, the use of an acoustic levitator was tested as a `sample holder' for hovering droplets in a synchrotron beam. It might be advantageous to use levitated droplets instead of samples confined in solid holders, especially for the study of crystallization processes where the influence of containing walls has to be minimized. In a first experiment, the crystallization of sodium chloride in a small droplet of aqueous solution has been followed with a time resolution of 30 s. The collected diffraction peaks are compared with data in the ICSD database.
Crystallization processes under different conditions are of fundamental interest in chemistry, pharmacy, and medicine. Therefore, we have studied the formation of micro- and nanosized crystals using water-caffeine (1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6(3H,7H)-dione) solutions under ambient conditions as a relevant model system. When droplets of an aqueous caffeine solution evaporate and eventually dry on surfaces (glass, polystyrene, and polyester), stable coffee tabletop rings with a perimeter of typically 3 mm are formed after 20 to 50 min. Using a micro focus X-ray beam available at the BESSY µSpot-beamline, the fine structure of different caffeine needles can be distinguished. Unexpectedly, both crystal modifications (α- and β-caffeine) are present, but locally separated in these rings. Furthermore, AFM studies reveal the presence of even smaller particles on a nanometer length scale. To eliminate influences of surface irregularities from the crystallization process, acoustic levitation of liquid samples was employed. Such levitated droplets are trapped in a stable position and only surrounded by air. The solvent in an ultrasonically levitated drop evaporates completely, and the resulting crystallization of caffeine was followed in situ by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. In this case, the diffraction pattern is in accordance with pure α-caffeine and does not indicate the formation of the room temperature polymorph β-caffeine. Hence, our investigations open new vistas that may lead to a controlled formation of cocrystals and novel polymorphs of micro- and nanocrystalline materials, which are of relevance for fundamental studies as well as for pharmaceutical and medical applications.
Triacetone triperoxide (TATP), an improvised explosive, is a potential security threat because of its cost-efficient synthesis and the difficulty in detecting it. A highly selective antibody could provide the necessary specificity to the detection process. To obtain antibodies, a hapten made from acetone, hydrogen peroxide, and 7-oxooctanoic acid has been designed, synthesized, and confirmed by NMR that displays the utmost similarity to the analyte. The single-crystal X-ray structures of the solvated species TATP·methanol (1:1) and the TATP derivate were determined. In both compounds, the molecules exhibit D3 symmetry and adopt a twisted boat-chair conformation. The hapten was coupled to bovine serum albumin, and mice were immunized. An immune response against TATP was elicited, and selective antibodies were detected in the mouse serum, which should be very useful for the development of a TATP biosensor system. An ELISA with a limit of detection for TATP of 65 µg L-1 is shown.
A combination of two analytical methods, time-resolved X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy, is presented as a novel tool for crystallization studies. An acoustic levitator was employed as sample environment. This setup enables the acquisition of XRD and Raman data in situ simultaneously within a 20 s period and hence permits investigation of polymorphic phase transitions during the crystallization process in different solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone, dichloromethane, acetonitrile). These real time measurements allow the determination of the phase content from the onset of the first crystalline molecular assemblies to the stable system. To evaluate the capability of this approach, the setup was applied to elucidate the crystallization process of the polymorphic compound nifedipine. The results indicate the existence of solvent-dependent transient phases during the crystallization process. The quality of the data allowed the assignment of the lattice constants of the hitherto unknown crystal structure of the β-polymorph.
During the mineralisation of metal carbonates MCO3 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Mn, Cd, Pb) liquid-like amorphous intermediates emerge. These intermediates that form via a liquid/liquid phase separation behave like a classical emulsion and are stabilized electrostatically. The occurrence of these intermediates is attributed to the formation of highly hydrated networks whose stability is mainly based on weak interactions and the variability of the metal-containing pre-critical clusters. Their existence and compositional freedom are evidenced by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Liquid intermediates in non-classical crystallisation pathways seem to be more common than assumed.
Deciphering the sulfate attack of cementitious materials by high-resolution micro-x-ray diffraction
(2011)
The durability of cementitious materials depends, among others, on their resistance against chemical attack during the service life of a building. Here, we present an approach to analyze changes in the phase composition due to chemical attack in the form of sulfate ingress within the microstructure. Micro-X-ray (µX-ray) diffraction using synchrotron radiation in Debye–Scherrer (transmission) geometry allowed a spatial resolution of 10 µm. Phase transformations in the wake of damaging processes were observed in a detailed high-resolution imaging study. In comparison, samples containing supplementary cementitious materials were investigated and used to reconstruct the influence of different degeneration processes in detail. Additionally, reaction fronts within the bulk were localized by micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis. The experimental setup provided the possibility for analyzing the phase assemblage of a given sample without destroying the microstructure. The specimens for phase analysis are thick sections of the primary material and can be used for further microscopic analysis of the microstructure and microchemistry, e.g., scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX) or Raman spectroscopy.
The formation and growth of hydroxylamine reduced silver nanoparticles were investigated by simultaneous Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopy coupled to an acoustic levitator as a sample holder. Based on the UV/Vis spectra, a two step particle formation mechanism with fast initial formation and adjacent coalescence can be proposed for the reduction of silver nitrate with hydroxylamine. The presence of the analyte adenine during particle formation resulted in differences in the adenine SERS signature compared to experiments, where adenine was added after particle synthesis. It was possible to monitor the adenine and sodium chloride induced aggregation of the nanoparticles and its dynamics based on both the extinction spectra and the SERS data. Correlating the information from the extinction spectra with the SERS intensity, the maximum SERS signals were observed at maximum extinction of the aggregated nanoparticle solution at the Raman excitation wavelength.
Acoustic levitation represents the physical background of trapping a sample in a standing acoustic wave with no contact to the wave generating device. For the last three decades, sample holders based on this effect have been commonly used for contact free handling of samples coupled with a number of analytical techniques. In this study, a wall-free climate unit is presented, which allows the control of the environmental conditions of suspended samples. The insulation is based on a continuous cold/hot gas flow around the sample and thus does not require any additional isolation material. This provides a direct access to the levitated sample and circumvents any influence of the climate unit material to the running analyses.
Höchst dynamische Hydratationsprozesse in den ersten Sekunden bei der Entstehung eines Bauwerkes lassen sich mithilfe von Synchrotron-Röntgenbeugung mit einer sehr hohen Zeitauflösung nachverfolgen. Der Schwerpunkt lag dabei auf der Beeinflussung der Bildung erster kristalliner Hydratationsprodukte während des Frühstadiums der Zementhydratation.