Crystallization kinetics of atomic crystals revealed by a single-shot and single-particle X-ray diffraction experiment

Crystallization is a fundamental natural phenomenon and the ubiquitous physical process in materials science for the design of new materials. So far, experimental observations of the structural dynamics in crystallization have been mostly restricted to slow dynamics. We present here an exclusive way to explore the dynamics of crystallization in highly controlled conditions (i.e., in the absence of impurities acting as seeds of the crystallites) as it occurs in vacuum. We have measured the early formation stage of solid Xe nanoparticles nucleated in an expanding supercooled Xe jet by means of an X-ray diffraction experiment with 10-fs X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) pulses. We found that the structure of Xe nanoparticles is not pure face-centered cubic (fcc), the expected stable phase, but a mixture of fcc and randomly stacked hexagonal close-packed (rhcp) structures. Furthermore, we identified the instantaneous coexistence of the comparably sized fcc and rhcp domains in single Xe nanoparticles. The observations are explained by the scenario of structural aging, in which the nanoparticles initially crystallize in the highly stacking-disordered rhcp phase and the structure later forms the stable fcc phase. The results are reminiscent of analogous observations in hard-sphere systems, indicating the universal role of the stacking-disordered phase in nucleation.

How to realize an ultrafast electron diffraction experiment with a terahertz pump: a theoretical study

To integrate a terahertz pump into an ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) experiment has attracted much attention due to its potential to initiate and detect the structural dynamics both directly. However, the deflection of the electron probe by the electromagnetic field of the terahertz pump alters the incident angle of the electron probe on the sample, impeding it from recording structural information afterwards. In this article, we studied this issue by a theoretical simulation of the terahertz-induced deflection effect on the electron probe, and came up with several possible schemes to reduce such effect. As a result, a terahertz-pump-electron-probe UED experiment with a temporal resolution comparable to the terahertz period is realized. We also found that MeV UED was more suitable for such terahertz pump experiment.

Effects of a Clean Subcritical Degreasing System on Wool Fibers

It makes sense to use environmentally friendly methods of degreasing in fur-making process. In this study, subcritical n-pentane was used to degrease wool fibers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to observe and analyze the properties of the subcritical n-pentane degreased wool fibers. The results showed that the thermal stability of the fibers increased. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze the structural changes of macromolecular chains in wool fibers. It was found that when the pressure was higher than 0.4 MPa, the wool fibers underwent a conformational change with the α-helix changing to β-folding. If the pressure was as high as 0.6 MPa, the disulfide bonds in the wool fibers scale layer appeared to break. X-ray powder diffraction experiment was used to study changes in wool fiber aggregation morphology. It was demonstrated that the crystalline zone of wool fibers changed and the fibers index grew, from 22.89% to 30.19%. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and ultra-depth of field microscopy was used to analyze changes in the surface morphology of wool fibers. The results suggested that after the treatment, the wool fibers were not damaged and the impurities on the wool surface were reduced.

The Stripe of Electron Diffraction in Magnetic Field—A Counterexample. In Electric Field, the Result Will Be the Same

As long as no one has done diffraction experiment in the spark chamber (DESC) , it makes sense to do this experiment. This experiment has two possible results: (1) Diffraction fringes cannot be obtained; (2) Path information and diffraction patterns can be obtained at the same time. If the result is (1), it provides direct and unambiguous experimental evidence for the existing Copenhagen quantum mechanics interpretation system, which can avoid some unnecessary disputes; If the result is (2), it will cause a scientific revolution in the field of quantum mechanics interpretation (After all, most people now think that "as long as the particle path is observed in the double slit experiment, the interference fringes will disappear"). "The result of the electron diffraction experiment in a magnetic field—diffraction fringes can still be obtained" was discovered. This finding provides an experimental evidence for DESC to be meaningful and predicts that the experimental result of DESC is the result (2).

Facilitated crystal handling using a simple device for evaporation reduction in microtiter plates

In the past two decades, most of the steps in a macromolecular crystallography experiment have undergone tremendous development with respect to speed, feasibility and increase of throughput. The part of the experimental workflow that is still a bottleneck, despite significant efforts, involves the manipulation and harvesting of the crystals for the diffraction experiment. Here, a novel low-cost device is presented that functions as a cover for 96-well crystallization plates. This device enables access to the individual experiments one at a time by its movable parts, while minimizing evaporation of all other experiments of the plate. In initial tests, drops of many typically used crystallization cocktails could be successfully protected for up to 6 h. Therefore, the manipulation and harvesting of crystals is straightforward for the experimenter, enabling significantly higher throughput. This is useful for many macromolecular crystallography experiments, especially multi-crystal screening campaigns.