BornAgain is an open-source research software, under active development at the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science at Heinz Maier-Leibniz Zentrum Garching. Initially written for GISAS, it is currently being extended to reflectometry and off-specular scattering. With its GUI and Python frontends, it allows users to compose arbitrarily complex sample models. Neutron polarization is fully supported.
As alternative to solid state neutron super-mirrors, 3He neutron spin filters (NSF) constitute a widely used method for either polarizing an unpolarized neutron beam or for analyzing its polarization after scattering on the sample. The working principle of NSFs is based on spin-polarized 3He having a very large spin-dependent absorption cross-section, filtering out one neutron spin direction...
Grazing-incidence Wide Angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) is a key technique for characterizing surface structures of thin films. The method can be used for in-situ experiments monitoring growth and crystallization effects in real-time, but it produces large amounts of data, frequently exceeding the capabilities of traditional data processing methods.
Feature detection in multidimensional X-ray...
DEMAX is the ESS Deuteration and Macromolecular Crystallography support lab for chemistry, soft matter, and life science users of the European Spallation Source (ESS). DEMAX support will be available to all users of ESS instruments and includes chemical deuteration, biological deuteration, and large protein crystal growth. DEMAX has been operational since 2019 and is currently operating on a...
Two surface-active designer peptides DAMP4 and AM1 have been combined to form a new class of tailorable nano-emulsions (TNE) for delivery of protein antigens to dendritic cells in vivo [1, 2]. DAMP4 is a designed 4-helix bundle, MW 11.1 kDa, consisting of 4 repeat units of PSMKQLADS-LHQLARQ-VSRLEHAD, AM1 corresponds to one of the repeat alpha-helices. The new approach utilizes the...
The Deuteration Network (DeuNet) is an international consortium comprising deuteration facilities and research laboratories. DeuNet aims to streamline and facilitate access to deuteration services and customized deuterium labeling of molecules and biomolecules for applications in neutron research, NMR, mass spectrometry, and other scientific techniques. Its primary objective is to serve as a...
Two-dimensional metal oxides are attractive model systems for applications in catalysis and electrochemistry due to their high surface areas and tunability of chemical properties by combining elements across the periodic table. Grazing incidence X-ray absorption spectroscopy, although sensitive to the electronic state and coordination environment around absorbing atoms, cannot differentiate...
The rich and complex behavior of amphiphilic molecules self-assembling into supramolecular structures, such as lipid bilayers in water, is fascinating to physicists. Such thin membranes act as quasi-2D worlds — they are about two molecules thick — evolving in a 3D space, which results in a complex set of interactions. Measuring these interactions at the nanometer scale is challenging and...
The polarised neutron reflectometer Amor at PSI was equipped in 2020 with a Selene optics, replacing the old curved straight guide. This exchange took 3 months. It took an other 3 years to complete the secondary instrument (electronics, drives, detector, control software) and we started user operation in December 2023 - just before the accelerator maintenance shut-down.
We will present...
A characteristic of fatty acids (FAs) associated with fur and hair are two terminal methyl groups rather than the single methyl group found in simple FAs. When these FAs form Langmuir monolayers, the geometric constraint of the extra methyl group leads to periodic lateral nanostructures, a feature that doesn’t appear in simple FAs. To unravel the nature of these nanostructures on aqueous...
Two-dimensional materials (2DMs) such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), are one of the most promising classes of materials for future technological advancement. However, nearly two decades since their discovery, effective mass production of defect-free 2DMs still remains a challenge.
The current state-of-the-art synthesis approach for 2DMs includes the dissociative adsorption...
Since 2002, a state-of-the-art liquid interface scattering instrument has been operational at NSF’s ChemMatCARS in Station 15-ID-C at Sector 15, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, IL, USA. This instrument is equipped to perform the full suite of interfacial X-ray techniques, facilitating the comprehensive studies of liquid-vapor and liquid-liquid interfaces. Its applications...
Our presentation introduces silicon substrates with a switchable magnetic contrast layer (MCL) for polarised neutron reflectometry experiments (PNR) at solid/liquid interface to study soft matter surface layers. Combination of PNR with MCL based on obtaining various reflectometry curves from the same structure with changing only one parameter. In “classical” soft matter experiments, this is...
Many vital processes, such as the interaction with pathogens or drugs, take place at the interface between the plasma membrane (PM) and the extracellular-matrix (ECM). The zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) and the negatively charged phosphatidylserine (PS) are among the most abundant lipids in the PM [1]. The ECM is made of flexible carbohydrates and proteins and is responsible for the...
Liquids confined in nanometer-level spaces (nano-confined liquids) are known to exhibit properties different from those of the bulk liquid, due to the interaction with confining surfaces as well as the restriction of the mobility under confinement. For example, nano-confined liquids exhibit solid-like properties, i.e., the effective viscosity increases more than several order of magnitudes....
A fundamental understanding of atomic scale processes occurring at electrochemical interfaces is crucial for advancing the development of energy-related electrochemical systems such as ion batteries or fuel cells. For this purpose, operando experiments are imperative. X-ray reflectivity (XRR) is a non-destructive technique that enables operando analyses of buried structures...
The SIRIUS beamline of the Synchrotron SOLEIL is dedicated to X-ray scattering and spectroscopy of surfaces and interfaces, covering the tender to mid-hard X-ray range (1.1-13 keV) [1,2]. The beamline has hosted a wide range of experiments in the field of soft interfaces and beyond, providing various grazing incidence techniques such as diffraction and wide angle scattering (GIXD/GIWAXS),...
Large magnetoresistance(MR) values are expected for FeCo based granular films, because of the large spin polarization of FeCo alloy. The magnetic depth profile of the [C/FeCo]n multilayers either at individual layer or interfaces in the process of remagnetization is a determinant factor affecting the spin-dependent electronic transport. To obtain the magnetic structure of [C/FeCo]n multilayers...
Perovskite oxides exhibit various functionarities. In the current social circumstances, their catalytic functionality is one of the most significant characteristics. Some of Co oxides are known as high performance water splitting catalysts. Here, we report in-situ surface x-ray diffraction measurement of (La,Sr)CoO3 films grown on Nb doped SrTiO3 (001) substrates.
Experiments were done at...
The beamline P08 is situated at the 3rd generation synchrotron radiation source PETRA III in Ham-burg, Germany and is operational since fall 2009. It is designed for investigations on surfaces, nano- and microstructures, liquid interfaces, Langmuir monolayers and also bulk samples with an emphasis on diffraction and scattering methods and in situ capabilities.
P08 is an undulator beamline...
The I07 beamline at Diamond Light Source (UK) is dedicated to the characterization of surfaces and interfaces using x-ray diffraction and scattering techniques. The beamline operates in the energy range from 6keV to 30keV using a crocooled undulator source, and it's operating 2 experimental hutches with 3 instruments: multipurpose diffractometer, a double crystal deflector for experiment on...
Topological structures such as polar vortices have been found in PbTiO3/SrTiO3 multi-layer thin films, which have the advantage of being easily manipulated by temperature or electric field, and are known to exhibit collective domain motion in the THz region, attracting great interest as candidates for next-generation functional devices. Since the polarization vectors in this structure strongly...
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are recognized as essential parts of portable electronics, electric vehicles, grid storage, and are a fundamental component in sustainable energy systems development [1]. However, several scientific questions still puzzle researchers, including interfaces and interphases [2]. For instance, the structure and speciation of the potential- and surface-dependent...
The technological progress of the last decades would not have been possible without the development of new materials. The materials with the best characteristics for applications are frequently complex multi-component systems with rather nontrivial composition-property dependencies. The compositional optimization of new materials calls for high-throughput studies with many different...
The investigation of processes occurring at atomic and molecular levels at the surfaces and interfaces of liquids is of paramount importance for fundamental surface science and practical applications in physics, chemistry and biology. One of the most widely used X-ray-based techniques for the characterization of liquid surfaces is X-ray reflectivity (XRR). One general difficulty exists in...
A biological cellular membrane is the semipermeable surrounding of a cell that controls its physiological activities. It is comprised of various components, including lipids, cholesterol, proteins and ions. L-Phenylalanine (Phe), an essential amino acid for protein synthesis, is often found in food and dietary supplements. Elevated Phe levels in the body can be dangerous and are associated...
Epitaxially grown self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) offer atom-like optical properties, making them ideal for single photon sources in quantum technologies. Selecting a QD with specific characteristics is crucial for noise-free, indistinguishable photons. We developed a screening protocol to identify the best QD from multitude of simultaneously grown dots. Our study revealed...
The X-ray reflectivity technique can provide out-of-plane electron-density profiles of surfaces, interfaces, and thin films, with atomic resolution accuracy. While current methodologies require high surface flatness, this becomes challenging for naturally curved surfaces, particularly for liquid metals, due to the very high surface tension. A method for X-ray reflectivity measurements on...
