scholarly journals Soft X-ray nanospectroscopy for quantification of X-ray linear dichroism on powders

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Selwin Hageraats ◽  
Mathieu Thoury ◽  
Stefan Stanescu ◽  
Katrien Keune

X-ray linear dichroism (XLD) is a fundamental property of many ordered materials that can for instance provide information on the origin of magnetic properties and the existence of differently ordered domains. Conventionally, measurements of XLD are performed on single crystals, crystalline thin films, or highly ordered nanostructure arrays. Here, it is demonstrated how quantitative measurements of XLD can be performed on powders, relying on the random orientation of many particles instead of the controlled orientation of a single ordered structure. The technique is based on a scanning X-ray transmission microscope operated in the soft X-ray regime. The use of a Fresnel zone plate allows X-ray absorption features to be probed at ∼40 nm lateral resolution – a scale small enough to probe the individual crystallites in most powders. Quantitative XLD parameters were then retrieved by determining the intensity distributions of certain diagnostic dichroic absorption features, estimating the angle between their transition dipole moments, and fitting the distributions with four-parameter dichroic models. Analysis of several differently produced ZnO powders shows that the experimentally obtained distributions indeed follow the theoretical model for XLD. Making use of Monte Carlo simulations to estimate uncertainties in the calculated dichroic model parameters, it was established that longer X-ray exposure times lead to a decrease in the amplitude of the XLD effect of ZnO.

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (51) ◽  
pp. 32395-32401
Author(s):  
Jitka Myšková ◽  
Olga Rybakova ◽  
Jiří Brynda ◽  
Petro Khoroshyy ◽  
Alexey Bondar ◽  
...  

Fluorescent molecules are like antennas: The rate at which they absorb light depends on their orientation with respect to the incoming light wave, and the apparent intensity of their emission depends on their orientation with respect to the observer. However, the directions along which the most important fluorescent molecules in biology, fluorescent proteins (FPs), absorb and emit light are generally not known. Our optical and X-ray investigations of FP crystals have now allowed us to determine the molecular orientations of the excitation and emission transition dipole moments in the FPs mTurquoise2, eGFP, and mCherry, and the photoconvertible FP mEos4b. Our results will allow using FP directionality in studies of molecular and biological processes, but also in development of novel bioengineering and bioelectronics applications.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 899
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Günther ◽  
Jasper Knoester ◽  
Jürgen Köhler

Linear dichroism (LD) spectroscopy is a widely used technique for studying the mutual orientation of the transition-dipole moments of the electronically excited states of molecular aggregates. Often the method is applied to aggregates where detailed information about the geometrical arrangement of the monomers is lacking. However, for complex molecular assemblies where the monomers are assembled hierarchically in tiers of supramolecular structural elements, the method cannot extract well-founded information about the monomer arrangement. Here we discuss this difficulty on the example of chlorosomes, which are the light-harvesting aggregates of photosynthetic green-(non) sulfur bacteria. Chlorosomes consist of hundreds of thousands of bacteriochlorophyll molecules that self-assemble into secondary structural elements of curved lamellar or cylindrical morphology. We exploit data from polarization-resolved fluorescence-excitation spectroscopy performed on single chlorosomes for reconstructing the corresponding LD spectra. This reveals that LD spectroscopy is not suited for benchmarking structural models in particular for complex hierarchically organized molecular supramolecular assemblies.


Author(s):  
Henry Proudhon ◽  
Nicolas Gueninchault ◽  
Samuel Forest ◽  
Wolfgang Ludwig

In this paper, we present a comprehensive 4D study of the early stage of plastic deformation in a polycrystalline binary AlLi alloy. The entire microstructure is mapped with X-ray diffraction contrast tomography and a set of bulk grains is further studied via X-ray topotomography during mechanical loading. The observed contrast is analyzed with respect to the slip system activation and the evolution of the orientation spread is measured as a function of applied strain. The experimental observations are augmented by the mechanical response predicted by crystal plasticity finite element simulations to analyze the onset of plasticity in details. Simulation results show a general agreement of the individual slip system activation during loading and that comparison with experiments at the length scale of the grains may be used to fine tune the constitutive model parameters.


Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Proudhon ◽  
Nicolas Guéninchault ◽  
Samuel Forest ◽  
Wolfgang Ludwig

In this paper, we present a comprehensive 4D study of the early stage of plastic deformation in a polycrystalline binary AlLi alloy. The entire microstructure is mapped with X-ray diffraction contrast tomography, and a set of bulk grains is further studied via X-ray topotomography during mechanical loading. The observed contrast is analyzed with respect to the slip system activation, and the evolution of the orientation spread is measured as a function of applied strain. The experimental observations are augmented by the mechanical response predicted by crystal plasticity finite element simulations to analyze the onset of plasticity in detail. Simulation results show a general agreement of the individual slip system activation during loading and that comparison with experiments at the length scale of the grains may be used to fine tune the constitutive model parameters.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (22) ◽  
pp. 6556-6562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiwang Yong ◽  
Nikola Zotev ◽  
Brian Stankus ◽  
Jennifer M. Ruddock ◽  
Darren Bellshaw ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Christie ◽  
Adrian Abel

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the structural and synthetic chemistry, and the industrial applications, of dioxazine pigments, a small group of high performance organic pigments. The color violet (or purple) has frequently assumed a prominent position in history, on account of its rarity and cost. The natural colorant Tyrian purple and the first synthetic textile dye, Mauveine, are prime examples of this unique historical feature. CI Pigment Violet 23, also referred to as Dioxazine Violet or Carbazole Violet, is one of the most universally used organic pigments, by far the most important industrial pigment in the violet shade area. Dioxazine Violet is also unique as the dominant industrial violet pigment providing a brilliant, intense violet color and an excellent all-round set of fastness properties. The pigment has a polycyclic molecular structure, originally described wrongly as a linear arrangement, and later shown to adopt an S-shaped arrangement on the basis of X-ray structural analysis. Two other dioxazine pigments are of rather lesser importance. The synthesis and manufacturing route to CI Pigment Violet 23 is described in the review. Finally, a survey of the principal current applications of the individual dioxazine pigments is presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Yamane ◽  
Masaki Oura ◽  
Osamu Takahashi ◽  
Tomoko Ishihara ◽  
Noriko Yamazaki ◽  
...  

AbstractAdhesion is an interfacial phenomenon that is critical for assembling carbon structural composites for next-generation aircraft and automobiles. However, there is limited understanding of adhesion on the molecular level because of the difficulty in revealing the individual bonding factors. Here, using soft X-ray spectromicroscopy we show the physical and chemical states of an adhesive interface composed of a thermosetting polymer of 4,4’-diaminodiphenylsulfone-cured bisphenol A diglycidyl ether adhered to a thermoplastic polymer of plasma-treated polyetheretherketone. We observe multiscale phenomena in the adhesion mechanisms, including sub-mm complex interface structure, sub-μm distribution of the functional groups, and molecular-level covalent-bond formation. These results provide a benchmark for further research to examine how physical and chemical states correlate with adhesion, and demonstrate that soft X-ray imaging is a promising approach for visualizing the physical and chemical states at adhesive interfaces from the sub-mm level to the molecular level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (S359) ◽  
pp. 131-135
Author(s):  
S. B. Kraemer ◽  
T. J. Turner ◽  
D. M. Crenshaw ◽  
H. R. Schmitt ◽  
M. Revalski ◽  
...  

AbstractWe have analyzed Chandra/High Energy Transmission Grating spectra of the X-ray emission line gas in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. The zeroth-order spectral images show extended H- and He-like O and Ne, up to a distance r ˜ 200 pc from the nucleus. Using the 1st-order spectra, we measure an average line velocity ˜230 km s–1, suggesting significant outflow of X-ray gas. We generated Cloudy photoionization models to fit the 1st-order spectra; the fit required three distinct emission-line components. To estimate the total mass of ionized gas (M) and the mass outflow rates, we applied the model parameters to fit the zeroth-order emission-line profiles of Ne IX and Ne X. We determined an M ≍ 5.4 × 105Mʘ. Assuming the same kinematic profile as that for the [O III] gas, derived from our analysis of Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra, the peak X-ray mass outflow rate is approximately 1.8 Mʘ yr–1, at r ˜ 150 pc. The total mass and mass outflow rates are similar to those determined using [O III], implying that the X-ray gas is a major outflow component. However, unlike the optical outflows, the X-ray emitting mass outflow rate does not drop off at r > 100pc, which suggests that it may have a greater impact on the host galaxy.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1986
Author(s):  
Andreas Koenig ◽  
Julius Schmidtke ◽  
Leonie Schmohl ◽  
Sibylle Schneider-Feyrer ◽  
Martin Rosentritt ◽  
...  

The performance of dental resin-based composites (RBCs) heavily depends on the characteristic properties of the individual filler fraction. As specific information regarding the properties of the filler fraction is often missing, the current study aims to characterize the filler fractions of several contemporary computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) RBCs from a material science point of view. The filler fractions of seven commercially available CAD/CAM RBCs featuring different translucency variants were analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Micro-X-ray Computed Tomography (µXCT), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TG) and X-ray Diffractometry (XRD). All CAD/CAM RBCs investigated included midifill hybrid type filler fractions, and the size of the individual particles was clearly larger than the individual specifications of the manufacturer. The fillers in Shofu Block HC featured a sphericity of ≈0.8, while it was <0.7 in all other RBCs. All RBCs featured only X-ray amorphous phases. However, in Lava Ultimate, zircon crystals with low crystallinity were detected. In some CAD/CAM RBCs, inhomogeneities (X-ray opaque fillers or pores) with a size <80 µm were identified, but the effects were minor in relation to the total volume (<0.01 vol.%). The characteristic parameters of the filler fraction in RBCs are essential for the interpretation of the individual material’s mechanical and optical properties.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document