Small Angle X-ray Scattering Study of Precipitation Kinetics in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloys

The evolution of microstructure parameters （precipitate size and volume fraction） for two types of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys （7075 and 7055） during aging has been studied by synchrotron-radiation small angle X-ray scattering （SAXS）.The results show that the precipitates are only a few nanorneters for both alloys ageing even at higher temperature of 160℃ for 72 h （4.44 and 5.82 nm, respectively）. The maximum of the precipitate volume fraction increases with in creasing Zn content and is about 0.023-0.028 and 0.052-0.054, respectively. The coarsening of precipitate is consistent with LSW （Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner） model even at the initial stage where volume fraction is still varying.The activation energy of coarsening regime has been determined to be about 1.22±0.02 eV and 1.25±0.02 eV for alloys 7075 and 7055, respectively.

Scanning Microfocus Small Angle X-ray Scattering Study of the Avian Eggshell

Synchrotron microfocus small angle X-ray scattering was used to investigate the nanostructure and microscopic variation of eggshells. It uses a microbeam allowing the ability to probe interactions between the organic and inorganic components at nanometer level and is ideal for mapping over small areas to obtain a detailed analysis of structural variations. Thin sections of eggshells were scanned from the shell membrane （inner） to the cuticle （outer） surface. The data collected was used to produce two-dimensional maps showing microscopic changes within the different layers of the eggshell. The structural alterations ap- parently could have implications at the macroscopic level of the resulting eggshell. As the organic matrix is embedded within the eggshell this may contribute to the variations observed in calcite crystal form and texture, Structural information obtained about a biomaterial at different length scales is important in relating the structure to its functional properties. This knowledge and the principles behind the formation of biomaterials could be used in the attempt of bioengineering new systems.

Characteristics of AOT Microemulsion Structure: a Small Angle X-ray Scattering Study

The method of synchrotron radiation small-angle X-ray scattering (SR-SAXS) has been used to obtain structural information on the system of bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)/H2O/isooctane. By using the Guinier plot (Ln I (q) versus q(2)) on the data sets in a defined small q range (0.03-0.06 Angstrom (-1)), the gyration radius at different water/surfactant molar ratio, W-0, was obtained. With the increase of W-0, the gyration radius (R-g) increased at the range of 23.2 similar to 52.7 Angstrom.

Control for Underactuated Reentry Aircraft in Small Angle of Attack

The control problem for under-actuated reentry vehicle like HTV-2 is considered with small angle of attack.The control strategy for an aircraft with positive lateral control departure parameter relies on strong lateral stability,which declines with the decrease of the angle of attack.Thus,to control the lateral-directional motion in a stable state is hard and even impossible in some scenarios where the under-actuated reentry vehicle,like HTV-2,flies in a low angle of attack.To address this problem,the lateral-directional open-loop motion characteristics are analyzed.The results show that in an uncontrolled state,the lateral-directional motion can automatically converge to stabilization thanks to the aerodynamic damping effect.Therefore,a method of turning-off the lateral-directional control and inviting aerodynamic damping to control can achieve stability.The six-degree-of-freedom simulation show that the lateral-directional motion can be stabilized by the aerodynamic damping,and the lateral position error caused by the bank angle deviation is limited near the zero-rise angle of attack.The control strategy is effective.

SMALL ANGLE NEUTRON SCATTERING INVESTIGATION OF Ni_(50)Mo(50)ALLOY AND ITS FRACTAL PROPERTIES

Small angle neutron scattering(SANS) technique has been used to investigate the Ni_(50)Mo_(50) system prepared by mechanical alloying(MA). Significant changes of the scattering intensity have been observed among the samples with different milling time.Interesting fractal-like behavior of the sample system have been found and attempts have been made to determine the fractal dimensions. It is expected that the fractal dimension can be related to the different stages of MA to some extent.

SMALL ANGLE LIGHT SCATTERING MEASUREMENT OF THE ISOTROPIC TO NEMATIC TRANSITION OF A SIDE CHAIN NEMATIC POLYMETHACRYLATE

The kinetics of I-->N transition of a side chain nematic polymethacrylate has been studied by small angle depolarized light scattering intensity measurements using a charge coupled device linear image sensor. The polymer shows the transition temperatures K52N79I in degreesC, The H-v scattering intensity T(q,t) during the transition I (at 80.2degreesC)-->N (at 75.8degreesC) shows that T(q) is independent of q for all t, and during the initial stage (in 6 s) T(t) increases exponentially with t. In the later stage of the transition T(t) approaches a saturation value in 2 min. This experimental result indicates that the I-->N transition of a liquid crystalline polymer is a spinodal type of phase transition mediated by orientation fluctuation.

Correlating Rheological Experiments, TEVP Models, and Microstructure with Small Angle Light Scattering

The existence of an evolving microstructure in a 2.9 vol% fumed silica in paraffin oil and polyisobutylene is demonstrated experimentally and via rheological modeling during steady state and large amplitude oscillatory shear flow. The continuously evolving, rebuilding, and breaking down of the microstructure is shown, and correlated through the rheology experiments, thixo-elastovisco-plastic modeling, and small angle light scattering (SALS). All elements are then connected via a global, stochastic optimization algorithm that will provide parameter estimation with a “best-fit” of the steady state and transient data using the well-known Modified Delaware Thixotropic Model, allowing for the comparison of SALS results with experimental values.

Nano-scale pore distribution characterisation of coal using small angle X-ray scattering

In the process of coal seam fracturing with liquid nitrogen(LN_(2)),the change of coal pore structure has an important influence on the efficiency of coalbed methane(CBM)extraction.The nano-scale pore size distribution(PSD)in coal particles before and after freezing with LN_(2) are experimentally studied in this work.Coal samples are collected from four coal mines,where coal and gas outburst accidents have occurred.Small angle X-ray scattering technology(SAXS)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)are used to study the pore structure changes of coal samples quantitatively and qualitatively.It is found that the scattering intensity of coal samples increases after freezing.The PSD of all samples significantly changes in the range of 0.8–7 nm,showing new pore spaces in 0.8–4 nm and fewer pores in the 4–7 nm range.Both the pore fractal dimension and the radius of gyration of coal samples increase after freezing and are mainly affected by the changes in pores and the anisotropy of the coal matrix.Crack expansion and pore connections are observed in the surface structure of the coal sample using SEM.This study provides a better understanding of the nano-scale mechanism of coal seam fracturing with LN_(2) for the prevention of coal and gas outbursts.

Development and prospects of Very Small Angle Neutron Scattering (VSANS) techniques

Very Small Angle Neutron Scattering （VSANS） is an upgrade of the traditional Small Angle Neutron Scattering （SANS） technique which can cover three orders of magnitude of length scale from one nanometer to one micrometer. It is a powerful tool for structure calibration in polymer science, biology, material science and condensed matter physics. Since the first VSANS instrument, Dll in Grenoble, was built in 1972, new collimation techniques, focusing optics （multi-beam converging apertures, material or magnetic lenses, and focusing mirrors） and higher resolution detectors combined with the long flight paths and long incident neutron wavelengths have been developed. In this paper, a detailed review is given of the development, principles and application conditions of various VSANS techniques. Then, beam current gain factors are calculated to evaluate those techniques. A VSANS design for the China Spallation Neutron Source （CSNS） is thereby presented.

Growth Kinetics of Nanocrystals and Nanorods by Employing Small-angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and Other Techniques

In this article, we report the results of our detailed investigations of the growth kinetics of zero-dimensional nanocrystals as well as one-dimensional nanorods by the combined use of small angel X-ray scattering （SAXS）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） along with other physical techniques. The study includes growth kinetics of gold nanocrystals formed by the reduction of HAuCl4 by tetrakis（hydroxymethyl） phosphonium chloride in aqueous solution, of CdSe nanocrystals formed by the reaction of cadmium stearate and selenium under solvothermal conditions, and of ZnO nanorods formed by the reaction of zinc acetate with sodium hydroxide under solvothermal conditions in the absence and presence of capping agents. The growth of gold nanocrystals does not follow the diffusion-limited Ostwald ripening, and instead follows a Sigmoidal rate curve. The heat change associated with the growth determined by isothermal titration calorimetry is about 10 kcal·mol^-1 per I nm increase in the diameter of the nanocrystals. In the case of CdSe nanocrystals also, the growth mechanism deviates from diffusion-limited growth and follows a combined model containing both diffusion and surface reaction terms. Our study of the growth kinetics of uncapped and poly（vinyl pyrollidone） （PVP）-capped ZnO nanorods has yielded interesting insights. We observe small nanocrystals next to the ZnO nanorods after a lapse of time in addition to periodic focusing and defocusing of the width of the length distribution. These observations lend support to the diffusion-limited growth model for the growth of uncapped ZnO nanorods. Accordingly, the time dependence on the length of uncapped nanorods follows the L3 law as required for diffusion-limited Ostwald ripening. The PVP-capped nanorods, however, show a time dependence, which is best described by a combination of diffusion （L^3） and surface reaction （L^2） terms.

Stability of the Dividing Distribution Function Method for ParticleSize Distribution Analysis in Small Angle X－Ray Scattering

The Dividing Distribution Function (DDF) method is one of the methods by which the particle size distribution of ultrafine powder can be evaluated from its small angle X-ray scattering data. In this paper, the stability of the solution obtained from DDF method has been investigated through optimizing the coefficient matrix, introducing a damping factor and a least square treatment. All calculations were accomplished with a microcomputer. It was shown that the average deviations of the size distribution obtained are not larger than the assigned random errors to the scattering intensities as long as the corresponding requirements are satisfied.

Small angle X-ray scattering of the colloidal crystal

The monodisperse polystyrene spheres are assembled into the colloidal crystal on the glass substrate by vertical deposition method, which is aimed at the so-called photonic crystal applications. The structural information of the bulk colloidal crystal is crucial for understanding the crystal growth mechanism and devel- oping the various applications of colloidal crystal. Small-angle X-ray scattering （SAXS） technique was used to obtain the bulk structure of the colloidal crystal at Beamline lW2A of BSRF. It is found that the SAXS pattern is sensitive to the relative orientation between the colloidal sample and the incident X-ray direction. The crystal lattice was well distinguished and determined by the SAXS data.

Quantitative evaluation of equatorial small-angle X-ray scattering for cylindrical fibers

Elongated microvoids, internal fibrillar structure, and edge scattering from both surface refraction cause an equatorial streak in small angle X-ray scattering. A model for analyzing the edge scattering of fibers is proposed. Simulation results indicate that the intensity of edge scattering from surface refraction of a cylindrical fiber is strong and makes an important contribution to the equatorial streak. Two factors influence edge scattering intensity. One is the sample-to-detector distance （D）; edge scattering intensity increases with increasing D. The equatorial streak becomes weak when D is shortened. The other factor is the refraction index. Edge scattering intensity increases as the real component of the refraction index decreases. In experiment, weak or even no equatorial streaks were found for samples measured in a roughly index-matching fluid. Edge scattering can be eliminated or weakened, and it can be calculated by comparing the intensities of a cylindrical fiber when it is measured in air and in index-matching fluid. The simulation data are basically in agreement with the experimental data.

Characterization of the nanopore structures of PAN-based carbon fiber precursors by small angle X-ray scattering

The nanopore structures in precursors Four carbon-fiber precursors are prepared. They are crucial to the performance of PAN-based carbon fibers are bath-fed filaments （A）, water-washing filaments （B） hot-stretching filaments （C） and drying-densification filaments （D）. Synchrotron radiation small angle X-ray scattering is used to probe and compare the nanopore structures of the four fibers. The nanopore size, discrete volume distribution, nanopore orientation degree along the fiber axis and the porosity are obtained. The results demonstrate that the nanopores are mainly formed in the water-washing stage. During the processes of the subsequent production technologies, the slenderness ratio of nanopores and their orientation degree along the fiber axis increase further and simultaneously, the porosity decreases. These results are helpful for improving the performance of the final carbon fibers.

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

A 9 Cr-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 9 Cr-ODS steel.

Influence of energy bandwidth of pink beam on small angle X-ray scattering

Background Compared with the traditional monochromatic synchrotron radiation beam,a pink beam is a quasimonochromatic beam which can be obtained by screening a harmonic of the undulator.The energy bandwidth(E/E)of a pink beam is about 10−2.Despite the intensity gain from the quasi-monochromatic beam,the decrease in the energy resolution will lead the collected data to be smeared.Purpose To study the influence of the energy bandwidth on the small angle X-ray scattering(SAXS)by experiments and verify the feasibility of SAXS with a pink beam.Method Firstly,the influence of different energy bandwidths on SAXS has been studied by simulation and experiment.Then,TEM tests have been performed and compared with the experimental results.Result It has been shown that the scattering curves deviate slightly from the traditional monochromatic ones.This deviation does not influence the data processing for the maximum deviation of the results is just less than 2%.In return,the gain in the intensity(one to two orders of magnitude)makes the pink beam very important for the time-resolved SAXS.Further,the results of TEM and SAXS have shown an excellent agreement.Conclusion Thiswork proves that the pink beam could be used for SAXS directly without a desmearing procedure.Benefiting from the increase in the beam intensity,the exposure time can be greatly shortened,thus enhancing the utilization efficiency of the synchrotron radiation.

Determination of Average Wall Thickness of Mesoporous Silica

Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) experiment using Synchrotron Radiation as X-ray source was used to determine the average wall thickness of mesoporous silica prepared by condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) using non-ionic alkylpolyethyleneoxide (AEO(9)) surfactant as templates. The results agreed with that of high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) measurement.

Properties,Morphology and Structure of BPDA/PPD/TFMB Polyimide Fibers

The mechanical properties of fibers were notably improved by incorporating 2,2＇-bis（trifluoromethyl）benzidine（TFMB） into 3,3＇,4,4＇-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride（s-BPDA） and p-phenylenediamine（PPD） backbone.The best strength and modulus of BPDA/PPD/TFMB polyimide（PI） fiber（diamine molar ratio of PPD/TFMB= 90/10） were 1.60 and 90 GPa,respectively,which was over two times that of BPDA/PPD PI fiber.SEM image showed that the cross-section of fibers at each stage was round and voids free.Besides,the ＂skin-core＂ and microfibrillar structure were not observed.The thermal properties of PI fibers were also investigated.The results showed that the fibers owned excellent thermal stability,moreover,the structural homogeneity of fibers were significantly improved by heat-drawn stage.The T g values were found to be around 300 °C by dynamic mechanical analysis（DMA）.Wide angle X-ray diffraction（WAXD） and small angle X-ray scattering（SAXS） experiments indicated that the order degree of longitudinal and lateral stacks,the molecular orientation and the structural homogeneity of fibers were improved in the preparation process of fibers.