- Home
- Users & Science
- Find a beamline
- Complex systems and biomedical sciences
- ID02 - Time-Resolved Ultra Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering
- ID02 Scientific and Industrial Applications
Scientific applications of the ID02 beamline can be broadly divided into three domains; (1) soft condensed matter, (2) noncrystalline structural biology, and (3) interdisciplinary area of soft matter, biology, and nanoscience.
Soft matter studies most often involve probing the equilibrium, nonequilibrium and transient microstructures in systems such as colloids, polymers, surfactants membranes, proteins, etc. In these studies, a variety of techniques such as rheology, stopped-flow rapid mixing, etc. are combined with SAXS, USAXS or simultaneous SAXS/WAXS. The high resolution and improved sensitivity of SAXS can be exploited to probe the spatial distribution of counterions in charged soft matter by the anomalous SAXS method. The high dynamic range of SAXS/USAXS techniques permits elucidating the multiple structural levels of a large variety of soft matter systems. USA-XPCS has opened the possibility for probing the equilibrium dynamics in optically opaque samples over micron size and sub-millisecond time scales.
The noncrystalline structural biology work is largely centered around the structure-function relationship. For example in muscle by combining very precise mechanics and high resolution (ultra) small-angle diffraction allow molecular level elucidation of the pathways of regulation down to the sub-millisecond time scale. Time resolved studies can also be done in solution e.g. by combining with the stopped-flow mixing to probe the supermolecular structure under in-vitro conditions. Examples include protein interactions and folding, virus self-assembly, etc.
Many exotic nanostructured systems are realized by the hierarchical self-assembly of complex molecules. High resolution SAXS or a combination of SAXS and WAXS is a very powerful and non destructive technique to elucidate such hierarchical structures. Examples include the self-assembly of amphiphilic peptides, complexes of cationic lipids with biopolymers such as DNA, actin, etc. In another situation, the growth kinetics of pyrolytic nanoparticles under extreme dilute conditions (φ < 10-7) can be studied in the sub-millisecond range.
Combined SAXS/WAXS is a powerful method to determine the microstructure and phase behavior of multi-component systems involved in cosmetics, detergents, pharmaceuticals, polymers, nanocomposites, etc. In addition, in-situ studies can be performed under similar conditions as that involved in industrial processing (e.g. polymers).
Some of the recent examples are also reviewed in Synchrotron Scattering Methods for Nanomaterials and Soft Matter Research
Structural dynamics of assembling gold nanoparticles (ESRF Highlights 2019, p 76-78)
Inward growth by nucleation (ESRF Highlights 2018, p 58-59)
Replicating skin-like deformation-induced stiffening and colouration with synthetic elastomers (ESRF Spotlight 2018)
Velocity fluctuations during particle sedimentation probed by multispeckle XPCS (ESRF Spotlight 2017)
From spheres to worms: monitoring transformation kinetics of surfactant micelles using time-resolved SAXS (ESRF Highlights 2014)
Two-dimensional binary superlattice of a single-walled carbon nanotube/cylindrical-micellar system (ESRF Highlights 2014)
Ideal polyethylene nanocrystals (ESRF Highlights 2013)
Electric field induced selective disordering of lamellar block copolymers (ESRF Highlights 2013)
Direct observation of the self-assembly of surfactant micelles (ESRF Spotlight 2013)
Shaping vesicles by the presence of amphiphilic copolymer (ESRF Highlights 2012)
Promiscuous particles caught in the act (ESRF Highlights 2011)
Piezoelectric properties in non-polar block copolymers (ESRF Spotlight 2011)
Multiple arrested states in colloidal clays (ESRF Highlights 2010)
Structure of casein micelles and their complexation with tannins (ESRF Highlights 2009)
Dynamics of structural transformations between the lamellar and inverse bicontinuous cubic lyotropic phases (ESRF Highlights 2006)
Kinetic arrest and glass-glass transitions in short-ranged attractive colloids (ESRF Highlights 2006)
Magnetic-Field-Induced Nematic to Columnar Phase Transition (ESRF Highlights 2005)
Kinetics and Mechanisms of Electric Field Induced Alignment of Block Copolymer Solution (ESRF Highlights 2005)
Visualisation of Nanostructure Evolution during Polymer Crystallisation (ESRF Highlights 2004)
A Mineral Liquid-Crystalline Lamellar Phase (ESRF Highlights 2001)
Ribbon Phase in a Two-Phase Shear Flow (ESRF Highlights 2000)
Understanding the heartbeat: the myosin filament plays a key role (General News 2020)
How an icosahedral virus packages its RNA genome (also ESRF Highlights 2018, p 59-60)
Beating heart efficiency revealed by X-rays (ESRF Highlights 2017)
How sea cucumbers stiffen and soften their tissues (ESRF Highlights 2016)
Small angle X-ray diffraction reveals muscle’s gearbox (ESRF Highlights 2015)
Two-step nucleation in protein crystallisation revealed by real-time SAXS (ESRF Highlights 2015)
Muscle as a shock absorber (ESRF Spotlight 2014)
X-rays shed new light on the regulation of muscle contraction (ESRF News 2011)
X-ray Interference Reveals Angstrom-Scale Motions of Myosin in Intact Muscle Cells (ESRF Highlights 1999)
Self-organization of nanocrystals into superlattices (ESRF Highlights 2019, p 64-65)
In-situ X-ray scattering reveals insights into the formation of CdSe nanoplatelets (ESRF Highlights 2019, p 80-81)
SAXS measurements explain the colour nanostructure relationship in feathers (ESRF Highlights 2016)
Watching quantum dots grow in real time (ESRF Highlights 2015)
X-ray beam transverse coherence analysis using near-field scattering (ESRF Spotlight 2010)
Structure and function of self-assembled liposome-DNA-metal complexes for gene transfer (ESRF Highlights 2006)
Human Breast Tissue Characterisation with Small-angle X-ray Scattering (ESRF Highlights 2004)
Sliding Columnar Phase in DNA-Membrane Complexes (ESRF Highlights 2000)
Further Information