Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Cyril Besnard, Ali Marie, Sisini Sasidharan, Petr Buck, Jessica M. Walker, Julia E. Parker, Thomas E. J. Moxham, Benedikt Daurer, Burkhard Kaulich, Majid Kazemian, Richard M. Shelton, Gabriel Landini, Alexander M. Korsunsky
Summary: This study characterises human dental enamel caries using synchrotron nanoscale imaging techniques combined with scanning electron microscopy. The research reveals the nanoscale variation in chemistry and structure of carious enamel and demonstrates the importance of advanced correlative imaging in investigating the complex structure-composition relationships in nano-materials.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuan Hung Lo, Jihan Zhou, Arjun Rana, Drew Morrill, Christian Gentry, Bjoern Enders, Young-Sang Yu, Chang-Yu Sun, David A. Shapiro, Roger W. Falcone, Henry C. Kapteyn, Margaret M. Murnane, Pupa U. P. A. Gilbert, Jianwei Miao
Summary: Biominerals such as seashells, coral skeletons, bone, and tooth enamel have unique nanoscale and microscale organization, providing inspiration for engineers to design new biomimetic structures. The combination of X-ray linear dichroic ptychography and 4D STEM can be a valuable multimodal tool for studying nano-crystallites, interfaces, nucleation, and mineral growth in optically anisotropic materials at multiple length scales.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhen Chen, Yi Jiang, Yu-Tsun Shao, Megan E. Holtz, Michal Odstrcil, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Isabelle Hanke, Steffen Ganschow, Darrell G. Schlom, David A. Muller
Summary: Transmission electron microscopes use electrons with wavelengths of a few picometers to potentially image individual atoms in solids, but their image resolution is often reduced by lens aberrations and electron scattering. By using electron ptychography to solve these issues, researchers have achieved higher image resolution and precision in locating embedded atoms.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sebastian Weber, Ana Diaz, Mirko Holler, Andreas Schropp, Mikhail Lyubomirskiy, Ken L. Abel, Maik Kahnt, Arno Jeromin, Satishkumar Kulkarni, Thomas F. Keller, Roger Glaser, Thomas L. Sheppard
Summary: This study utilizes in situ 2D hard X-ray ptychography (XRP) and 3D ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT) to investigate the synthesis process of hierarchically porous materials. The XRP allows for the monitoring of textural changes, while PXCT provides quantitative information on pore structures. The findings are corroborated with traditional pore characterization methods, leading to a better understanding of the synthesis pathways of porous materials.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sebastian Weber, Darren Batey, Silvia Cipiccia, Matthias Stehle, Ken L. Abel, Roger Glaeser, Thomas L. Sheppard
Summary: This study utilized PXCT to investigate catalyst deactivation by coking in Ni/Al2O3 catalysts for CO2 methanation and CH4 dry reforming, revealing that coke formation primarily occurs in nanoporous solids and is not detectable in resolved macropores. PXCT is highlighted as a novel characterization tool for high-resolution quantitative 3D study of deactivation phenomena within entire catalyst particles.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Optics
Zhenjiang Xing, Zijian Xu, Xiangzhi Zhang, Bo Chen, Zhi Guo, Jian Wang, Yong Wang, Renzhong Tai
Summary: Multi-slice ptychography (MSP) is a fast three-dimensional imaging technology that can achieve higher depth resolution and flexibility through a virtual depth-scan scheme.
Article
Polymer Science
Kinga Plawecka, Patrycja Bazan, Wei-Ting Lin, Kinga Korniejenko, Maciej Sitarz, Marek Nykiel
Summary: The main aim of this research is to assess the suitability of different fly ashes as raw materials for manufacturing geopolymers. The study found that materials based on fly ashes had similar compressive strength but significant differences in flexural strength, with ultra-fine fly ash showing lower flexural strength. Process optimization is needed for materials based on a precursor from a waste incineration plant.
Article
Physics, Applied
Thomas E. J. Moxham, David Laundy, Vishal Dhamgaye, Oliver J. L. Fox, Kawal Sawhney, Alexander M. Korsunsky
Summary: Ptychography is a high-resolution imaging technique that can recover wavefront error and provide complete spatial information even in the presence of partial coherence. Through a multi-modal approach, coherent reconstructions can be achieved in the presence of partial coherence.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Hao Yuan, Hui Yuan, Travis Casagrande, David Shapiro, Young-Sang Yu, Bjoern Enders, Jonathan R. Lee, Anthony van Buuren, Monika M. Biener, Stuart A. Gammon, Theodore F. Baumann, Adam P. Hitchcock
Summary: The 3D chemical structure and distribution of ZnO coated nanoporous Al2O3 aerogels were studied using multienergy scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and ptychographic imaging. Results show nonuniform coverage of ZnO on the Al2O3 aerogel framework, with different ZnO loadings and sample preparation methods affecting the distribution. FIB methods were found to create sample artifacts, with Xe plasma FIB causing less distortion than Ga ion FIB.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
L. A. Hughes, Benjamin H. Savitzky, Haitao D. Deng, Norman L. Jin, Eder G. Lomeli, Young-Sang Yu, David A. Shapiro, Patrick Herring, Abraham Anapolsky, William C. Chueh, Colin Ophus, Andrew M. Minor
Summary: In this study, a combination of imaging techniques was used to analyze lithium iron phosphate (LixFePO(4)). The results revealed the local structural and chemical variations in LixFePO(4) particles at different stages of delithiation. This study provides important insights into the LixFePO(4) system and the differences between local and global measurements in terms of lattice parameter-composition behavior. It also demonstrates a powerful approach for bridging the gap between local and statistical characterization.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maik Kahnt, Lukas Grote, Dennis Brueckner, Martin Seyrich, Felix Wittwer, Dorota Koziej, Christian G. Schroer
Summary: Ptychographic X-ray microscopy is ideal for observing chemical processes in situ, but the thickness of samples can limit lateral resolution in traditional reconstruction models. By adopting a multi-slice reconstruction approach, higher spatial resolution can be achieved.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Optics
Oliver Townsend, Silvia Gazzola, Sergey Dolgov, Paul Quinn
Summary: Combinations of spectroscopic analysis and microscopic techniques are used across many disciplines of scientific research. X-ray spectromicroscopy is a powerful tool for studying chemical state distributions at the micro and nano scales. This work proposes a novel approach for reducing the dose and scanning times by undersampling the raster data.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Konstantin Kharitonov, Masoud Mehrjoo, Mabel Ruiz-Lopez, Barbara Keitel, Svea Kreis, Seung-gi Gang, Rui Pan, Alessandro Marras, Jonathan Correa, Cornelia B. Wunderer, Elke Plonjes
Summary: In this work, single-shot ptychography was successfully adapted to X-ray wavelengths and applied at the free-electron laser FLASH to achieve high-resolution reconstructions. This technique can image extended samples with diffraction-limited resolution, but traditional scanning approaches are time-consuming and not suitable for mapping dynamical processes. By combining X-ray focusing optics with a two-dimensional beam-splitting diffraction grating, a novel single-shot ptychography setup was developed for X-ray imaging.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Characterization & Testing
Yining Hu, Jin Wang, Yanqing Zhu, Zheng Wang, Dabing Chen, Jianguo Zhang, Hui Ding
Summary: This paper proposes an automatic defect detection framework for ACCC X-ray scans based on deep convolution neural networks. By conducting image normalization and proposing a new data augmentation method, it can effectively recognize small and inconspicuous defects, achieving significantly improved experimental results compared to conventional object detection methods.
NDT & E INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Francesco Guzzi, George Kourousias, Fulvio Bille, Roberto Pugliese, Alessandra Gianoncelli, Sergio Carrato
Summary: This article introduces Sci-ComPty, a software framework that aims to simulate ptychography datasets and test advanced reconstruction algorithms. The software leverages GPU accelerated processing through the PyTorch CUDA interface, enabling the design of new methods. The authors also present improved position refinement and rPIE algorithms, with results shown on synthetic and real datasets.
PEERJ COMPUTER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sebastian Weber, Ana Diaz, Mirko Holler, Andreas Schropp, Mikhail Lyubomirskiy, Ken L. Abel, Maik Kahnt, Arno Jeromin, Satishkumar Kulkarni, Thomas F. Keller, Roger Glaser, Thomas L. Sheppard
Summary: This study utilizes in situ 2D hard X-ray ptychography (XRP) and 3D ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT) to investigate the synthesis process of hierarchically porous materials. The XRP allows for the monitoring of textural changes, while PXCT provides quantitative information on pore structures. The findings are corroborated with traditional pore characterization methods, leading to a better understanding of the synthesis pathways of porous materials.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Arto Merivaara, Jere Kekkonen, Julia Monola, Elle Koivunotko, Marko Savolainen, Tuomo Silvast, Kirsi Svedstrom, Ana Diaz, Mirko Holler, Ossi Korhonen, Marjo Yliperttula, Sami Valkonen
Summary: Near-infrared spectroscopy can be used to monitor the residual water content of freeze-dried products, and our predictive model accurately predicts the residual water content of different biomaterial aerogels. This is important for the freeze-drying of biomaterials and aerogel fabrication.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Mikko A. J. Finnila, Shuvashis Das Gupta, Mikael J. Turunen, Iida Hellberg, Aleksandra Turkiewicz, Viviane Lutz-Bueno, Elin Jonsson, Mirko Holler, Neserin Ali, Velocity Hughes, Hanna Isaksson, Jon Tjornstrand, Patrik Onnerfjord, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Simo Saarakkala, Martin Englund
Summary: This study used advanced microfocus small-angle X-ray scattering to determine the size and organization of mineral crystals at the nanostructural level in human subchondral bone and calcified cartilage. The research found thicker and more mutually aligned mineral crystals in calcified cartilage compared to adjoining bone, as well as identified a well-defined layer associated with pathological tidemark multiplication.
JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ronan Smith, Fabio De Marco, Ludovic Broche, Marie-Christine Zdora, Nicholas W. Phillips, Richard Boardman, Pierre Thibault
Summary: X-ray directional dark-field imaging is a technique that can reveal small-scale structural properties of a sample that are invisible in conventional imaging systems. We present an algorithm to extract the directional dark-field signal from X-ray speckle-based imaging data and demonstrate its accuracy in detecting and quantifying fiber orientation in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer samples.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Giada Lo Re, Emile R. Engel, Linnea Bjorn, Manuel Guizar Sicairos, Marianne Liebi, Jan Wahlberg, Katarina Jonasson, Per A. Larsson
Summary: To replace materials from non-renewable sources, cellulosic materials need to overcome limitations such as fragility, gas permeability, susceptibility to water vapor, and poor shaping. Innovative properties or improved existing properties are essential to expand their applications and create new market opportunities. The study successfully overcomes restrictions in melt-processing of high cellulose content composites and demonstrates the use of chemically modified cellulose fibers for manufacturing highly sustainable materials with tailored properties for specific applications.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Optics
Fabio De Marco, Sara Savatovi, Ronan Smith, Vittorio Di Trapani, Marco Margini, Ginevra Lautizi, Pierre Thibault
Summary: Wavefront-marking X-ray imaging techniques use intensity fluctuations generated by sandpaper or a grating to analyze their distortion caused by the sample, thereby retrieving attenuation, phase-contrast, and dark-field information. These techniques, including phase contrast and dark-field, have wide biomedical and engineering applications. The Unified Modulated Pattern Analysis (UMPA) model has been developed to extract these modalities from wavefront-marking data, and a new UMPA implementation is presented in this study with enhanced capabilities for processing large datasets and extending the field of view. Possible artifacts and additional new features are also discussed.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Kinanti Aliyah, Christian Prehal, Justus S. Diercks, Natasa Diklic, Linfeng Xu, Secil Uensal, Christian Appel, Brian R. Pauw, Glen J. Smales, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Juan Herranz, Lorenz Gubler, Felix N. Buchi, Jens Eller
Summary: A method using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is proposed to quantify the presence of liquid water in polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) catalyst layers (CLs). The method is validated through wetting experiments and allows for interpretation of the measured SAXS data to derive the most probable wetting mechanism in a flow cell electrode.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Elisa A. Casanova, Adrian Rodriguez-Palomo, Lisa Stahli, Kevin Arnke, Olivier Groninger, Melanie Generali, Yvonne Neldner, Simon Tiziani, Ana Perez Dominguez, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Zirui Gao, Christian Appel, Leonard C. Nielsen, Marios Georgiadis, Franz E. Weber, Wendelin Stark, Hans-Christoph Pape, Paolo Cinelli, Marianne Liebi
Summary: A new bioengineering strategy using oriented biocompatible 3D PLGA/aCaP nanocomposites has been developed to enhance osseointegration and treat large bone defects. Two types of scaffolds, decellularized or seeded with adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells, showed high osseointegration, improved bone quality, increased alignment of collagen fibers, and optimal alignment and size of hydroxyapatite minerals, as determined by micro-CT analysis and SAXS imaging.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Salvatore De Angelis, Tobias Schuler, Mayank Sabharwal, Mirko Holler, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Elisabeth Mueller, Felix N. Buechi
Summary: Reducing precious metal loading in the anodic catalyst layer is crucial for cost reduction and wider adoption of polymer electrolyte water electrolysis. This study presents the first 3D reconstruction of a TiO2-supported IrO2 core shell catalyst layer, revealing the nanoporous structure of IrO2 shells and the non-uniform thickness of the ionomer. The analysis of conductivity shows that the ionic conductivity is significantly lower than the electronic conductivity in a dry catalyst layer.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Marios Georgiadis, Miriam Menzel, Jan A. Reuter, Donald E. Born, Sophie R. Kovacevich, Dario Alvarez, Hossein Moein Taghavi, Aileen Schroeter, Markus Rudin, Zirui Gao, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Thomas M. Weiss, Markus Axer, Ivan Rajkovic, Michael M. Zeineh
Summary: Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) can be used to specifically detect myelinated axon crossings and help generate accurate structural connectivity maps in the brain.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Leonard C. Nielsen, Paul Erhart, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Marianne Liebi
Summary: We present a method using band-limited spherical functions for the reconstruction of reciprocal-space maps of various nanostructures. The method has been thoroughly tested and evaluated for its robustness and computational performance.
ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA A-FOUNDATION AND ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mingjian Wu, Daniel G. Stroppa, Philipp Pelz, Erdmann Spiecker
Summary: This article discusses the benefits of using a fast HPD for 4D-STEM experiments, showcasing its applications in studying the structure of molecular nano-crystallites in organic solar cell thin films. The comparison between HPD and CMOS cameras highlights the superior performance of HPD in terms of frame speed, sensitivity, and single-pixel count rate.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qing Wu, Karolina Soppa, Elisabeth Mueller, Julian Mueller, Michal Odstrcil, Esther Hsiao Rho Tsai, Andreas Spaeth, Mirko Holler, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Benjamin Butz, Rainer H. Fink, Benjamin Watts
Summary: Using PXCT, we have investigated Zwischgold samples from medieval artworks and modern materials, revealing a decrease in density, an increase in corrosion products, and delamination between the leaf and its substrate.
Proceedings Paper
Optics
Kirsten Taphorn, Madleen Busse, Johannes Brantl, Benedikt Guenther, Ana Diaz, Mirko Holler, Martin Dierolf, Franz Pfeiffer, Julia Herzen
Summary: A novel approach using ptychographic computed tomography enables the localization of X-ray stains in individual cells with nanoscopic resolution. The noise in the resulting basis materials depends on the electron density of the materials and can be reduced for higher electron dense materials. The energy used for measurement impacts the standard deviation in the basis material images, especially for materials with low atomic number.
DEVELOPMENTS IN X-RAY TOMOGRAPHY XIV
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mengyan Li, Johannes Ihli, Marcel A. Verheijen, Mirko Holler, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Jeroen A. van Bokhoven, Emiel J. M. Hensen, Thomas Weber
Summary: Preparation conditions have a significant impact on the structure and performance of alumina-supported catalysts for hydrodesulfurization (HDS). Factors such as precursor structure, metal-support interactions, and sulfidation processes contribute to the observed differences in HDS activity between catalyst samples. The choice of different chemical sources for preparation leads to variations in precursor structure and reducibility, affecting the formation of active species and ultimately the catalytic performance in HDS reactions.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
