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Extended X-Ray absorption fine structure (exafs) to study local constitution of high-entropy alloys
(2021)
Modern design of superior multi-functional alloys composed of several principal components requires in-depth studies of their local structure for developing desired macroscopic properties. Herein, peculiarities of atomic arrangements on the local scale and electronic states of constituent elements in the single-phase face-centered cubic (fcc)- and body-centered cubic (bcc)-structured high-entropy Alx-CrFeCoNi alloys (x = 0.3 and 3, respectively) are explored by element-specific X-ray absorption spectroscopy in hard and soft X-ray energy ranges. Simulations based on the reverse Monte Carlo approach allow to perform a simultaneous fit of extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra recorded at K absorption edges of each 3d constituent and to reconstruct the local environment within the first coordination shells of absorbers with high precision.
Detailed study of multicomponent systems in solid-state as well as in solution using X-ray diffraction and X-ray spectroscopy is one of the most common topics in modern materials chemistry. 5-6 component high-entropy alloys such as fcc- and bcc-structured AlxCoCrFeNi and fluorescent nanoparticles based on fluorite-structured SrF2 doped by rare-earth metals in organic solutions have high complexity and their local structure cannot be resolved using only diffraction. X-ray absorption spectroscopy should be applied to understand peculiarities in their local structure and make a link between structure on short and long ranges and their macroscopic properties. Here, based on two representativee examples, we discuss how a combination of several X-ray absorption edges might give new insights into complex materials.
BAM line is multipurpose high-energy beamline. To extend studies of multicomponent alloys using EXAFS we perform own research and user experiments requiring multiedge spectroscopy, high-temperature and chemically aggressive sample environments. Our study of multicomponent alloys and high-entropy alloys open new perspectives in understanding their reactivity, corrosion, phase transformations and local ordering.
High-entropy alloys containing up to 6 platinum group metals can be prepared by thermal decomposition of single-source precursors non requiring high temperature. We prepare the first example of a single-phase hexagonal high-entropy alloy. Heat treat- ment up to 1500 K and compression up to 45 GPa do not result in phase changes, a record temperature and pres- sure stability for a single-phase high-entropy alloy. The alloys show pronounced electrocatalytic activity in methanol oxidation, which opens a route for the use of high-entropy alloys as materials for sustainable energy conversion.
Nowadays, different nanoparticles have been developed for commercial applications. However, since data on toxicity are barely available, their increasing application in cosmetic products, food and their release in the environment might cause severe problems. Since a range of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of NPs are closely related to particle size and surface functionalization, precise separation and surface groups quantification is essential to acquire an in-depth understanding of their properties.
In this work, the performance of asymmetrical flow field flow fractionation (AF4) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the separation of nanoparticles (NPs) with different sizes, coatings, and coating densities was investigated and optimized.
For the first time, a two-dimensional off-line hyphenation of both techniques (AF4-CE) was developed. The results clearly demonstrated, that AF4-CE hyphenation can significantly improve the separation resolution and reduce the peak broadening in CE. Also, for the first time, CE was employed to determine the coating density of NPs and the results were in good agreement with the values acquired with conductometric titration.
Nowadays, different nanoparticles have been developed for commercial applications. However, since data on toxicity are barely available, their increasing application in cosmetic products, food and their release in the environment might cause severe problems. An accurate separation, identification and characterization of nanoparticles becomes increasingly important1,2.
In this presentation, a two-dimensional separation approach based on AF4 and CE was showed and used to separate NPs with similar sizes but different coatings. Standard reference polystyrene NPs having comparable core sizes but different coatings were investigated. Different migration time and profiles were compared. Separation in either method resulted in non-baseline resolved or non-separated peaks. In contrast, two-dimensional coupling of AF4 and CE resulted in clearly separated regions in their 2 D plots in case of 20 and 50 nm particle mixtures, whereas the 100 nm NP mixture could not be separated. Various factors affecting the separation like hydrodynamic diameter or SDS concentration were discussed.
Future investigations will be focussed on inorganic NPs with differently charged coatings. There, AF4-CE coupling can be coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to enhance the sensitivity of this method.
Nowadays, different nanoparticles have been developed for commercial applications. However, since data on toxicity are barely available, their increasing application in cosmetic products, food and their release in the environment might cause severe problems. An accurate separation, identification and characterization of nanoparticles becomes increasingly important.
A common method for nanoparticle separation, which was introduced in 1976 by Giddings, represents asymmetrical field-flow fractionation (AF4). It is a flow based separation method, which can be theoretically used to separate particles range from 1 nm to 50 µm. However, when the particles are smaller than 10 nm, separation with AF4 will become difficult to perform. Because in this case strong separation force, which induces aggregation of particles, should be applied. This will decrease recoveries of analytes and limit its application in accurate quantitative analysis. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is another well-developed separation technique, in which samples will be separated in relation to their electrophoretic mobility. In recent years, CE has been used to separate different kinds of nanoparticles like, gold colloids or CdSe Quantum dots. However, till now only separation of particles smaller than 50 nm was reported. Because large size distribution of bigger particles will result in strong peak broadening and long separation time.
A two-dimensional coupling of AF4 and CE might provide us a new separation method, which can extend the separation ranges of both methods and be a way to characterise particles with large size distributions.
Nowadays, different nanoparticles have been developed for commercial applications. However, since data on toxicity are barely available, their increasing application in cosmetic products, food and their release in the environment might cause severe problems. An accurate separation, identification and characterization of nanoparticles becomes increasingly important.
A common method for nanoparticle separation, which was introduced in 1976 by Giddings, represents asymmetrical field-flow fractionation (AF4). It is a flow based separation method, which can be theoretically used to separate particles range from 1 nm to 50 µm. However, when the particles are smaller than 10 nm, separation with AF4 will become difficult to perform. Because in this case strong separation force, which induces aggregation of particles, should be applied. This will decrease recoveries of analytes and limit its application in accurate quantitative analysis. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is another well-developed separation technique, in which samples will be separated in relation to their electrophoretic mobility. In recent years, CE has been used to separate different kinds of nanoparticles like, gold colloids or CdSe Quantum dots. However, till now only separation of particles smaller than 50 nm was reported. Because large size distribution of bigger particles will result in strong peak broadening and long separation time.
A two-dimensional coupling of AF4 and CE might provide us a new separation method, which can extend the separation ranges of both methods and be a way to characterise particles with large size distributions.
XAFS@BAMline
(2018)
X-ray Absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) is a frequently employed technique in order to investigate structural composition and Change of chemical compounds such as catalytic species or corrosion processes. These structural properties are essential (i) to understand underlying reaction mechanism and (ii) to further improve the design of materials.
While XAFS measurements are usually performed with ionization Chambers or simple fluorescence detectors, we at BAMline specialize in measurements with innovative set-ups that meet Specialrequirements such as time resolution, (3D-) spatial Resolution or demanding sample environments.
This contribution presents various available XAFS configurations with their corresponding applications. In particular, these comprise single -shot XAFS for time- resolved measurements, grazing-exit XAFS with energy and a spatially resolved detector for the characterization of thin films and an in situ grazing incidence Setup for the characterization of corrosion layers.
Additionally,the possibility of analyzing Minute samples in total-reflection geometry is demonstrated.
X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) is a frequently employed technique in order to investigate structural composition and change of chemical compounds such as catalytic species. These structural properties are essential (i) to understand underlying reaction mechanism and (ii) to further improve the design of efficient catalysts.
This investigation is based on a newly developed XAFS setup comprising both time- and lateral-resolved XAFS information simultaneously in a single-shot (S2XAFS). The primary broadband beam is generated by a filter/X-ray-mirror combination (bandpass). The transmitted beam through the sample is diffracted by a convexly bent Si (111) crystal, producing a divergent beam. This, in turn, is collected by an area sensitive detector with a theta to 2 theta geometry. This facile, stable and scanningless setup was tested at the BAMline @ BESSY-II (Berlin, Germany).
This contribution focuses on further experimental optimizations allowing the characterization of supported vanadium oxide (VOx) based catalysts at the lower hard X-ray regime (5 to 6 keV). First S2XAFS measurements of these catalysts are presented herein. Supported VOx catalysts show promising results in the oxidation of methane to formaldehyde.
S2XAFS allows determining the structural composition of the metal (i.e. vanadium) based on a fast and smart setup. It is therefore an ideal tool to identify crucial roles of chemical compounds in catalytic reactions.
MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry for the characterization of biobased polymers suitable for depollution
(2022)
In this work, bio-based polymers were synthesized and designed as polymers phases for adsorption of a variety of pollutants from aqueous solutions. The obtained adsorption results showed that the integration of bio-sourced synthons generate attractive hydrophilicity, and wettability of the resulting adsorbent phase. Such polymers phases enable stronger interactions with the organic and inorganic pollutants in water.
A wide variety of different bio-based polymers structures (e. g. poly(ethersulfones, poly(etherphosphines or poly(etherpyridines) with different functional groups were successfully designed in order to adapt chemical structure to different pollutants type and matrice nature.
In order to characterize and to determine the correlation between polymer structures and nature of interaction with pollutants, different analytical technics (NMR, GPC, ATG, DSC, Mass spectrometry) were successfully used. Amongst them, MALDI TOF mass spectrometry plays a superior role since this technique enables the simultaneous determination of the polymer structure, polymer end groups and molecular weight.
This work focusses on the characterization of synthesized polymers. The chemical structure of the repeating unit, the nature of the end groups, as well as the molecular weight, which are all important for the specific interactions of the polymer with the pollutants were clearly determined and suggestions to improve these interactions by changing the synthetic pathway could be given.
Die MALDI-TOF Massenspektrometrie stellt eine wichtige Methode zur simultanen Bestimmung von Molmassen, Molmassenverteilungen und Endgruppen von synthetischen Polymeren dar. In dem Vortrag wird gezeigt, welche zusätzlichen Informationen über die Art der Polymerisation, der Nebenreaktionen und der Topologie der gebildeten hochmolekularen Polylaktid-Homo- und Copolymere im Verlauf ihrer Synthese erhalten werden können.
We will report on a new kind of ring-expansion polymerization (REP) of cyclic esters based of three classes of catalysts.
In contrast to REP described previously these new polymerizations are characterized by a self-extrusion of the catalysts resulting in cyclic homopolyesters as the only reaction product. These REP of L-lactide were performed in bulk at temperatures between 100 and 180°C without racemization. A simplified scheme of a REP catalyzed by BuCa or SnBi is presented below. With meso-lactide temperatures down to 60°C were realized. Depending on catalyst, time and temperature with equal quantities of even and odd-numbered cycles a strong predominance of either even or odd-numbered cycles was found.
Eine neue Art einer Ring-Expansion Polymerization (REP) von zyklischen Polylaktiden mittels neuer Katalysatoren wird präsentiert.
MALDI-TOF Massenspektrometrie und andere analytische Techniken wurden zur Aufklärung des Mechanismus eingesetzt. Dabei zeigte sich, dass im Gegensatz zu anderen REP, ausschließlich zyklische Polymere gebildet wurden. Diese stellen neue Kandidatenmaterialien für zukünftige neue CRM dar.
In addition to molar mass distribution (MMD) synthetic polymers often exhibit an additional chemical heterogeneity distribution, expressed by different end groups and other structural variations (e.g. tacticity, copolymer composition etc.). Ionization in MALDI MS is always strongly affected by such chemical properties. For example, the abundance of cyclics in MALDI TOF mass spectra is frequently reported to greatly exceed that of linears. Thus, the MALDI ionization behavior of various neat end-capped linear poly(L-lactide)s and one cyclic poly(L-lactide) was investigated and compared with that of blends of both structures. Moreover, the influence of the cationizing salt was investigated too.
Neat compounds and various blends of cyclic and linear species were prepared and studied using two MALDI TOF mass spectrometers under identical conditions with regard to sample preparation and instrumental conditions, except for the laser power and the salt used for cationization. Polymer samples were additionally characterized by NMR and SEC.
The steady increase of the laser intensity caused an exponential increase of the peak intensities of both linear and cyclic polylactides.The response of linear polylactides (in the investigated molecular mass range), whether as neat polymer or in blends with other linear polylactides was almost similar. This clearly supports our assumption that ionization in MALDI is probably unaffected by the end group structure.The variation of the laser power shows only little effect on the intensity ratio of linear-to linear and cyclic-to-linear polylactides in blends. Whereas neat linear polylactides at all laser intensities have a significantly higher abundance than neat cyclics, in mixtures of both an overestimation of cyclic species in MALDI TOF mass spectra of polylactides was found. However, this is far less distinct than frequently reported for other polymers.Concluding, peak suppression of linear polymers in mixtures of both architectures can be excluded, which also means, that polylactides showing only peaks of cyclic compounds in their MALDI - TOF mass spectra do not contain a significant fraction of linear analogues.
Our study is the first systematic comparison of the MALDI ionization of neat and blended cyclic and linear polylactides.
Since its introduction mass spectrometric techniques like Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/ionization (MALDI) and Electrospray Ionization (ESI) have become indispensable for synthetic polymer analyses. Ideally, various polymer properties (monomer structure, masses, mass distribution, end groups) can be determined simultaneously. However, in real life these experiments are always affected by important structural parameters and instrumental limitations.
A short introduction focussing on latest findings with respect to ionisation principles and mechanisms will be given. Recent results from our group will be presented and efforts to avoid common drawbacks of polymer mass spectrometry will be discussed. In this regard, MALDI - Imaging mass spectrometry and the 2D hyphenation of MS with different chromatographic separation techniques were especially useful, since they can provide additional information and reduce the complexity of polymer analyses.
MALDI TOF Massenspektrometrie wurde verwendet, um Kristallisationsprozesse in Polyestern (Polylactide, Polyglycolide) zu untersuchen. Dabei konnte gezeigt werden, dass Zyklen und Linearen simultan, aber in unterschiedlichen Kristalliten, kristallisieren. Die dabei ablaufenden Umesterungen (Transesterifizierungen) konnten mit der MALDI TOF Massenspektrometrie nachgewiesen werden. Damit wurde ein völlig neues Anwendungsgebiet dieser MS Methode demonstriert.
Organic-inorganic nanostructured materials have drawn much attention over the past decade, particularly due to their versatile and outstanding properties. Possessing the properties between those of polymers and those of glasses, siloxane-based resins are non-toxic, easy to synthesize and process hybrid materials, that hold a promising potential in the field of advanced coatings.
Photocurable resins are nowadays widely used as coatings due to their unique advantages. In particular, cationic ring-opening curing is not inhibited by oxygen, leads to low degree of shrinkage and superior adhesion. The most important, it enables production of high-quality coatings within short exposure times without applying temperature, thus, minimizing the presence of the thermal stress in the substrate. Photocured Cycloaliphatic-Epoxy Oligosiloxane (CEO) resin was reported to be used as encapsulation material for organic electronics. However, further reinforcement of CEO properties is desired to achieve requested device lifetime. One of the common approaches to improve material characteristics is by embedding inorganic nanoparticles into polymer matrix. It has been shown that the resulted nanocomposites exhibit enhanced functional properties included but not limited by optical, mechanical, thermal and barrier ones.
In this work we focused on the incorporation of Boehmite nanoparticles (BA) into CEO matrix as a tool to strengthen the film properties and to study the main changes occurred in the material behavior with regard to its photocuring kinetics, thermal stability and glass transition. Particular interest was focused on the role of particle surface in nanocomposite properties. Hence, BA particles without (HP14) and with organic surface modifier (OS1) at different loadings
(up to 10 wt%) were applied in this study. Morphology investigation with SEM operated in transmission mode showed good BA dispersion forming
network-like structure. At the same time, distribution of particles differed for HP14 and OS1 as a result of different interaction in CEO-solvent-particles system. CEO structure obtained via non-hydrolytic sol-gel reaction was verified by 13C and 29Si NMR. In situ monitoring of film curing was performed using
RT-IR spectroscopy. A slight increase of final convention degree with particle incorporation was observed in contrast to the considerable decrease of curing efficiency reported previously for similar system. Further, the cured hybrid nanocomposite films were analyzed by TGA and DSC, which revealed impact of surface modifier on thermal stability and glass transition temperature.
UV-curing coatings are nowadays widely used due to their unique advantages. High-quality coatings can be obtained at short curing times and low temperatures so that thermal stress to the substrate is minimised. Photocured Cycloaliphatic-Epoxy Oligosiloxane (CEO) resin was reported to be used as encapsulation material for organic electronics. However, further reinforcement of CEO film properties is desired to achieve requested device lifetime.
In this work we introduced Boehmite nanoparticles (BA) into CEO matrix in order to modify the film properties and study the main changes of the material behaviour with regard to its photocuring kinetics, thermal stability and glass transition. Particular interest was focused on the role of particle surface in nanocomposite properties. Hence, BA particles without (HP14) and with organic surface modifier (OS1) at different loadings (up to 10 wt%) were applied in this study. Morphology investigation with SEM operated in transmission mode showed good BA dispersion forming network-like structure. At the same time, distribution of particles differed for HP14 and OS1 as a result of different interaction in CEO-solvent-particles system. CEO structure obtained via non-hydrolytic sol-gel reaction was verified by 13C and 29Si NMR. In situ monitoring of film curing was performed using RT-IR spectroscopy. No significant modification of final convention degree with particle incorporation was observed in contrast to considerable decrease of curing efficiency reported previously for similar system by Esposito et al.,2008. Further, cured hybrid nanocomposite films were analysed by TGA and DSC, which revealed impact of surface modifier on film thermal properties.
Ferritic high temperature alloys are widely used as boiler tube and heat exchanger materials in coal, biomass and co-fired power plants. All technologies have in common that the applied materials are exposed to different temperatures, process pressures and reactive atmospheres that lead to a change of the material properties and a further degradation of the material. Material changes caused by aging in highly corrosive and toxic gases such as SO2 are mainly studied ex situ after the reaction is finished. The solid material is deposited in the atmosphere for a certain period of time, and material changes are then examined by various microscopic techniques such as optical microscopy (OM), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Nevertheless, extensive efforts were made to study material changes of high temperature alloys under oxidizing and reducing atmospheres by environmental scanning electron microscopy or in situ TEM techniques However, the possibilities of microscopic in situ techniques are very limited for the use of highly corrosive and toxic gases such as SO2. Since Sulfur induced corrosion at temperatures relevant for coal and biomass fired power plants, which is causing breakaway oxidation and sulfide precipitation at grain boundaries, is still of scientific interest, the current work focuses on the effect of SO2 in an initial stage of corrosion of ferritic alloys. For the analysis of early stages of combined oxidation and sulphidation processes of Fe-Cr model alloys the usage of a light furnace to conduct a rapid reactive annealing experiment is feasible. Previous studies presented distinct results of the influence of chromium on early high temperature corrosion by SO2 by this technique and subsequent classical metallographic analyses. However, it is still not possible to trace the corrosion mechanism in real time by conducting single aging experiments. The current work introduces two different approaches to study the initial stages of high temperature oxidation processes by applying above state of the art X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy methods. One part focuses on the real time observation of the formation of corrosion products such as oxides and sulfides by energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD). The potential of this technique to study crystallization and growth processes of thin films in a reactive environment in real time was previously shown for different compound semiconductors. This approach was now applied to follow oxidation and sulphidation processes of ferritic model alloys in SO2 and SO2/H2O environments. The diffraction signals of the X-rays were detected during the corrosion process and the peak area and positions were analyzed as a function of time. This procedure enables monitoring external oxide growth and material loss in real time in an early stage of corrosion.
The other part of the current work presents the possibilities of X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) to characterize oxide scales and their growth mechanisms. Precise phase identification and quantification of corrosion products in a multi-phase oxide/sulfide scale is a pre-requisite to understand diffusion paths of metal ions and gas components. It is a challenging task to distinguish structurally similar reaction products such as Fe3O4 and FeCr2O4 especially in thin films with texture effects by diffraction. To illustrate for example Cr-out diffusion of an alloy throughout an inner and external oxide scale the differentiation of Fe3O4 and FeCr2O4 is indispensable. XANES uses the photoionization effect at the metal absorption edge in an aging product and accesses by this structural and chemical information. The current work uses XANES at the Fe-K and Cr-K absorption edge to identify various aging products grown as thin layers on alloys after short time aging experiments. A reaction chamber for combining high temperature oxidation experiments with surface sensitive X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy will be introduced and first results of XANES on scales at high temperatures will be presented.
Ferritic-martensitic alloys with 12-16 % Cr in weight are subject to devices for various energy systems, such as coal power plants and waste incineration plants. These materials are exposed to a highly corrosive environment which lead to a degradation of the material. Especially the simultaneous oxidation and sulfidation is thereby of special interest. Proper spatially resolved measurements that determine not only chemical compositions but phases are rare. However, precise phase identification and quantification of corrosion products within the multi-phase corrosion scales is a key aspect to understand diffusion paths of metal ions and gas ions/molecules. This study investigated Fe-Cr model alloys with Cr contents from 0 to 13 % in weight in 0.5 % SO2 and 99.5 % Ar atmosphere to aim in a fundamental and systematic analysis. Samples were aged at 650 °C for time scales from 12 h to 250 h. The results presented here correspond to depth dependent phase identification of oxide and sulphide phases in the corrosion scales by using X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Per sample a series of ca. 20 spots (1-5 µm spot size) from scale-gas to scale-metal interface were measured. XANES spectroscopy was performed at the Fe-K edge (7.11 keV) on polished cross sections. The collected spectra were fitted to a combination of reference materials to quantify the present phases at different positions within the scale.The phase distribution differs with Cr content and the Cr diffusion through pure Fe-oxide and mixed Fe-Cr-oxide phases is discussed.
In pursuing the automated synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs), the capabilities of the “Chemputer” are deployed, for the first time, into the field of inorganic chemistry. Metal NPs have a substantial impact across different fields of science, such as photochemistry, energy conversion, and medicine. Among the commonly used nanoparticles, silver NPs are of special interest due to their antibacterial properties and applications in sensing and catalysis. However, many of the methods used to synthesize Ag NPs often do not result in well-defined products, the main obstacles being high polydispersity or a lack of particle size tunability.
The Chemputer is a modular, automated platform developed by the Cronin group for execution of multi-step, solution based organic synthesis. The machine has been further implemented at BAM, where we used this setup to perform automated organic syntheses, autonomously controlled by feedback derived from online NMR. In the Chemputer liquids can be transferred across a backbone, constructed from HPLC selection valves and syringe pumps. The Chemputer operates in a batch mode, common laboratory devices, such as heaters and glassware like round bottom flasks, are connected to the backbone, forming reaction modules. Solutions can be manipulated in these modules, and as all operations are controlled through a software script, reproducibility among individual syntheses is high. Likewise, any adjustments of the synthesis conditions, if required, are straightforward to implement and are documented in the reaction log file and a code versioning system.
We characterised Chemputer-synthesized nanoparticles using small-angle X-ray scattering, dynamic light scattering and further methods, showing that automated synthesis can yield colloids with reproducible and tuneable properties. The approach is an important first step towards the automation of nanoparticle syntheses in a modular, multipurpose platform. The modularity of the Chemputer opens many possibilities for the synthesis of a variety of different NP morphologies and sizes and potentially more complex structures. These advances and further work can help in the general investigations of silver nanoparticles by supplying a reliable and reproducible method of their synthesis and removing tacit knowledge by significantly reducing the experimental bias.
Calcium sulfate minerals are abundant in natural and engineered environments and they exist in the form of three hydrates: gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), bassanite (CaSO4·0.5H2O), and anhydrite (CaSO4). Due to their relevance in natural and industrial processes, the formation pathways of these calcium sulfate phases from aqueous solution have been the subject of intensive research1.
The state-of-the-art of the calcium sulfate formation mechanisms builds upon and goes beyond what we have come to appreciate in the astounding intricacy of other mineral formation processes from ions in aqueous solutions. The original, and rather naive, 'textbook' image of these phenomena, stemming from the adaptation of classical nucleation and growth theories, has increased in complexity due to the discovery of a variety of precursor and intermediate species2. These include solute clusters (e.g. prenucleation clusters, PNCs), liquid(-like) phases, as well as amorphous and nanocrystalline solids etc.. In this context, a number of studies have already revealed that nucleation in the CaSO4-H2O system is non-classical, where the formation of the different crystalline phases involves several steps including a common amorphous precursor1, 3, 4.
In this contribution we show that the formation of the amorphous phase involves the aggregation of small primary particles into larger disordered aggregates exhibiting a "brick-in-the-wall" structure5, 6. The actual crystallization occurs by the restructuring and coalescence of the particles ("bricks") into a given calcium sulfate phase depending on the physicochemical conditions of the solution. Importantly, the rearrangement process does not continue until a (nearly-)perfect homogeneous single crystal is obtained. Instead it comes to a stop, or at least significantly slows down. Such a process thus yields a final imperfect mesocrystal, composed of smaller domains rather than a continuous crystal structure, within which the domains are separated by an amorphous (i.e. less ordered) calcium sulfate phase.
Hence, the non-classical crystallization process of CaSO4 yields a final imperfect mesocrystal with an overall morphology resembling that of a single crystal, yet composed of smaller nano-domains. Importantly, these observations reveal that organic-free calcium sulfate mesocrystals grown by a particle mediated-pathway preserve in the final crystal structure a “memory” or “imprint” of their non-classical nucleation process, something that has been overlooked until now. Furthermore, the nano-scale misalignment of the structural sub-units within these crystals can propagate through the length-scales, and be expressed macroscopically as misaligned zones/domains in large single crystals (Fig. 1). Indeed, by considering large anhydrite crystals from the famous Naica Mine (“Cueva de los cristales”) we observed a suite of correlated self-similar void defects spanning multiple length-scales7 (Fig 2). These flaws, in the macroscopic crystal, stem from “seeds of imperfection” originating from a particle-mediated nucleation pathway. Hence, building a crystal could be viewed as Nature stacking blocks in a game of Tetris, whilst slowly forgetting the games core concept and failing to fill rows completely.
Calcium sulfate minerals are abundant in natural and engineered environments and they exist in the form of three hydrates: gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), bassanite (CaSO4·0.5H2O), and anhydrite (CaSO4). Due to their relevance in natural and industrial processes, the formation pathways of these calcium sulfate phases from aqueous solution have been the subject of intensive research1.
The state-of-the-art of the calcium sulfate formation mechanisms builds upon and goes beyond what we have come to appreciate in the astounding intricacy of other mineral formation processes from ions in aqueous solutions. The original, and rather naive, 'textbook' image of these phenomena, stemming from the adaptation of classical nucleation and growth theories, has increased in complexity due to the discovery of a variety of precursor and intermediate species2. These include solute clusters (e.g. prenucleation clusters, PNCs), liquid(-like) phases, as well as amorphous and nanocrystalline solids etc.. In this context, a number of studies have already revealed that nucleation in the CaSO4-H2O system is non-classical, where the formation of the different crystalline phases involves several steps including a common amorphous precursor1, 3, 4.
In this contribution we show that the formation of the amorphous phase involves the aggregation of small primary particles into larger disordered aggregates exhibiting a "brick-in-the-wall" structure5, 6. The actual crystallization occurs by the restructuring and coalescence of the particles ("bricks") into a given calcium sulfate phase depending on the physicochemical conditions of the solution. Importantly, the rearrangement process does not continue until a (nearly-)perfect homogeneous single crystal is obtained. Instead it comes to a stop, or at least significantly slows down. Such a process thus yields a final imperfect mesocrystal, composed of smaller domains rather than a continuous crystal structure, within which the domains are separated by an amorphous (i.e. less ordered) calcium sulfate phase.
Hence, the non-classical crystallization process of CaSO4 yields a final imperfect mesocrystal with an overall morphology resembling that of a single crystal, yet composed of smaller nano-domains. Importantly, these observations reveal that organic-free calcium sulfate mesocrystals grown by a particle mediated-pathway preserve in the final crystal structure a “memory” or “imprint” of their non-classical nucleation process, something that has been overlooked until now. Furthermore, the nano-scale misalignment of the structural sub-units within these crystals can propagate through the length-scales, and be expressed macroscopically as misaligned zones/domains in large single crystals. Indeed, by considering large anhydrite crystals from the famous Naica Mine (“Cueva de los cristales”) we observed a suite of correlated self-similar void defects spanning multiple length-scales7. These flaws, in the macroscopic crystal, stem from “seeds of imperfection” originating from a particle-mediated nucleation pathway. Hence, building a crystal could be viewed as Nature stacking blocks in a game of Tetris, whilst slowly forgetting the games core concept and failing to fill rows completely.
Calcium sulfate minerals are abundant in natural and engineered environments in the form of three phases: gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), bassanite (CaSO4·0.5H2O), and anhydrite (CaSO4). Due to their relevance in natural and industrial processes, the formation pathways of these phases from aqueous solution have been the subject of intensive research, a number of studies have already revealed that nucleation in the CaSO4-H2O system is non-classical, The formation of the different crystalline phases involves several steps including a common amorphous precursor.
In this contribution we show that the formation of the amorphous phase involves the aggregation of small primary particles into larger disordered aggregates exhibiting a "brick-in-the-wall" structure. The actual crystallization occurs by the restructuring and coalescence of the "bricks" into a given calcium sulfate phase depending on the physicochemical conditions of the solution. Such a process yields a final imperfect mesocrystal, composed of smaller domains rather than a continuous single crystal structure.
These observations reveal that organic-free calcium sulfate mesocrystals grown by a particle mediated-pathway might preserve in the final crystal structure an “imprint” of their growth pathways. Indeed, by considering large anhydrite crystals from the famous Naica Mine we observed a suite of correlated self-similar void defects spanning multiple length-scales. These flaws, in the macroscopic crystal, stem from “seeds of imperfection” originating from an original particle-mediated growth. Hence, building a crystal could be viewed as Nature stacking blocks in a game of Tetris, whilst slowly forgetting the games core concept and failing to fill rows completely.
In recent years, we have come to appreciate the astounding intricacy of the formation process of minerals from ions in aqueous solutions. The original ‘textbook’ image o these phenomena, stemming from the adaptation of classical nucleation and growth theories, has increased in complexity due to the discovery of a variety of precursor and intermediate species [e.g. 1], including solute clusters (e.g. prenucleation clusters PNCs), liquid(-like) phases, as well as amorphous and nanocrystalline solids etc. In general, these precursor or intermediate species constitute different, often short-lived points along the pathway from dissolved ions to the final solids (typically crystals in this context). In this regard synchrotron-based scattering (SAXS/WAXS/HEXD appears to be the perfect tool to follow in situ and in a time-resolved manner the crystallization pathways because of the temporal and spatial length scales that can be directly accessed with these techniques.
Here, I show how we used scattering to probe the crystallization mechanisms o calcium sulfate. CaSO4 minerals (i.e. gypsum, anhydrite and bassanite) are widespread in natural and industrial environments. During the last several years, a number o studies have revealed indeed that nucleation in the CaSO4-H2O system is non-classical My SAXS data demonstrate that gypsum precipitation, involves formation and aggregation of sub-3 nm primary species. These species constitute building blocks o an amorphous precursor phase [2]. Further, I show how in situ high-energy X-ray diffraction experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be combined to derive the atomic structure of the primary CaSO4 clusters seen at small-angles [3]. fitted several plausible structures to the derived pair distribution functions and explored their dynamic properties using unbiased MD simulations based on polarizable force fields. Finally, based on combined SAXS/WAXS, broad-q-range measurements, show that the process of formation of bassanite, a less hydrated form of CaSO4, is very similar to the formation of gypsum: it also involves the aggregation of small primary species into larger disordered aggregates [4].
Based on these recent insights I formulated a tentative general model for calcium sulfate precipitation from solution. This model involves primary species that are formed through the assembly of multiple Ca2+ and SO42- ions into nanoclusters. These nanoclusters assemble into poorly ordered (i.e. amorphous) hydrated aggregates which in turn undergo ordering into coherent crystalline units of either gypsum o bassanite (and possibly anhydrite). Determination of the structure and (meta)stability of the primary species is important from both a fundamental, e.g. establishing a general non-classical nucleation model, and applied perspective; e.g. allow for an improved design of additives for greater control of the nucleation pathway
In recent years, we have come to appreciate the astounding intricacy of the formation process of minerals from ions in aqueous solutions. The original ‘textbook’ image of these phenomena, stemming from the adaptation of classical nucleation and growth theories, has increased in complexity due to the discovery of a variety of precursor and intermediate species [e.g. 1], including solute clusters (e.g. prenucleation clusters, PNCs), liquid(-like) phases, as well as amorphous and nanocrystalline solids etc. In general, these precursor or intermediate species constitute different, often short-lived, points along the pathway from dissolved ions to the final solids (typically crystals in this context). In this regard synchrotron-based scattering (SAXS/WAXS/HEXD) appears to be the perfect tool to follow in situ and in a time-resolved manner the crystallization pathways because of the temporal and spatial length scales that can be directly accessed with these techniques.
Here, we show how we used scattering to probe the crystallization mechanisms of calcium sulfate. CaSO4 minerals (i.e. gypsum, anhydrite and bassanite) are widespread in natural and industrial environments. During the last several years, a number of studies have revealed indeed that nucleation in the CaSO4-H2O system is non-classical. Our SAXS data demonstrate that gypsum precipitation, involves formation and aggregation of sub-3 nm primary species. These species constitute building blocks of an amorphous precursor phase [2]. Further, we show how in situ high-energy X-ray diffraction experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be combined to derive the atomic structure of the primary CaSO4 clusters seen at small-angles [3]. We fitted several plausible structures to the derived pair distribution functions and explored their dynamic properties using unbiased MD simulations based on polarizable force fields. Finally, based on combined SAXS/WAXS, broad-q-range measurements, we show that the process of formation of bassanite, a less hydrated form of CaSO4, is very similar to the formation of gypsum: it also involves the aggregation of small primary species into larger disordered aggregates [4].
Based on these recent insights we formulated a tentative general model for calcium sulfate precipitation from solution. This model involves primary species that are formed through the assembly of multiple Ca2+ and SO42- ions into nanoclusters. These nanoclusters assemble into poorly ordered (i.e. amorphous) hydrated aggregates, which in turn undergo ordering into coherent crystalline units of either gypsum or bassanite (and possibly anhydrite). Determination of the structure and (meta)stability of the primary species is important from both a fundamental, e.g. establishing a general non-classical nucleation model, and applied perspective; e.g. allow for an improved design of additives for greater control of the nucleation pathway.
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 already revealed that nucleation in the CaSO4-H2O system is non-classical, where the formation of the different crystalline phases involves several steps including a common amorphous precursor. In this contribution a holistic view of the formation mechanism of gypsum and bassanite from solution will be presented.
In short, our in situ and time-resolved scattering data demonstrate that calcium sulfate precipitation starts with the formation and aggregation of well-defined sub-3 nm primary species. These species constitute building “bricks'' of an amorphous precursor phase. We characterised the “bricks” by combining information obtained at different length-scales accessible at the mesoscale (from small-angle scattering) and at the atomic-length-scale (wide-angle scattering and high-energy diffraction). From these scattering data we derived pair distribution functions of the clusters and restricted their external shapes and dimensions. This allowed us to propose a structure of the primary species and to explore their dynamic properties with unbiased MD simulations using polarizable force fields. The formation of the amorphous phase involves the aggregation of these small primary species into larger disordered aggregates exhibiting “brick-in-the-wall” structure. The actual crystallisation occurs by the restructuring and coalescence of the “bricks” into a given calcium sulfate phase depending on the thermodynamic conditions of the solution. Importantly, these rearrangement processes by no means continue until a (nearly-)perfect homogeneous single crystal is obtained. Instead they come to a stop or at least significantly slow down. Such a process thus yields a final imperfect mesocrystal, composed of smaller domains rather than a continuous crystal structure, within which the domains are separated by an amorphous calcium sulfate phase.
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.
In recent years, we have come to appreciate the astounding intricacy of the processes leading to the formation of minerals from ions in aqueous solutions. The original, and rather naive, ‘textbook’ image of these phenomena, stemming from the adaptation of classical nucleation and growth theories, has increased in complexity due to the discovery of a variety of precursor and intermediate species. These include solute clusters (e.g. prenucleation clusters, PNCs), liquid(-like) phases, as well as amorphous and nanocrystalline solids etc.. Does it, however, mean that all the minerals grow through intermediate phases, following a non-classical pathway?
In general, the precursor or intermediate species constitute different, often short-lived, points along the pathway from dissolved ions to the final solids (typically crystals in this context). In this regard synchrotron-based scattering (SAXS/WAXS/total scattering) appears to be the perfect tool to follow in situ and in a time-resolved manner the crystallization pathway because of the temporal and spatial length scales that can be directly accessed with these techniques. In this presentation we show how we used scattering to probe the crystallisation mechanisms of calcium sulfate, This system contains minerals that are widespread in diverse natural environments, but they are also important in various industrial settings. Our data demonstrate that calcium sulfate precipitation involves formation and aggregation of sub-3 nm anisotropic primary species. The actual crystallisation and formation of imperfect single crystals of calcium sulfate phases, takes place from the inside of the in itial aggregates. Hence, calcium sulfate follows a non-classical pathway.
Calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CaSO4ᐧ0.5H2O), also known as bassanite, has been used as a precursor to produce gypsum (dihydrate, CaSO4ᐧ2H2O) for various construction and decorative purposes since prehistoric times. The main route to obtain hemihydrate is a thermal treatment of gypsum at temperatures typically between 150 °C and 200 °C to remove some of the structural water.
In this contribution, we introduce (Fig. 1) a more efficient and sustainable method (T < 100 °C) that enables the direct, rapid, and reversibly conversion of gypsum to bassanite using reusable high salinity aqueous solutions (brines with c[NaCl] > 4 M). The optimum conditions for the efficientproduction of bassanite in a short time (< 5 min) involve the use of brines with c(NaCl) > 4 M and maintaining a temperature, T > 80 °C. When the solution containing bassanite crystals is cooled down to around room temperature, eventually gypsum is formed. When the temperature is raised again to T > 80 °C, bassanite is rapidly re-precipitated. This contrasts with the typical behaviour of the bassanite phase in low salt environments.
Traditionally, hemihydrate is obtained through a solid state thermal treatment because bassanite is considered to be metastable with respect to gypsum and anhydrite in aqueous solutions, and therefore gypsum-to-bassanite conversion should not occur in water. Its very occurrence actually contradicts numerical thermodynamic predictions regarding solubility of calcium sulfate phases. By following the evolution of crystalline phases with in situ and time-resolved X-ray diffraction/scattering and Raman spectroscopy, we demonstrated that the phase stability in brines at elevated temperatures is inaccurately represented in the thermodynamic databases. Most notably for c(NaCl) > 4 M, and T > 80 °C gypsum becomes readily more soluble than bassanite, which induces the direct precipitation of the latter from gypsum. The fact that these transformations are controlled by the solution provides extensive opportunities for precise manipulation of crystal formation. Our experiments confirmed that bassanite remained the sole crystalline structure for many hours before reverting into gypsum. This property is extremely advantageous for practical processing and efficient crystal extraction in industrial scenarios.
Degradation of polyurethanes in various environments – Effects on molecular mass and crosslinking
(2019)
The increasing application of polyurethanes (PU) in safety relevant sectors (fire protection, insulation, medicine technique) requires detailed knowledge of the stability and reliability of these materials. Different climate factors are supposed to induce diverse and overlapping degradation reactions. The knowledge of these degradation mechanisms is necessary for an estimation of the period of application depending on usage of the material. An essential property of a polymeric system is represented by the molecular weight. Since a change of the molecular weight is a measure for the chemical stability of a polymer, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) was used to monitor changes of the molecular weight of thermoplastic polyether- and polyester urethane (TPU) exposed to thermal, hydrolytic and photo-oxidative (UV) degradation conditions for several days. Thermal treatments were performed at elevated temperatures (100 - 200 °C) under oxidative (air) as well as non-oxidative (nitrogen) conditions to evaluate the specific influence of oxygen on the degradation. At higher temperatures (≥ 175 °C) a fast decrease of the molecular masses of both PU accompanied by a high degree of crosslinking was found. At lower temperatures (≤ 150 °C) the polymers remained widely unaffected by thermal degradation within the investigated degradation interval of up to two weeks, which was already known from FTIR spectroscopy[1]. In contrast to that, UV treatment at 25 °C at less than 10 % rel. humidity (RH) resulted in a fast crosslinking, whereas the molecular masses of both PU decreased slower than during the thermal treatments. The depth of penetration of the UV radiation was determined using 3D printed PU samples with different thicknesses. Hydrolysis based degradation effects were less significant. Only slight molecular mass changes were detected at temperatures ≤ 80 °C within a time span of 14 days, while no crosslinking could be measured. Considering the degradation results at the investigated exposure parameters, it could be shown that ester-based PU in general exhibits a significant higher stability compared to ether-based materials.
In der klinischen Diagnostik werden für zytometrische Messverfahren bereits eine Reihe von Reagenzien eingesetzt zur Markierung von Antikörper eingesetzt, um die Detektion von Biomarkern mittels Fluoreszenz- oder Flugzeitmassenspektrometrie zu ermöglichen.
Seit kurzem ist auch eine Imaging Mass Cytometry Kombination direkt erhältlich, wodurch der Nachweis von Biomarkern in Gewebeschnitten erreicht werden kann. Dazu wird eine Kopplung von Laser Ablation und induktiv gekoppeltem Plasma Massenspektrometrie eingesetzt, wobei ähnlich der Massenzytometrie, zuvor Antikörper mit Metallen markiert, und im Anschluss mit dem Gewebeschnitt inkubiert werden. Durch die hohe Ortsauflösung können die Biomarker lokalisiert, und zukünftig vielleicht auch quantifiziert werden.
Insbesondere Lanthanide eignen sich als Markierungsmetalle, da sie einen niedrigen Untergrund und chemisch ähnliches Verhalten zueinander aufweisen. Allein durch diese Elemente können bereits etwa 15 Parameter unterschieden werden, was durch isotopenreine Standards weiter gesteigert werden kann.
Vom Markierungsgrad abhängig werden unterschiedlich viele Metalle am Antikörper gebunden, und beeinflussen so die Sichtbarkeit im ICP-MS. Nanopartikel könnten daher eine deutliche Steigerung der Sensitivität bewirken. GdVO4 Nanokristalle scheinen bisher sehr vielversprechend und bieten neben multiparametrischen Anwendungen auch Multimodalität.
Die Synthese der Nanokristalle zeigte hohe Homogenität und Reproduzierbarkeit in Partikelgröße in der Zusammensetzung. Ein erstes Experiment mit einer Zellkultur konnte bereits die effiziente Markierung der Zellen unter Beweis stellen, wobei durch hohe Signalstärke auch subzelluläre Auflösung in der LA-ICP-MS erreicht werden konnte.
The use of inorganic lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) in bioimaging and cellular studies requires biocompatible particles. One possible cause of UCNP toxicity is the release of potentially harmful fluoride and lanthanide ions as revealed by dilution studies in aqueous environments, particularly under high dilution conditions. To address this issue, suitable surface coatings preventing such effects in combination with fast screening methods suited for online monitoring and in situ analyses are desired.
Here we present systematic studies of differently sized β-NaYF4:Yb,Er UCNP stabilized with different surface coatings and hydrophilic ligands varying in binding strength to the particle surface in various aqueous environments at different temperatures and UCNP concentrations. The concentration of the fluoride and lanthanide ions released upon particle dissolution was quantified electrochemically with a fluoride ion-sensitive electrode and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and monitored fluorometrically, thereby exploiting the sensitivity of the upconversion luminescence to changes in size and surface chemistry. Moreover, changes in surface chemistry were determined with X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Based upon our results, we could derive optimum screening parameters for UCNP stability studies and determine conditions and coating procedures and ligands for enhancing UCNP stability in aqueous environments.
In current Li-ion batteries electrode materials consist typically of inorganic materials, such as LiCoO2, LiNixCoyMn1-zO2, LiFePO4, Li4Ti5O12. These materials struggle with toxicity or limited mineral resources, making them expensive. Therefore, eco-friendly, sustainable, and low-cost alternatives are researched for in recent years. A series of organic compounds were investigated as electrode materials for alkali-ion batteries. Among them organic carbonyl-based materials show reversible storage of lithium- or sodium-ions. Metal terephthalates stand out with their easy synthesis, moderate operational voltage and enhanced dissolution stability compared to other organic compounds. One degradation pathway consists of the dissolution of the electrode material by HF, formed in a side reaction by water and the fluorous electrolyte. Fluorinated metal terephthalates could offer higher dissolution stability against HF and less contamination by water due to their increased hydrophobicity.
The goal of this project is the synthesis and the investigation of the formation mechanism of a series of calcium-based MOFs with increasing fluorine content. For this purpose, we aimed for the construction of calcium-based MOFs with terephthalic acid (H2-pBDC), 2-fluoro-terephthalic acid (H2-2F-pBDC), 2,3,4,5-tetrafluoroterephthalic acid (H2-pBDC-F4), isophthalic acid (H2-mBDC) and 5-fluoro-isophthalic acid (H2-5F-mBDC).
Carbonization of fluorinated metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) should yield fluorinated nitrogen- and metal-doped carbons (F-NMCs), which are a combination of NMCs and fluorinated carbons, each promising electrocatalysts on their own. We synthesized two polymorphs of a fluorinated MOF by mechanical ball mill grinding, and carbonized them to yield potential electrocatalyt materials. The catalytical activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was examined, finding good activites. Simulations from a theoretic model helped assesing the stability of proposed catalytic sites and understanding the measured activites towards the ORR catalysis.
In this talk an overview about artificial intelligence/machine learning applications @BAMline is given. In the first part, the use of neural networks for the quantification of XRF measurements and the decoding of coded-aperture measurements are shown. Then it is shown how Gaussian processes and Bayesian statistics can be used to achieve an optimal alignment of the set-up and in general for optimization of measurements.
Getting more efficient – The use of Bayesian optimization and Gaussian processes at the BAMline
(2022)
For more than 20 years, BAM is operating the BAMline at the synchrotron BESSY II in Berlin Adlershof. During this time, the complexity of the setup and the amount of data generated have multiplied. To increase the effectiveness and in preparation for BESSY III, algorithms from the field of machine learning are increasingly used.
In this paper, several examples in the areas of beamline alignment and measurement time optimization based on Bayesian optimization (BO) with Gaussian processes (GP) are presented. BO is a method for finding the global optimum of a function using a probabilistic model represented by a GP. The advantage of this method is that it can handle high-dimensional problems, does not depend on the initial estimate, and also provides uncertainty estimates.
After a short introduction to BO and GP, the first example is the automatic alignment of our double multilayer monochromator (DMM). To achieve optimal performance, up to three linear and two angular motor positions have to be optimized. To achieve this with a grid scan, at least 100^5 measurement points would be required. Assuming that all positions can be aligned independently, 100*5 points are still necessary. We show that with BO and GP less than 100 points are sufficient to achieve equal or better results.
The second example is the optimization of measurement time in XRF scanning. Here we will show the advantage of the BO GP approach over point-by-point scanning. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the number of points required and thus the measurement time can be reduced by a factor of 50, while the loss in image quality is acceptable. The advantages and limitations of this approach will be discussed.
Gold is one of the seven metals already known in antiquity and was used from time immemorial as a medium of exchange and for the production of jewelry because of its luster and rarity. In addition, it is easy to work and largely resistant to chemical influences. Investigations of gold using synchrotron radiation excited X-ray fluorescence analysis are non-destructive and provide information about the chemical elements present in the sample under investigation. The investigations presented here at BAMline focus on questions such as the origin, manufacturing process, and association of gold findings. The different questions are explained by a number of examples ranging from the Viking treasure from Hiddensee to the Nebra Sky Disk and finds from Egypt. The find from Bernstorf is discussed in detail. A Bayesian treatment of the authenticity is shown.
News from the BAMline
(2022)
ML@BAMLINE
(2021)
Gold ist eines der sieben bereits in der Antike bekannten Metalle und wurde wegen seines Glanzes und seiner Seltenheit seit jeher als Tauschmittel und zur Herstellung von Schmuck verwendet. Außerdem ist es leicht zu bearbeiten und weitgehend resistent gegen chemische Einflüsse.
Die Analyse von Gold mit der durch Synchrotronstrahlung angeregten Röntgenfluoreszenzanalyse ist zerstörungsfrei und liefert Informationen über die in der untersuchten Probe vorhandenen chemischen Elemente.
Im Mittelpunkt der hier vorgestellten Untersuchungen an der BAMline stehen Fragen nach der Herkunft, dem Herstellungsprozess und der Zugehörigkeit von Goldfunden. Die verschiedenen Fragestellungen werden anhand einer Reihe von Beispielen erläutert, die vom Wikingerschatz von Hiddensee über die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra bis hin zu Funden aus Ägypten reichen. Darüber hinaus werden die heute am Synchrotron verfügbaren modernen Messmethoden vorgestellt.
In this talk I’ll describe the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) for quantifying X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements. The main idea of this talk is to give an overview of the process needed to generate a model that can then be applied to a specific problem.
In XRF, a sample is excited with X-rays and the resulting characteristic radiation is detected to determine elements quantitatively and qualitatively. This is traditionally done in several time-consuming steps. I’ll show the possibilities and problems of using a neural network to realise a "one-click" quantification. This includes generating training data using Monte Carlo simulation and augmenting the existing data set with an ANN to generate more data. The search for the optimal hyperparameters, manually and automatically, is also described. For the case presented, we were able to train a network with a mean absolute error of 0.1% by weight for the synthetic data and 0.7% by weight for a set of experimental data obtained with certified reference materials.
Synchrotron radiation sources with their unique properties in terms of intensity, polarization and adjustability offer a wide range of possibilities in materials research. A basic introduction about the creation and special properties of synchrotron radiation will be given. Examples of current work at BAMline, the high-energy measuring facility of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing at the synchrotron BESSY, are used to illustrate the possibilities and limitations of existing measuring methods. It will be shown how the formation of corrosion layers can be tracked, how the abrasion of implants leads to the introduction of heavy metals into the surrounding bone matrix and how the detection of smallest impurities in gold is possible by optimizing the measuring conditions. Finally, an outlook at the hardware and software developments to be expected in the coming years is given.
In X-ray fluorescence (XRF), a sample is excited with X-rays, and the resulting characteristic radiation is detected to detect elements quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantification is traditionally done in several steps:
1. Normalization of the data
2. Determination of the existing elements
3. Fit of the measured spectrum
4. Calculation of concentrations with fundamental parameters / MC simulations / standard based
The problem with standard based procedures is the availability of corresponding standards. The problem with the calculations is that the measured intensities for XRF measurements are matrix-dependent. Calculations must, therefore, be performed iteratively (= time consuming) in order to determine the chemical composition.
First experiments with gold samples have shown the feasibility of machine learning based quantification in principle. A large number of compositions were simulated (> 10000) and analyzed with a deep learning network. For first experiments, an ANN (Artificial Neural Network) with 3 hidden layers and 33x33x33 neurons was used. This network learned the mapping of spectra to concentrations using supervised learning by multidimensional regression. The input layer was formed by the normalized spectrum, and the output layer directly yielded the searched values. The applicability for real samples was shown by measurements on certified reference materials.
Trace elements are chemical elements whose concentration in a material is very low. The exact definition depends on the application and varies for example between 100 micrograms per gram in analytical chemistry and 1000 micrograms per gram in geology. The ability to detect trace elements fast and quantitatively is of great importance in many areas of science and technology. With its high brilliance and flexibility in the excitation conditions, synchrotron radiation is an ideal tool for detecting traces even in small sample quantities. In this contribution I will report about the use of X-ray fluorescence(XRF)for qualitative and quantitative element sensitiveanalysis. In addition to the fundamentals of XRF and its quantification methods, the advantages and problems of different geometries like e.g. microXRF, Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF)or Double Dispersive XRF (D²XRF) will be discussed. Practical examples from BAMline from the research fields of medicine, geology and archaeometry will complete the lecture.
Various applications for artificial intelligence in the context of spectroscopy will be presented. in particular, examples from bamline will be featured. After a short introduction to synchrotron radiation, artificial intelligence algorithms for the quantification of X-ray fluorescence measurement are discussed. In the second example, information retrieval by natural language processing is reviewed. As a last example the reconstruction of measurements with the X-ray color camera and coded apertures is presented.