What is it about?
Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful tool to probe nano-scale structures. 2D SAXS patterns from samples with uniaxial orientation have elliptical features that are obvious only in simple systems such as dispersed rod-like molecules. We here identify and analyze the elliptical features that are often hidden in the data from plate-like and lamellar structures such as in colloidal nanoplatelets, liquid crystals and semicrystalline polymers.
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Why is it important?
Analysis of ellipticity can reveal details of the mechanics of deformation and self-assembly. The complete 2D SAXS data contains central diffuse scattering (from uncorrelated structures) and discrete reflections (from long-range order). All can be fitted and parameterized with the least number of parameters in elliptical coordinates.
Perspectives
SAXS data can now be obtained rapidly at synchrotron sources from a large number of samples. Featurization of the data from such high throughput experiments enables the implementation of machine learning and artificial intelligence tools for on-line structural analysis of many classes of nanomaterials facilitating accelerated material discovery.
Sanjeeva Murthy
Rutgers University New Brunswick
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Evolution of elliptical SAXS patterns in aligned systems, Journal of Applied Crystallography, July 2024, International Union of Crystallography,
DOI: 10.1107/s1600576724004503.
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