A new high temperature, high heating rate, low axial gradient capillary heater.

A new heater design, capable of fast heating and cooling to and from >1000°C, has been developed at the Swiss-Norwegian Beamlines, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, France. The design uses a SiC head to distribute heat, and resistive Si3N4 heat cartridges to provide heat.

On the resolution function for powder diffraction with area detectors.

In a powder diffraction experiment the resolution function defines the instrumental contribution to the peak widths as a function of the Bragg angle. The Caglioti formula is frequently applied to model the instrumental broadening and used in structural refinement. The parameters in the Caglioti formula are linked to physically meaningful parameters for most diffraction geometries. However, this link is lost for the now very popular powder diffraction geometry using large 2D area detectors. Here we suggest a new physical model for the instrumental broadening specifically developed for powder diffraction data measured with large 2D area detectors. The model is verified using data from two synchrotron diffraction beamlines with the Pilatus2M and MAR345 detectors. Finally, a functional form is proposed to replace the Caglioti formula for this geometry in the Rietveld method and profile refinements.

Unwanted effects of X-rays in surface grafted copper(ii) organometallics and copper exchanged zeolites, how they manifest, and what can be done about them.

Copper(ii) containing materials are widely studied for a very diverse array of applications from biology, through catalysis, to many other materials chemistry based applications. We show that, for grafted copper compounds at the surface of silica, and for the study of the selective conversion of methane to methanol using copper ion-exchanged zeolites, the application of focused X-ray beams for spectroscopic investigations is subject to significant challenges. We demonstrate how unwanted effects due to the X-rays manifest, which can prevent the study of certain types of reactive systems, and/or lead to the derivation of results that are not at all representative of the behavior of the materials in question. With reference to identical studies conducted at a beamline that does not focus its X-rays, we then delineate how the total photon throughput and the brilliance of the applied X-rays affect the apparent behavior of copper in zeolites during the stepwise, high temperature and aerobic activation approach to the selective conversion of methane to methanol. We show that the use of increasingly brilliant X-ray sources for X-ray spectroscopy can bring with it significant caveats to obtaining valid and quantitative structure-reactivity relationships (QSARS) and kinetics for this class of material. Lastly, through a systematic study of these effects, we suggest ways to ensure that valuable allocations of X-ray beam time result in measurements that reflect the real nature of the chemistry under study and not that due to other, extraneous, factors.

Investigation of `glitches' in the energy spectrum induced by single-crystal diamond compound X-ray refractive lenses.

Single-crystal diamond stands out among all the candidate materials that could be exploited to fabricate compound refractive lenses (CRLs) owing to its extremely stable properties. Among all related experimental features, beam divergence, χ-angles relative to the incoming beam in Eulerian geometry and different positions of the X-ray beam relative to the lens geometry may influence the transmission energy spectrum of CRLs. In addition, the orientation of the single-crystal diamond sample may also affect the glitches significantly. To verify these initial assumptions, two experiments, an energy scan and an ω-scan, were set up by employing a polished diamond plate consisting of five biconcave lenses. The results show that beam divergence does not affect the spectrum, nor do χ-angles when ω is set to zero. Nevertheless, different incident positions have an appreciable effect on the transmission spectrum, in particular the `strengths' of the glitches. This is attributed to absorption. The ω-scan setup is capable of determining the so-called orientation matrix, which may be used to predict both `energy positions' and `strengths' of the glitches.

An electrochemical cell with sapphire windows for operando synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and spectroscopy studies of high-power and high-voltage electrodes for metal-ion batteries.

A new multi-purpose operando electrochemical cell was designed, constructed and tested on the Swiss-Norwegian Beamlines BM01 and BM31 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Single-crystal sapphire X-ray windows provide a good signal-to-noise ratio, excellent electrochemical contact because of the constant pressure between the electrodes, and perfect electrochemical stability at high potentials due to the inert and non-conductive nature of sapphire. Examination of the phase transformations in the Li1-xFe0.5Mn0.5PO4 positive electrode (cathode) material at C/2 and 10C charge and discharge rates, and a study of the valence state of the Ni cations in the Li1-xNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material for Li-ion batteries, revealed the applicability of this novel cell design to diffraction and spectroscopic investigations of high-power/high-voltage electrodes for metal-ion batteries.

In situ flow cell for combined X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mass spectrometry at high photon energies under solar thermochemical looping conditions.

An in situ/operando flow cell for transmission mode X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and combined XAS/XRD measurements in a single experiment under the extreme conditions of two-step solar thermochemical looping for the dissociation of water and/or carbon dioxide was developed. The apparatus exposes materials to relevant conditions of both the auto-reduction and the oxidation sub-steps of the thermochemical cycle at ambient temperature up to 1773 K and enables determination of the composition of the effluent gases by online quadrupole mass spectrometry. The cell is based on a tube-in-tube design and is heated by means of a focusing infrared furnace. It was tested successfully for carbon dioxide splitting. In combined XAS/XRD experiments with an unfocused beam, XAS measurements were performed at the Ce K edge (40.4 keV) and XRD measurements at 64.8 keV and 55.9 keV. Furthermore, XRD measurements with a focused beam at 41.5 keV were carried out. Equimolar ceria-hafnia was auto-reduced in a flow of argon and chemically reduced in a flow of hydrogen/helium. Under reducing conditions, all cerium(iv) was converted to cerium(iii) and a cation-ordered pyrochlore-type structure was formed, which was not stable upon oxidation in a flow of carbon dioxide.

Ce K edge XAS of ceria-based redox materials under realistic conditions for the two-step solar thermochemical dissociation of water and/or CO2.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to characterise ceria-based materials under realistic conditions present in a reactor for solar thermochemical two-step water and carbon dioxide splitting. A setup suitable for in situ measurements in transmission mode at the cerium K edge from room temperature up to 1773 K is presented. Time-resolved X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) data, collected for a 10 mol% hafnium-doped ceria sample (Ce0.9Hf0.1O2-δ) during reduction at 1773 K in a flow of inert gas and during re-oxidation by CO2 at 1073 K, enables the quantitative determination of the non-stoichiometry δ of the fluorite-type structure. XANES analysis suggests the formation of the hexagonal Ce2O3 phase upon reduction in 2% hydrogen/helium at 1773 K. We discuss the experimental limitations and possibilities of high-temperature in situ XAS at edges of lower energy as well as the importance of the technique for understanding and improving the properties of ceria-based oxygen storage materials for thermochemical solar energy conversion.

Multivariate curve resolution applied to in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy data: an efficient tool for data processing and analysis.

Large datasets containing many spectra commonly associated with in situ or operando experiments call for new data treatment strategies as conventional scan by scan data analysis methods have become a time-consuming bottleneck. Several convenient automated data processing procedures like least square fitting of reference spectra exist but are based on assumptions. Here we present the application of multivariate curve resolution (MCR) as a blind-source separation method to efficiently process a large data set of an in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiment where the sample undergoes a periodic concentration perturbation. MCR was applied to data from a reversible reduction-oxidation reaction of a rhenium promoted cobalt Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalyst. The MCR algorithm was capable of extracting in a highly automated manner the component spectra with a different kinetic evolution together with their respective concentration profiles without the use of reference spectra. The modulative nature of our experiments allows for averaging of a number of identical periods and hence an increase in the signal to noise ratio (S/N) which is efficiently exploited by MCR. The practical and added value of the approach in extracting information from large and complex datasets, typical for in situ and operando studies, is highlighted.

Evolution of atomic structure during nanoparticle formation.

Understanding the mechanism of nanoparticle formation during synthesis is a key prerequisite for the rational design and engineering of desirable materials properties, yet remains elusive due to the difficulty of studying structures at the nanoscale under real conditions. Here, the first comprehensive structural description of the formation of a nanoparticle, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), all the way from its ionic constituents in solution to the final crystal, is presented. The transformation is a complicated multi-step sequence of atomic reorganizations as the material follows the reaction pathway towards the equilibrium product. Prior to nanoparticle nucleation, reagents reorganize into polymeric species whose structure is incompatible with the final product. Instead of direct nucleation of clusters into the final product lattice, a highly disordered intermediate precipitate forms with a local bonding environment similar to the product yet lacking the correct topology. During maturation, bond reforming occurs by nucleation and growth of distinct domains within the amorphous intermediary. The present study moves beyond kinetic modeling by providing detailed real-time structural insight, and it is demonstrated that YSZ nanoparticle formation and growth is a more complex chemical process than accounted for in conventional models. This level of mechanistic understanding of the nanoparticle formation is the first step towards more rational control over nanoparticle synthesis through control of both solution precursors and reaction intermediaries.

Crystal structure and solution species of Ce(III) and Ce(IV) formates: from mononuclear to hexanuclear complexes.

Cerium(III) and cerium(IV) both form formate complexes. However, their species in aqueous solution and the solid-state structures are surprisingly different. The species in aqueous solutions were investigated with Ce K-edge EXAFS spectroscopy. Ce(III) formate shows only mononuclear complexes, which is in agreement with the predicted mononuclear species of Ce(HCOO)(2+) and Ce(HCOO)2(+). In contrast, Ce(IV) formate forms in aqueous solution a stable hexanuclear complex of [Ce6(µ3-O)4(µ3-OH)4(HCOO)x(NO3)y](12-x-y). The structural differences reflect the different influence of hydrolysis, which is weak for Ce(III) and strong for Ce(IV). Hydrolysis of Ce(IV) ions causes initial polymerization while complexation through HCOO(-) results in 12 chelate rings stabilizing the hexanuclear Ce(IV) complex. Crystals were grown from the above-mentioned solutions. Two crystal structures of Ce(IV) formate were determined. Both form a hexanuclear complex with a [Ce6(µ3-O)4(µ3-OH)4](12+) core in aqueous HNO3/HCOOH solution. The pH titration with NaOH resulted in a structure with the composition [Ce6(µ3-O)4(µ3-OH)4(HCOO)10(NO3)2(H2O)3]·(H2O)9.5, while the pH adjustment with NH3 resulted in [Ce6(µ3-O)4(µ3-OH)4(HCOO)10(NO3)4]·(NO3)3(NH4)5(H2O)5. Furthermore, the crystal structure of Ce(III) formate, Ce(HCOO)3, was determined. The coordination polyhedron is a tricapped trigonal prism which is formed exclusively by nine HCOO(-) ligands. The hexanuclear Ce(IV) formate species from aqueous solution is widely preserved in the crystal structure, whereas the mononuclear solution species of Ce(III) formate undergoes a polymerization during the crystallization process.

Kinematic diffraction on a structure with periodically varying scattering function.

A theory is developed to describe the kinematic diffraction response of a crystal when it is subjected to a periodically varying external perturbation. It is shown that if a part of the local electron density varies linearly with an external stimulus, the diffracted signal is not only a function of the stimulation frequency Ω, but also of its double 2Ω. These frequency components can provide, under certain conditions, selective access to partial diffraction contributions that are normally summed up in the interference pattern. A phasing process applied to partial diffraction terms would allow recovery of the substructure actively responding to the stimulus. Two ways of frequency filtering are discussed (demodulation and correlation) with respect to extracting information from such an experiment. Also considered is the effect of the variation of different structural parameters on the diffraction intensity that have to be accounted for while planning modulation-enhanced experiments. Finally, the advantages and limitations of the proposed concept are discussed, together with possible experiments.

SR-XRD and SR-FTIR study of the alteration of silver foils in medieval paintings.

Altarpieces and polychrome carved wood from the fifteenth century AD usually exhibit golden and silvery areas by the application of a very thin foil of metal. The metal foils were normally protected from the atmosphere by a varnish or resin which maybe either preserved or absent. Moreover, they were glued to the background surface by adhesive substances (egg yolk, drying oil or animal glue). The high proportion of the glueing substances often renders the development of reaction compounds. With time, silver alters blacken or simply disappear completely. In this paper, we study the alterations to metal foils from a selection of fifteenth century artworks showing different glueing agents, organic coatings and several degrees of conservation of the organic coatings and metal leafs. The submillimetric layered structure and the high variability and low amount of most of the compounds present in the different layers, as well as their differing nature (organic and inorganic) make the use of micron-sensitive high-resolution techniques essential for their study. In particular, the high resolution, high brilliance and small footprint renders synchrotron radiation most adequate for their study. SR-XRD was performed to identify the reaction compounds formed in the different layers; µFTIR was used at to identify the silver protecting organic coatings, the metal foil glueing layers and the corresponding reaction compounds. The results obtained suggest that atmospheric corrosion is the dominant mechanism, and therefore that the degree of corrosion of the metal foils is mainly related to the conservation state of the protecting coatings.

Identification of reaction compounds in micrometric layers from gothic paintings using combined SR-XRD and SR-FTIR.

Synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (micro-SR-XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (micro-SR-FTIR) are used in the non-destructive identification of reaction and aging compounds from micrometric ancient painting layers. The combination of the micrometer size and non-destructive nature of the techniques together with the high resolution and brilliance of the synchrotron radiation has proved to be a procedure most advantageous for the study of reaction, aging and degradation processes. Copper, lead and calcium carboxylates and oxalates are determined in the chromatic, preparation and alteration layers from 15th century egg tempera and oil paintings. Their nature and crystallinity have been assessed. Some hypothesis about the mechanisms of development of both carboxylates and oxalates are presented.

Double-bridge bonding of aluminium and hydrogen in the crystal structure of gamma-AlH3.

Aluminum trihydride (alane) is one of the most promising among the prospective solid hydrogen-storage materials, with a high gravimetric and volumetric density of hydrogen. In the present work, the alane, crystallizing in the gamma-AlH3 polymorphic modification, was synthesized and then structurally characterized by means of synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. This study revealed that gamma-AlH3 crystallizes with an orthorhombic unit cell (space group Pnnm, a = 5.3806(1) A, b = 7.3555(2) A, c = 5.77509(5) A). The crystal structure of gamma-AlH3 contains two types of AlH6 octahedra as the building blocks. The Al-H bond distances in the structure vary in the range of 1.66-1.79 A. A prominent feature of the crystal structure is the formation of the bifurcated double-bridge bonds, Al-2H-Al, in addition to the normal bridge bonds, Al-H-Al. This former feature has not been previously reported for Al-containing hydrides so far. The geometry of the double-bridge bond shows formation of short Al-Al (2.606 A) and Al-H (1.68-1.70 A) bonds compared to the Al-Al distances in Al metal (2.86 A) and Al-H distances for Al atoms involved in the formation of normal bridge bonds (1.769-1.784 A). The crystal structure of gamma-AlH3 contains large cavities between the AlH6 octahedra. As a consequence, the density is 11% less than for alpha-AlH3.

Hydrated Cs+-exchanged MFI zeolites: location and population of Cs+ cations and water molecules in hydrated Cs6.6MFI from in and ex situ powder X-ray diffraction data as a function of temperature and other experimental conditions.

Extending our previous investigation of dehydrated, Cs-exchanged MFI zeolites (J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 97-106) to hydrated analogues, we have determined the crystal structures of members of the Cs(6.6)H(0.3)MFI.xH(2)O series, for 0 < x < 28, from synchrotron-radiation powder diffraction data. In the fully hydrated phase, three independent Cs(+) cations and six water molecules are identified in difference Fourier maps. The populations of the cations amount to 2.79/3.40/0.41 Cs/unit cell (uc) for the Cs1/Cs2/Cs3 sites, respectively, and those of the water molecules to 4/4/4/4/8/4 H(2)O/uc for the Ow1/Ow2/Ow3/Ow4/Ow5/Ow6 sites, respectively. Close to water saturation, the Cs3 and Ow6 sites are near each other (approximately 1.44 A) and are not occupied simultaneously. At saturation, Cs cations and water molecules form three interconnected Cs(H(2)O)(n) clusters and one (H(2)O)(4) cluster in the MFI channel system: Cs2(H(2)O)(5) centered at x/y/z approximately -0.018/0.146/0.546 (midway between the intersection and the straight channels), Cs1(H(2)O)(4) centered at approximately 0.056/0.240/0.889 (the zigzag channel openings), Cs3(H(2)O)(2) centered at approximately 0.228/0.25/0.899 (in the zigzag channel), and the (H(2)O)(4) cluster (in the zigzag channel) bonded to Cs1 and Ow1. (H(2)O)(4) and Cs3(H(2)O)(2) exclude each other. The Cs2(H(2)O)(5) clusters are connected through weak Ow5...Ow5' hydrogen bonds (2.88 A) and form polymeric chains in the straight channel direction (010). During progressive hydration this Cs2 cation enlarges its hydration shell, stepwise, from Cs2(H(2)O)(2) to Cs2(H(2)O)(3), to Cs2(H(2)O)(4), and finally to a Cs2(H(2)O)(5) cluster. During the dehydration process, these extraframework species migrate, and it is shown that for varying total H(2)O/uc loadings the individual populations of the Cs(+) cations and H(2)O molecules strongly depend on experimental and measurement (in situ vs ex situ) conditions. The shapes of the channels change also; except for T > 150 degrees C, in all the Cs(6.6)H(0.3)MFI.xH(2)O phases, the straight channel D10R (double 10-ring) pore openings (1.16 < epsilon < 1.23) become strongly elliptical. The framework structure of all the investigated phases conforms to orthorhombic Pnma space group symmetry. Hydration and dehydration in Cs(6.6)MFI are fully reversible processes. From a knowledge of the Cs(+) locations, we are able to estimate, by computer simulations, the positions of H(2)O molecules in Cs(6.6)H(0.3)MFI.28H(2)O. The maximum theoretically possible water loading in an hypothetical and idealized cationless [Cs(6.6)H(0.3)]MFI structure amounts to 48 H(2)O/uc (nine independent water species), which is in fair agreement with existing high-pressure data (47 H(2)O/uc). This value is to be compared with the water saturation capacity obtained in a structural refinement of sealed-tube diffraction data of a proton-exchanged H(6.9)MFI.38H(2)O (seven independent water molecules). In the crystal structure of this H-ZSM-5 phase, the straight channel openings are almost circular (epsilon = 1.08). From this we conclude that the main factor responsible for the flexibility of the MFI framework is the presence of the Cs(H(2)O)(n)() clusters residing in, or close to, the straight channel double 10-rings.

Dehydrated and Cs+-exchanged MFI zeolites: location and population of Cs+ from in situ diffraction data as a function of temperature and degree of exchange.

H-MFI type zeolitic materials of different Si/Al ratios have been completely or partially cesium-exchanged (cesium content ranging from 0.7 to 7.7 Cs/unit-cell (uc)). Examined with synchrotron X-ray powder diffractometry, an anhydrous sample with the Cs6.6H0.3Al6.9Si89.1O192 chemical composition revealed at ambient temperature the presence of five discrete Cs locations: Cs1 located in the channel intersection near a 10-ring window of the zigzag channel; Cs2 and Cs2', both located in the straight channel but 1.23 A apart; Cs3 and Cs3', both located in the zigzag channel and rather close to each other (2.51 A). The populations of the Cs species amounted to 2.61/0.81/1.85/0.86/0.47/uc for Cs1/2/2'/3/3', respectively. The continuous but multimodal nature of the C2 split site is well-described by a joint-probability density function. The 10-ring of the straight channel in the framework is highly elliptical (epsilon = 1.218). The populations for the same sites were also determined at higher temperatures: 131, 237, 344, and 450 degrees C. At 450 degrees C, Cs2' has migrated toward the center of the channel intersection, and the site separation between Cs2 and Cs2' has lengthened to 2.23 A. Using a temperature-controlled laboratory X-ray diffractometer, similar studies were carried out on partially or almost totally Cs-exchanged samples from various sources with differing Cs contents. They show that over the 0.7 to 4 Cs/uc range all the individual Cs populations vary linearly as a function of total Cs/uc present. At higher total Cs/uc content (4 to approximately 7 Cs/uc) solely Cs1 continues to do so. For Cs2+Cs2' and Cs3+Cs3', the variation is almost linear over the whole concentration range. Computer simulations using a 6-exp-1 Buckingham-type atom-atom van der Waals interaction model yield six possible Cs sites in the actual Cs6.6MFI framework structure. Four of them lie very close to those determined from difference Fourier maps using the room temperature data. A fifth one is close to the Cs2' species after thermal migration at 450 degrees C, and the sixth one is close to the center of the channel intersection. However, this latter site is observed experimentally only in the case of hydrated CsMFI phases. In the anhydrous Cs6.6MFI phase at room temperature, the shortest Cs-framework oxygen distance is Cs3'-O25 = 3.08 A, and the next shortest distances are Cs1-O26 = 3.37, Cs2-O11 = 3.34, Cs2'-O22 = 3.47, and Cs3-O20 = 3.34 A. The framework T(Si,Al) sites most involved in these contacts are the T9, T11, T12, T10, and T3 sites. This implies that these sites are prime candidates for Si/Al substitution.