“X-ray Echo Spectroscopy: Opportunities and Feasibility” Workshop

A two-day workshop on “X-ray Echo Spectroscopy: Opportunities and Feasibility” was held at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory, USA, September 9–10, 2016, attracting 42 attendees. The focus of the workshop was to explore the scientific potential and technical feasibility of the recently proposed X-ray echo spectroscopy and to discuss a path for its R&D and realization.     

DMLS 2011: Fourth International Workshop on Diamonds for Modern Light Sources

The fourth in a series of workshops devoted to the use of diamonds at synchrotrons and free electron lasers (FELs) was held on May 5-6, 2011, at the Advanced Photon Source. The previous DMSL workshop was held in Japan in 2008. The workshop was supported in part by Argonne National Laboratory; Applied Diamond, Inc.; SINMAT, Inc.; and elementsix, Ltd. The scope was to assess : 1) the status, size, quality, and availability of synthetic type IIa diamonds; 2) the status of CVD diamonds; 3) applications for beamline optics; 4) applications for beam position monitors (BPMs) and detectors; 5) applications at FELs; and 6) novel applications, such as for an X-ray free electron laser oscillator (XFELO). On May 5, Linda Young (APS/XSD) gave the workshop welcome. There were three sessions on each of the two days. A website was created and will be kept live where the detailed age-nda and list of speakers will remain available (http://www.aps.anl.gov/News/Conferences/2011/DMLS). As part of the session on BPMs and detectors, there were several speakers from outside the light source community, which demonstrated that there is a larger science audience for these applications than just light sources. Highlights of the workshop include: 1) reports of supplier facilities for thinning and polishing; 2) reports on tests of supplier-provided bonds to CVD cooling manifolds; 3) a report of more than 99% reflectivity from diamond for hard X-rays, significant for XFELO feasibility, measured at the APS; 4) a report on thermal expansion measurements at low temperatures made at the APS (no negative thermal expansion, thermal expansion below 1e-9); 5) a report from Brookhaven National Laboratory on substantial progress in diamond beam flux monitors (BPMs), and fast detectors; 6) a presentation on plans for a self-seeding at LCLS with diamond crystals. A synopsis of each technical session follows below.     

Meeting Report: Australia's First Users Workshop

The Australian Synchrotron Research Program (ASRP) and the Australian Synchrotron (AS) held their first joint Users Workshop over three days in December 2005. The ASRP has been providing access for Australian users to the APS, NSRRC and the Photon Factory since 1996; the AS is under construction in Melbourne and at press time was scheduled to open in early 2007. The joint user workshop is one of an increasing number of collaborative projects between the two programs as they move forward towards an eventual combined Australian user program.     

A silane pre-treatment for improving corrosion resistance performances of emeraldine base-coated aluminium samples in neutral environment

An aluminium-magnesium alloy AA5182 substrate pre-treated with a 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APS)-based solution and coated with emeraldine base (EB) showed improved corrosion resistance to neutral salt spray test, compared to samples pre-treated with phosphoric acid-based solutions prior to the EB coating. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) characterisations of samples pre-treated with APS showed the presence of an uneven silane coating on the aluminium surface according to the surface microstructure. The potentiodynamic study performed on the EB-coated samples showed a noticeable reduction of corrosion current of coupons pre-treated with APS, while no relevant difference in corrosion behaviour was observed between APS and phosphoric acid pre-treated samples prior to the EB coating. The coupling activity of APS between the AA5182 surface and EB coating at the most sensitive corrosion sites could be responsible of an improved adhesion of the EB coating at these points and could explain the observed improved corrosion resistance.     

APS/CNM Users Meeting: Celebrating the International Year of Light

The International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies (IYL) is a global initiative, adopted by the United Nations, to highlight the importance of light and optics technologies, and synchrotron light sources are recognized as important tools in revealing the atomic and molecular details of the world around us. The 2015 joint Advanced Photon Source (APS)/Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) Users Meeting was held on May 11–14. This article reports on the APS portion of the meeting. Apropos to both the IYL and the twentieth anniversary of the first X-ray beam at the APS, research highlights were presented and opportunities for upgrading the performance of the APS were discussed.     

Promising X-ray fluorescence tests for superconducting tunnel junction detector

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) looks forward to a period of growth in the coming years. Meanwhile, in April 2006, the APS reorganized its divisions, creating an X-ray Science Division (XSD), bringing science at the APS on a par with the accelerator, and sharing engineering and support services. The machine division, the Accelerator Systems Division, now includes all of the groups that operate and develop the machine and focus on future accelerator research.     

Design and study of a high-current 5-cell superconducting rf cavity

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory is considering the development of a superconducting linac-based fourth-generation hard X-ray source to meet future scientific needs of the hard X-ray user community. This work specifically focuses on the design of an optimized 5-cell superconducting radio-frequency structure well suited for a high-energy, high-beam-current energy recovery linac. The cavity design parameters are based on the APS storage ring nominal 7 GeV and 100 mA beam operation. A high-current 5-cell cw superconducting cavity operating at 1.4 GHz has been designed. In order to achieve a high current, the accelerating cavity shape has been optimized and large end-cell beam pipes have been adopted. The beam break-up threshold of the cavity has been estimated using the code TDBBU, which predicts a high threshold beam current for a 7 GeV energy recovery linac model. A copper prototype cavity has been fabricated that uses half-cell modules, initially assembled by clamping the cells together.     

Moving forward responsibly: Oversight for the nanotechnology-biology interface

Challenges and opportunities for appropriate oversight of nanotechnology applied to or derived from biological systems (nano-bio interface) were discussed in a public workshop and dialog hosted by the Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy of the University of Minnesota on September 15, 2005. This paper discusses the themes that emerged from the workshop, including the importance of analyzing potential gaps in current regulatory systems; deciding upon the general approach taken toward regulation; employing non-regulatory mechanisms for governance; making risk and other studies transparent and available to the public; bolstering mechanisms for public participation in risk analysis; creating more opportunities for meaningful discussion of the social and ethical dimensions of the nano-bio interface; increasing funds for implications and problem-solving research in this area; and having independent and reliable sources for communication. The workshop was successful in identifying ways of moving forward responsibly so that ultimately nanotechnology and its products can succeed in developers’, researchers’, regulators’, and the public’s eyes.     

Infrared workshop held at the SRC

The 2005 Advanced Photon Source (APS) User Meeting commemorated the tenth anniversary of first light at the APS. The weeklong meeting, with more than 600 participants, was held May 2–5, 2005, in collaboration with the new Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM). The CNM, sited adjacent to the APS experiment hall, is currently under construction. Monday's session concentrated on CNM activities. Business and science sessions on Wednesday and Thursday morning highlighted the APS. Nine workshops related to CNM and APS science filled the schedule on Tuesday, Thursday afternoon, and Friday.     

最佳非球面位置的确定：APS因子及其应用

非球面化一直是光学设计领域内非常重要但未得到充分应用的一个方面。近年来,材料科学及加工工艺的飞速发展大大促进了非球面化的实际应用。本文是作者实际非球面化设计经验的归纳,通过引入非球面化位置选择因子(APS 因子),对如何选择最优非球面位置进行了系统,深入的探讨,得到了 APS 因子与待校像差、最优非球面位置的关系。设计得到了一个优于球面系统的结果。     

Improving the adhesion between a aqueous PU and a polyamide fibre with silane

Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPS) and γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APS) were used to modify the surface chemistry of polyamide fibre. The surface chemistry was characterised using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The silanol functional group was designed to be introduced on the surface of polyamide fibre to increase its chemical activity by N-alkylation of GPS and hydrolysis of APS, and to improve the poor interfacial adhesion between a polyamide 66 fibre and an aqueous polyurethane polymer adhesive. The microbond test was used to measure the interfacial shear strength between the waterborne PU adhesive and the polyamide fibre. It has been found that APS hydrolysis and GPS-alkylated fibre surface can be used to improve the interfacial adhesion of polyamide fibre to PU. The IFSS can be improved by N-alkylation of GPS from 5.0 to 8.4?MPa. After water immersion at 50?°C for 48?h, then drying, the IFSS increased to 8.8?MPa due to the plasticisation of PU in water. Better interfacial adhesion was also observed by the hydrolysis of APS, but not significantly improved by this method due to the relatively weak hydrogen bond at the interface between APS and polyamide fibre.     

Influence of YSZ electrolyte thickness on the characteristics of plasma-sprayed cermet supported tubular SOFC

Novel Ni–Al₂O₃ cermet-supported tubular SOFC cell was fabricated by thermal spraying. Flame-sprayed Al₂O₃–Ni cermet coating played dual roles of a support tube and an anode current collector. Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) electrolyte was deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) to aim at reducing manufacturing cost. The gas tightness of APS YSZ coating was achieved by post-densification process. The influence of YSZ coating thickness on the performance of SOFC test cell was investigated in order to optimize YSZ thickness in terms of open circuit voltage of the cell and YSZ ohmic loss. It was found that the reduction of YSZ thickness from 100 μm to 40 μm led to the increase of the maximum output power density from 0.47 W/cm² to 0.76 W/cm² at 1000 °C. Using an APS 4.5YSZ coating of about 40 μm as the electrolyte, the test cell presented a maximum power output density of over 0.88 W/cm² at 1030 °C. The results indicate that SOFCs with thin YSZ electrolyte require more effective cathode and anode to improve performance.     

Second User Workshop on High-Power Lasers at the Linac Coherent Light Source

The second international workshop on the physics enabled by the unique combination of high-power lasers with the world-class Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) free-electron X-ray laser beam was held in Stanford, CA, on October 7–8, 2014. The workshop was co-organized by UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratories. More than 120 scientists, including 40 students and postdoctoral scientists who are working in high-intensity laser-matter interactions, fusion research, and dynamic high-pressure science came together from North America, Europe, and Asia. The focus of the second workshop was on scientific highlights and the lessons learned from 16 new experiments that were performed on the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) instrument since the first workshop was held one year ago.     

Functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles with 3-aminopropyl silane

Superparamagnetic maghemite nanoparticles were functionalized with 3-aminopropyl triethoxy silane (APS). The influence of the different experimental parameters (temperature, pH, and reactant concentration) on the efficiency of the APS bonding directly to the maghemite nanoparticles or after their coating with a thin layer of silica was systematically studied. The functionalization was followed with measurements of the ζ-potential and direct measurements of the surface APS concentration on the nanoparticles. The surface concentration of the APS was much higher in the case when the APS was bonded to the silica-coated nanoparticles compared to bonding directly to the surfaces of the iron-oxide nanoparticles.     

最佳非球面位置的确定─APS因子及其应用

非球面化一直是光学设计领域内非常重要但未得到充分应用的一个方面，近年来材料科学和加工工艺的发展在一定程度上促进了非球面化的实际应用。本文是作者在实际非球面化工作中经验的归纳和总结，通过引入非球面化位置选择因子（ＡＰＳ因子），对如何选择最佳非球面位置进行了系统的探讨，得出了ＡＰＳ因子与待校像差、最佳非球面位置的关系。     

Radiometry with synchrotron radiation at the PTB laboratory at Bessy ii

A workshop on Engineering Applications of Neutrons and Synchrotron Radiation took place on September 13–14, 2004, at the ESRF in Grenoble, France. The workshop brought together around 100 leading scientists and engineers who discussed the application of synchrotron X-ray and neutron central facilities for engineering problems. The event was organized by the FaME38 materials engineering facility at ILL-ESRF. FaME38 is jointly funded by the UK research council EPSRC and ILL-ESRF and provides support to enable materials engineers to make the best use of the advanced synchrotron X-ray and neutron scientific facilities at ILL-ESRF.

The programme included formal presentations, a poster session, informal workgroup sessions and an opportunity to meet staff at the ILL-ESRF materials science beamlines. The formal presentations were structured into three sessions entitled Progress, Complementarity, and Applications chaired by Giovanni Bruno (ILL), Thomas Buslaps (ESRF), and Darren Hughes (FaME38).     

Emerging methods and tools for environmental risk assessment, decision-making, and policy for nanomaterials: summary of NATO Advanced Research Workshop

Nanomaterials and their associated technologies hold promising opportunities for the development of new materials and applications in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, environmental remediation, waste treatment, and energy conservation. However, current information regarding the environmental effects and health risks associated with nanomaterials is limited and sometimes contradictory. This article summarizes the conclusions of a 2008 NATO workshop designed to evaluate the wide-scale implications (e.g., benefits, risks, and costs) of the use of nanomaterials on human health and the environment. A unique feature of this workshop was its interdisciplinary nature and focus on the practical needs of policy decision makers. Workshop presentations and discussion panels were structured along four main themes: technology and benefits, human health risk, environmental risk, and policy implications. Four corresponding working groups (WGs) were formed to develop detailed summaries of the state-of-the-science in their respective areas and to discuss emerging gaps and research needs. The WGs identified gaps between the rapid advances in the types and applications of nanomaterials and the slower pace of human health and environmental risk science, along with strategies to reduce the uncertainties associated with calculating these risks.     

Summary of cosmology workshop

Cosmology is passing through a golden phase of rapid advance. The cosmology workshop at ICGC-2004 attracted a large number of research contributions to diverse topics of cosmology. I attempt to classify and summarize the research work and results of the oral and poster presentations made at the meeting.     

Enhancement of optical luminescence of solids using a capillary lens

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory is a 1-km-circumference, 7-GeV, third generation synchrotron light source. It is the largest light source in the Western Hemisphere and attracts about 3,500 users every year from around the globe. The APS is currently preparing for a major upgrade, a goal of which is to focus on high brightness at photon energies of around 20 keV and higher. The APS is particularly well suited for this high photon energy range due to its higher-energy, 7-GeV electron beam, but it also needs new insertion devices with short periods and high fields, i.e., superconducting devices.