Review
Chemistry, Physical
Dev Raj, Alok Kumar, Rohit Kumar Singh, Abhishek Singh Bhadouria, A. S. K. Sinha, Deepak Dwivedi
Summary: As the application of electrocatalyst expands, understanding the mechanisms affecting catalytic efficiency at various length scales becomes crucial. Revealing the dynamics of active sites, which directly impact reactions such as oxygen evolution and hydrogen evolution, is vital to enhance stability and reduce costs. This article analyzes recent progress in using in situ neutron techniques for characterizing electrocatalysts and discusses future challenges in obtaining mechanistic information across multiple scales.
CURRENT OPINION IN ELECTROCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Augusta de Santis, Ernesto Scoppola, Maria Francesca Ottaviani, Alexandros Koutsioubas, Lester C. Barnsley, Luigi Paduano, Gerardino D'Errico, Irene Russo Krauss
Summary: The structural properties of cholesterol-containing lipid bilayers with increasing amounts of polyunsaturated omega-3 lipids were investigated using multiple techniques in this study. Results indicate that the different effects of hybrid and symmetric omega-3 phospholipids on lipid bilayers' microscopic organization, with cholesterol able to suppress non-lamellar structures induced by symmetric polyunsaturated lipids. The structural organization of the resulting bilayer does not fit neatly into typical liquid ordered or liquid disordered phases, showing loose packing of lipid chain segments.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Armando Maestro, Philipp Gutfreund
Summary: This review paper focuses on the structure and composition of Langmuir monolayers (LMs) at the air/water interface using various experimental techniques. From the first experiment by Angels Pockels in her home kitchen to the present day, LMs of different materials have been extensively studied and are important model systems in biology, physics, and chemistry.
ADVANCES IN COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
I. M. Tucker, A. Burley, R. E. Petkova, S. L. Hosking, J. Penfold, R. K. Thomas, P. X. Li, J. R. P. Webster, R. Welbourn, J. Doutch
Summary: The study investigates the adsorption properties of Glycyrrhizic acid, a monodesmosidic triterpenoid saponin extracted from Licorice root, and its self-assembly behavior in solution. It was found that gelation has minimal impact on adsorption, only resulting in a rougher surface texture on a macroscopic length scale. The study also compares the globular micelles formed in aqueous solution with the structure of other saponin micelles, showing only minimal micelle growth with the addition of gelling agents.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Kexuan Zhang, Kirill Zhernenkov, Thomas Saerbeck, Artur Glavic, Lili Qu, Christy J. Kinane, Andrew J. Caruana, Enda Hua, Guanyin Gao, Feng Jin, Binghui Ge, Feng Cheng, Sabine Puetter, Alexandros Koutsioubas, Stefan Mattauch, Thomas Brueckel, Yixi Su, Lingfei Wang, Wenbin Wu
Summary: The study focused on investigating the layer-resolved magnetic reversal mechanism in all-oxide-based SAFs using a LCMO/CRTO superlattice model. The unique magnetic reversal process observed allows for vertical data transfer within the SAF, attributed to the cooperation of surface spin-flop effect and enhanced magnetic anisotropy.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Haoning Gong, Xuzhi Hu, Mingrui Liao, Ke Fa, Daniela Ciumac, Luke A. Clifton, Marc-Antoine Sani, Stephen M. King, Armando Maestro, Frances Separovic, Thomas A. Waigh, Hai Xu, Andrew J. McBain, Jian Ren Lu
Summary: Gram-negative bacteria are covered by an outer membrane and an inner cytoplasmic membrane, with antimicrobial peptides needing to permeate through the outer membrane before attacking the bacteria. Two designed AMPs showed different interactions with the lipopolysaccharide component of the outer membrane, leading to different antimicrobial efficacies. Understanding these structural features can help in the development of strain-specific AMPs against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in the future.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Pengfei Liu, Mark Freeley, Ali Zarbakhsh, Marina Resmini
Summary: This study utilized neutron reflectivity to investigate the structural changes of stimuli-responsive microgels and nanogels at hydrophobic and hydrophilic interfaces. The results showed that temperature was the primary influencing factor, while concentration played a secondary role. Hydrophobic interactions drove the conformation of the first layer at the interface, which had a key impact on the overall nanogel structure.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Evan Angelo Quimada Mondarte, Yuchen Shi, Xue Qi Koh, Xueyu Feng, Dan Daniel, Xin-Xing Zhang, Jing Yu
Summary: In this study, two atomic force microscopy (AFM) modes were used to reveal the layered structure of poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) brushes synthesized by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization. The AFM amplitude-modulation mode probed the stable condensed layer near the substrate, while the force-spectroscopic mode accurately detected the diffused layer and determined the total brush thickness. The results showed the ion-screening effect and higher brush hydration propensity of multivalent ions, and how different cation valencies affected the dimensionality of the layered structure. This study highlights the utility of AFM in revealing contextual phenomena arising from the unique properties of zwitterionic polymers.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
S. E. Nikitin, B. Fak, K. W. Kraemer, T. Fennell, B. Normand, A. M. Laeuchli, Ch Rueegg
Summary: CrBr3 is an excellent realization of the two-dimensional honeycomb ferromagnet, offering a bosonic equivalent of graphene with Dirac magnons and topological character. In this study, inelastic neutron scattering measurements were performed to update previous data and provide a definitive comparison with recent experimental claims and theoretical predictions. The results demonstrate the characteristics of CrBr3, such as ideal Dirac magnon dispersion and isospin winding, but also highlight the need for more sophisticated theoretical analysis.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Naomi Elstone, Thomas Arnold, Maximilian W. A. Skoda, Simon E. Lewis, Peixun Li, Gavin Hazell, Karen J. Edler
Summary: The structure of mixed monolayers of sulfobetaines and phosphocholine phospholipids was investigated. The average headgroup and tail layer thickness was consistent, but the two components had different tad layer thicknesses.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Ming Jin, Bin Li, Bohan Fan, Zhiping Li, Ming Bai
Summary: This work presents numerical investigations on the scattering from microwave blackbody for the development of a national standard facility on emissivity determination in China. The standard facility follows a bistatic scattering measurement configuration and covers a wide frequency range. The simulation results show that accurate and stable reflectivity determination can be achieved in the bistatic near-field configuration.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jonas E. Warias, Franziska Reise, Svenja C. Hoevelmann, Rajendra P. Giri, Michael Roehrl, Jule Kuhn, Malte Jacobsen, Kuntal Chatterjee, Thomas Arnold, Chen Shen, Sven Festersen, Andrea Sartori, Philipp Jordt, Olaf M. Magnussen, Thisbe K. Lindhorst, Bridget M. Murphy
Summary: Following the reaction of biological membranes to external stimuli provides important insights into cellular function. In this study, model membranes composed of self-assembled lipid monolayers containing photoswitchable azobenzene glycolipids were used to investigate the structural response during isomerization. The results demonstrate that azobenzene glycolipids can act as a bidirectional switch in DPPC monolayers, causing reproducible changes in surface pressure and layer thickness, indicating monolayer reorientation and providing a tool to explore membrane structure-function relationships in depth.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Condensed Matter
Fabrizia Foglia, Sandrine Lyonnard, Victoria Garcia Sakai, Quentin Berrod, Jean-Marc Zanotti, Gerard Gebel, Adam J. Clancy, Paul F. McMillan
Summary: Understanding transport mechanisms, implementing neutron scattering techniques, and combining different methods are crucial for designing and implementing advanced membrane technologies for fuel cells and separation devices.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kazuki Iida, Katsuaki Kodama, Yasuhiro Inamura, Mitsutaka Nakamura, Lieh-Jeng Chang, Shin-ichi Shamoto
Summary: In this study, the spin excitation of an ilmenite FeTiO3 powder sample is measured using time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering. The dynamic magnetic pair-density function D-M(r, E) is obtained from the dynamic magnetic structure factor S-M(Q, E) by Fourier transformation. The real space spin dynamics exhibit magnon mode transitions in the spin-spin correlation with increasing energy, which is well reproduced by simulation using reciprocal space magnon dispersions. This analysis provides a novel opportunity to study the local spin dynamics of various magnetic systems.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xinyi Liu, Shao-Chun Lee, Soenke Seifert, Lilin He, Changwoo Do, Randall E. Winans, Gihan Kwon, Tao Li
Summary: The relation between solvation structures and transport properties of LiTFSI aqueous solutions was investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, X-ray pair distribution function measurements, and molecular dynamics simulations. It was found that solvation structures of TFSI- consist of solvent separated ion pairs and contact ion pairs, as well as cation-anion aggregates. The relaxation time associated with the anion network structure exhibited the same concentration dependence as the viscosity. This study provides insight into the correlation between solvation structures and transport properties of imide-based lithium-ion salt aqueous electrolytes.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
B. J. Kirby, P. K. Greene, B. B. Maranville, J. E. Davies, Kai Liu
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2015)
Article
Physics, Applied
S. Davis, J. A. Borchers, B. B. Maranville, S. Adenwalla
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2015)
Article
Physics, Applied
A. J. Grutter, D. A. Gilbert, U. S. Alaan, E. Arenholz, B. B. Maranville, J. A. Borchers, Y. Suzuki, Kai Liu, B. J. Kirby
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2016)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Brian Maranville, William Ratcliff, Paul Kienzle
JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
(2018)
Article
Physics, Applied
Daniel M. Pajerowski, Lisa J. Krayer, Brian J. Kirby, Brian B. Maranville, Julie A. Borchers, Kyeong-Won Kim, David P. Norton
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
David P. Hoogerheide, Frank Heinrich, Brian B. Maranville, Charles F. Majkrzak
JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
David P. Hoogerheide, Joseph A. Dura, Brian B. Maranville, Charles F. Majkrzak
Summary: Liquid cells are commonly used in neutron reflectometry experiments to measure the properties of materials at solid/liquid interfaces. This study focuses on characterizing and mitigating the background scattering sources in liquid cells, particularly from silicon and fluids. The use of energy-analyzed detection significantly improves the measurement quality by reducing the scattering background from silicon and fluids. The combination of thin liquid reservoirs, energy-analyzed detection, and a high-flux reflectometer allows for a background-subtracted neutron reflectivity smaller than 10(-8) from a liquid cell sample.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
C. F. Majkrzak, N. F. Berk, B. B. Maranville, J. A. Dura, T. Jach
Summary: In the analysis of neutron scattering measurements, it is typically sufficient to treat the incident and scattered neutron beams as incoherent distributions of plane waves. However, for some cases, such as specular neutron reflectometry, a localized wave packet is required to describe the individual neutron's wavefunction. This study demonstrates how neutron diffraction patterns can be accurately described by associating an individual neutron with a wave packet in these cases, and illustrates the importance of considering the transverse spatial extent of the neutron wavefront.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Y. Summer Tein, Benjamin R. Thompson, Chuck Majkrzak, Brian Maranville, Damian Renggli, Jan Vermant, Norman J. Wagner
Summary: Understanding the structure-property relationship of complex fluid-fluid interfaces is crucial for designing systems with targeted interfacial properties. This article presents a new instrument capable of controlled interfacial dilation and shear kinematics, combined with in situ microscopy and neutron reflectometry for detailed structural measurements of the interface at the mesoscale and nanoscale.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
W. L. N. C. Liyanage, Nan Tang, Lizabeth Quigley, Julie A. Borchers, Alexander J. Grutter, Brian B. Maranville, Sunil K. Sinha, Nicolas Reyren, Sergio A. Montoya, Eric E. Fullerton, Lisa DeBeer-Schmitt, Dustin A. Gilbert
Summary: This paper uses neutron scattering and polarized neutron reflectometry to determine the 3D structure of hybrid skyrmions. The structure of these skyrmions, which includes a combination of Neel-like and Bloch-like components, contributes to their notable stability.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Apurve Saini, Julie A. Borchers, Sebastian George, Brian B. Maranville, Kathryn L. Krycka, Joseph A. Dura, Katharina Theis-Broehl, Max Wolff
