Structural changes during the unfolding of Bovine serum albumin in the presence of urea: A small-angle neutron scattering study

The native form of serum albumin is the most important soluble protein in the body plasma. In order to investigate the structural changes of Bovine serum albumin (BSA) during its unfolding in the presence of urea, a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) study was performed. The scattering curves of dilute solutions of BSA with different concentrations of urea in D₂O at pH 7.2 ± 0.2 were measured at room temperature. The scattering profile was fitted to a prolate ellipsoidal shape (a, b, b) of the protein witha = 52.2 Å andb = 24.2 Å. The change in the dimensions of the protein as it unfolds was found to be anisotropic. The radius of gyration of the compact form of the protein in solution decreased as the urea concentration was increased.     

Liquid–gas critical phenomena under confinement: small-angle neutron scattering studies of CO2 in aerogel

Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) is a well-established technique for investigating the behavior of confined binary liquid solutions, as it can probe the correlation length and susceptibility in pores on length scales 1 – 100 nm. We applied SANS to explore the influence of confinement on critical behavior of an individual fluid carbon dioxide (CO₂) in a highly porous aerogel. The results demonstrate that quenched disorder induced by aerogel significantly depresses density fluctuations. Despite the negligible volume occupied by aerogel (< 4%), the macroscopic phase separation of confined CO₂ into coexisting liquid and gaseous phases is suppressed and below the critical temperature of the bulk fluid frozen methastable microdomains are formed. Experimental data show that critical adsorption is as important as the effect of confinement in defining the behavior of confined fluids.     

In-situ study of precipitates in Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys using anomalous small-angle x-ray scattering

In the present work,the precipitate compositions and precipitate amounts of these elements(including the size distribution,volume fraction,and inter-precipitate distance) on the Cu-containing 7000 series aluminum alloys(7150 and 7085 Al alloys),are investigated by anomalous small-angle x-ray scattering(ASAXS) at various energies.The scattering intensity of 7150 alloy with T6 aging treatment decreases as the incident x-ray energy approaches the Zn absorption edge from the lower energy side,while scattering intensity does not show a noticeable energy dependence near the Cu absorption edge.Similar results are observed in the 7085 alloy in an aging process(120℃) by employing in-situ ASAXS measurements,indicating that the precipitate compositions should include Zn element and should not be strongly related to Cu element at the early stage after 10 min.In the aging process,the precipitate particles with an initial average size of ~ 8 ?A increase with aging time at an energy of 9.60 ke V,while the increase with a slower rate is observed at an energy of 9.65 ke V as near the Zn absorption edge.     

On the magnetic structure of magnetite/oleic acid/benzene ferrofluids by small-angle neutron scattering

Magnetic small-angle scattering of non-polarized and polarized neutrons from ferrofluds (magnetite covered by oleic acid in benzene) is analyzed. A complex correlation in the magnetic structure is observed. It takes place at the length of more than the particle size, and has a core-shell-like organization. Along with it no spatial interparticle correlation in the nuclear structure is detected.     

Small-angle neutron scattering studies of nonionic surfactant: Effect of sugars

Micellar solution of nonionic surfactantn-dodecyloligo ethyleneoxide surfactant, decaoxyethylene monododecyl ether [CH₃(CH₂)₁₁(OCH₂CH₂)₁₀OH], C₁₂E₁₀ in D₂O solution have been analysed by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) at different temperatures (30, 45 and 60° C) both in the presence and absence of sugars. The structural parameters like micelle shape and size, aggregation number and micellar density have been determined. It is found that the micellar structure significantly depends on the temperature and concentration of sugars. The micelles are found to be prolate ellipsoids at 30° C and the axial ratio of the micelle increases with the increase in temperature. The presence of lower concentration of sugar reduces the size of micelles and it grows at higher concentration of sugar. The structure of micelles is almost independent of the different types of sugars used.     

Fractal morphology in porous membranes: A small-angle X-Ray scattering investigation

This paper reports the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) study and flow- rate measurements of semipermeable porous polysulfone (PS) and sulfonated polycarbonate-doped polysulfone (SPC-PS) membranes. Flow rates of sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, and polyethylene glycol solutions through these membranes have been measured. For all the solutions, the flux through the SPC-PS membrane was found to be close to 1.65 times that through the PS membrane. SAXS measurements show that the pore morphologies of two membranes are mass fractal in nature with different fractal dimensions. The difference in flow rates through these membranes is explained in terms of porosity and fractal dimension.     

Small-angle neutron scattering study of structural evolution of different phases in protein solution

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been used to study the structural evolution of different phases in protein solution leading to crystallization, denaturation and gelation. The protein solution under crystallization mostly consists of monomers and dimers, and higher-mers are not observed as they are perhaps formed in very small numbers. The onset and the rate of crystallization strongly depend on the salt concentration. Protein denaturation on addition of surfactant occurs due to the formation of micelle-like clusters along the unfolded polypeptide chains of the protein. The structure of such protein-surfactant complex is found to be independent of the size of the micelles in their pure surfactant solutions. The structure of temperature-induced protein gels shows a fractal structure. Rheology of these gels shows a strong dependence on varying pH or protein concentration, whereas the structure of such gels is found to be similar.      

Vortex lattices in type-II superconductors studied by small-angle neutron scattering

Here we review recent small-angle scattering studies of the vortex lattice in a range of type-II superconductors carried out by our group. Emphasis is placed on providing examples of the kind of information which can be obtained by such measurements, focusing in particular on studies of the vortex lattice structure and form factor in LuNi₂B₂C, TmNi₂B₂C, CeCoIn₅ and Ba(Fe_0.93Co_0.07)₂As₂.     

Structure of Co-Zn ferrite ferrofluid: A small angle neutron scattering analysis

A hydrothermal synthesis route is used to synthesize nanomagnetic particles of Co_0.3Zn_0.7Fe₂O₄ ferrite ferrofluids with particle diameter ranging from 5.5–9 nm. XRD analysis shows the formation of a single phase spinel structure. EDX results confirm the stoichiometric composition of the cations. Small angle neutron scattering technique is used to determine the size and size distribution of Co_0.3Zn_0.7Fe₂O₄ ferrofluid. The sizes thus obtained are in the range of 5.4 to 8.4 nm. These results are in agreement with magnetic measurements.      

Morphology of carbon nanotubes prepared via chemical vapour deposition technique using acetylene: A small angle neutron scattering investigation

Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been utilized to study the morphology of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes prepared by chemical vapour deposition of acetylene. The effects of various synthesis parameters like temperature, catalyst concentration and catalyst support on the size distribution of the nanotubes are investigated. Distribution of nanotube radii in two length scales has been observed. The number density of the smaller diameter tubes was found more in number compared to the bigger one for all the cases studied. No prominent scaling of the structure factor was observed for the different synthesis conditions.      

Small-angle neutron scattering study on the stability of oxide nanoparticles in long-term thermally aged 9Cr-oxide dispersion strengthened steel

A 9Cr-oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel was thermally aged at 873 K for up to 5000 h. The size distribution and chemical composition of the dispersed oxide nanoparticles were analyzed by small-angle neutron scattering under a magnetic field. Combined with transmission electron microscopy, Vickers micro-hardness tests and electron backscattered diffraction measurements, all the results showed that the thermal treatment had little or no effect on the size distributions and volume fractions of the oxide nanoparticles in the ferromagnetic matrix, which suggested excellent thermal stability of the 9Cr-ODS steel.     

Effect of heat treatment on pore structure in nanocrystalline NiO: A small angle neutron scattering study

Nanocrystalline nickel oxide powders were calcined at 300, 600 and 900°C and pore structure evolution was followed by small angle neutron scattering (SANS). Pore size distributions at two widely separated size ranges have been revealed. Shrinkage of larger-sized pore with reduction in polydispersity has been observed with increasing heat treatment temperature. The pore structures at various heat treatment temperatures do not scale. This has been attributed to the grain boundary diffusion leading to an asymmetric shrinkage of the pores.      

Elastic properties of polymer-doped dilute lamellar phases: A small-angle neutron scattering study

We investigate experimentally, using small-angle neutron scattering the elastic properties of polymer-doped dilute lamellar phases. In our system the polymer is water-soluble but nevertheless partially adsorbs onto the negatively charged surfactant bilayers. The effective polymer-mediated interaction between bilayers is less repulsive than the weakly screened electrostatic interaction that prevails at zero polymer content. It even becomes attractive in some regions of the phase diagram. Small-angle neutron scattering allows us to measure directly the Caillé exponent η characterizing the bilayer fluctuations in lamellar (smectic A) phases, and thus indirectly estimate the compression modulus as a measure of the strength of the bilayer-bilayer interactions. The compression modulus appears to be vanishing at a point located on the lamellar-lamellar phase separation boundary, a candidate critical point. Received: 7 August 2000     

Multiscale structures and phase transitions in metallic glasses:A scattering perspective

Amorphous materials are ubiquitous and widely used in human society, yet their structures are far from being fully understood. Metallic glasses, a new class of amorphous materials, have attracted a great deal of interests due to their exceptional properties. In recent years, our understanding of metallic glasses increases dramatically, thanks to the development of advanced instrumentation, such as in situ x-ray and neutron scattering. In this article, we provide a brief review of recent progress in study of the structure of metallic glasses. In particular, we will emphasize, from the scattering perspective, the multiscale structures of metallic glasses, i.e., short-to-medium range atomic packing, and phase transitions in the supercooled liquid region, e.g., crystallization and liquid-to-liquid phase transition. We will also discuss, based on the understanding of their structures and phase stability, the mechanical and magnetic properties of metallic glasses.     

High resolution neutron scattering study of low-energy magnetic excitations in Nd2-xCexCuO4

The low-energy magnetic excitations (?ω ≤ 2 meV) of polycrystalline samples of Nd_2-xCe_xCuO₄ with x = 0, 0.1 and 0.15 have been measured with high resolution inelastic neutron scattering using time-of-flight technique at temperatures below 0.3 K. All observed scattering originates from transitions within the ground state doublet of Nd³⁺. For Nd₂CuO₄ the response is inelastic, and shows at least three different modes, of which one is almost dispersionless. For x = 0.1 the excitation spectrum shifts towards lower energies, but the main features of the undoped compound are still visible, whereas for x = 0.15 the response is mainly quasi-elastic but remains localised in Q-space around the first magnetic Bragg point (0.5 0.5 1). A comparison with data obtained on a triple-axis-spectrometer on single crystals with x = 0.0 and x = 0.15 reveals that the response of the doped sample in the [0 0 1] direction is still inelastic.     

Measurement of ultrasonic scattering attenuation in austenitic stainless steel welds: Realistic input data for NDT numerical modeling

Multipass welds made of 316L stainless steel are specific welds of the primary circuit of pressurized water reactors in nuclear power plants. Because of their strong heterogeneous and anisotropic nature due to grain growth during solidification, ultrasonic waves may be greatly deviated, split and attenuated. Thus, ultrasonic assessment of the structural integrity of such welds is quite complicated. Numerical codes exist that simulate ultrasonic propagation through such structures, but they require precise and realistic input data, as attenuation coefficients. This paper presents rigorous measurements of attenuation in austenitic weld as a function of grain orientation. In fact attenuation is here mainly caused by grain scattering. Measurements are based on the decomposition of experimental beams into plane-wave angular spectra and on the modeling of the ultrasonic propagation through the material. For this, the transmission coefficients are calculated for any incident plane wave on an anisotropic plate. Two different hypotheses on the welded material are tested: first it is considered as monoclinic, and then as triclinic. Results are analyzed, and validated through comparison to theoretical predictions of related literature. They underline the great importance of well-describing the anisotropic structure of austenitic welds for UT modeling issues.     

A comparative study of nanoparticles in premixed flames by scanning mobility particle sizer, small angle neutron scattering, and transmission electron microscopy

Scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies were conducted for TiO₂ and soot particles. The TiO₂ particles were produced from a premixed stagnation ethylene-oxygen-argon flame (? = 0.36) doped with titanium tetraisopropoxide. Soot was generated from a burner-stabilized premixed ethylene-oxygen-argon flame (? = 2.5). The close agreement among SMPS, TEM, and X-ray diffraction results for TiO₂ nanoparticles demonstrates that the probe sampling/mobility measurement technique is accurate for on-line analysis of the size distribution of particles as small as 3 nm in diameter. In the case of soot, notable disagreement between the SMPS and TEM sizes was found and attributable to the fact that the soot taken from the flame studied herein is liquid-like and that upon deposition on the TEM grid, the primary particles do not retain their sphericity. This interpretation is supported by measurements with photo ionization aerosol mass spectrometry, small angle neutron scattering, and thermocouple particle densitometry.     

Magnetization and neutron scattering studies of the pressure effect on the magnetic transition in Er Y Co

Neutron powder diffraction was employed to study the pressure effect on the magnetic transition in the pseudobinary Laves-phase compound Er_0.57Y_0.43Co₂ and to determine the magnetic moments of the Er- and Co-subsystems. Our studies reveal that the onset of long-range magnetic order for both the localized 4 f (Er) and itinerant 3 d (Co) electron moments appears at about the same temperature at ambient pressure. The pressure effect on T_c is found to be negative and equal for both sublattices, namely T _c / p ∼ - 0.4 K/kbar. The values of the magnetic moments of the Er and the Co ions are found = 5.40±0.15μ _B /atom, = 0.50±0.07μ _B /atom and 5.35±0.15μ _B /atom, 0.37±0.09μ _B /atom, for p = 0 and 6 kbar, respectively. Our experimental results give evidence for short-range magnetic order formation at temperatures already above T_c and for a coexistence short- and long-range order below T_c down to 4 K. Received 20 December 2001 / Received in final form 12 June 2002 Published online 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: andrew.podlesnyak@psi.ch     

Low-nickel stainless steel passive film in simulated concrete pore solution: A SIMS study

Low-nickel and AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel (SS) passive films were studied using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). An alkaline Ca(OH)₂ saturated test solution containing different chloride additions was used at room temperature. The passive film formed consists mainly of an inner chromium-rich oxide layer and an outer iron-rich oxide layer. The chemistry of the passive film depends strongly on the chloride content in the alkaline solution. Under these exposure conditions nickel was detected in the outer part of the oxide, whereas chloride ions were not found in the passive film for either the low-nickel or AISI 304 SS alloys.