E02-JEM ARM 300CF
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[20198]
Open Access
Abstract: Intentionally disordered metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) display rich functional behaviour. However, the characterisation of their atomic structures remains incredibly challenging. X-ray pair distribution function techniques have been pivotal in determining their average local structure but are largely insensitive to spatial variations in the structure. Fe-BTC (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate) is a nanocomposite MOF, known for its catalytic properties, comprising crystalline nanoparticles and an amorphous matrix. Here, we use scanning electron diffraction to first map the crystalline and amorphous components to evaluate domain size and then to carry out electron pair distribution function analysis to probe the spatially separated atomic structure of the amorphous matrix. Further Bragg scattering analysis reveals systematic orientational disorder within Fe-BTC’s nanocrystallites, showing over 10° of continuous lattice rotation across single particles. Finally, we identify candidate unit cells for the crystalline component. These independent structural analyses quantify disorder in Fe-BTC at the critical length scale for engineering composite MOF materials.
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May 2023
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B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
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Lixia
Guo
,
Joseph
Hurd
,
Meng
He
,
Wanpeng
Lu
,
Jiangnan
Li
,
Danielle
Crawshaw
,
Mengtian
Fan
,
Sergey A.
Sapchenko
,
Yinlin
Chen
,
Xiangdi
Zeng
,
Meredydd
Kippax-Jones
,
Wenyuan
Huang
,
Zhaodong
Zhu
,
Pascal
Manuel
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Daniel
Lee
,
Martin
Schroeder
,
Sihai
Yang
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[30398]
Open Access
Abstract: The development of stable sorbent materials to deliver reversible adsorption of ammonia (NH3) is a challenging task. Here, we report the efficient capture and storage of NH3 in a series of robust microporous aluminium-based metal-organic framework materials, namely MIL-160, CAU-10-H, Al-fum, and MIL-53(Al). In particular, MIL-160 shows high uptakes of NH3 of 4.8 and 12.8 mmol g−1 at both low and high pressure (0.001 and 1.0 bar, respectively) at 298 K. The combination of in situ neutron powder diffraction, synchrotron infrared micro-spectroscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals the preferred adsorption domains of NH3 molecules in MIL-160, with H/D site-exchange between the host and guest and an unusual distortion of the local structure of [AlO6] moieties being observed. Dynamic breakthrough experiments confirm the excellent ability of MIL-160 to capture of NH3 with a dynamic uptake of 4.2 mmol g−1 at 1000 ppm. The combination of high porosity, pore aperture size and multiple binding sites promotes the significant binding affinity and capacity for NH3, which makes it a promising candidate for practical applications.
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Mar 2023
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I19-Small Molecule Single Crystal Diffraction
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[29217]
Open Access
Abstract: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are well known for their ability to adsorb various gases. The use of MOFs for the storage and release of biologically active gases, particularly nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO), has been a subject of interest. To elucidate the binding mechanisms and geometry of these gases, an in situ single crystal X-ray diffraction (scXRD) study using synchrotron radiation at Diamond Light Source has been performed on a set of MOFs that display promising gas adsorption properties. NO and CO, were introduced into activated Ni-CPO-27 and the related Co-4,6-dihydroxyisophthalate (Co-4,6-dhip). Both MOFs show strong binding affinity towards CO and NO, however CO suffers more from competitive co-adsorption of water. Additionally, we show that morphology can play an important role in the ease of dehydration for these two systems.
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Mar 2023
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E01-JEM ARM 200CF
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[24588]
Open Access
Abstract: Up to date, the influence of ambient air exposure on the energetics and stability of silver clusters has rarely been investigated and compared to clusters in vacuum. Silver clusters up to 3000 atoms in size, on an amorphous carbon film, have been exposed to ambient air and investigated by atomic-resolution imaging in the aberration-corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope. Ordered structures comprise more than half the population, the rest are amorphous. Here, we show that the most common ordered isomer structures is the icosahedron. These results contrast with the published behaviour of silver clusters protected from atmospheric exposure, where the predominant ordered isomer is face-centred cubic. We propose that the formation of surface oxide or sulphide species resulting from air exposure can account for this deviation in stable isomer. This interpretation is consistent with density functional theory calculations based on silver nanoclusters, in the size range 147-201 atoms, on which methanethiol molecules are adsorbed. An understanding of the effects of ambient exposure on the atomic structure and therefore functional properties of nanoparticles is highly relevant to their real-world performance and applications.
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Jan 2023
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I22-Small angle scattering & Diffraction
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Miguel
Paez-Perez
,
Aurimas
Vyšniauskas
,
Ismael
López-Duarte
,
Eulalie J.
Lafarge
,
Raquel
López-Ríos De Castro
,
Carlos M.
Marques
,
André P.
Schroder
,
Pierre
Muller
,
Christian D.
Lorenz
,
Nicholas J.
Brooks
,
Marina K.
Kuimova
Open Access
Abstract: Lipid peroxidation is a process which is key in cell signaling and disease, it is exploited in cancer therapy in the form of photodynamic therapy. The appearance of hydrophilic moieties within the bilayer’s hydrocarbon core will dramatically alter the structure and mechanical behavior of membranes. Here, we combine viscosity sensitive fluorophores, advanced microscopy, and X-ray diffraction and molecular simulations to directly and quantitatively measure the bilayer’s structural and viscoelastic properties, and correlate these with atomistic molecular modelling. Our results indicate an increase in microviscosity and a decrease in the bending rigidity upon peroxidation of the membranes, contrary to the trend observed with non-oxidized lipids. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and MD simulations give evidence for the presence of membrane regions of different local order in the oxidized membranes. We hypothesize that oxidation promotes stronger lipid-lipid interactions, which lead to an increase in the lateral heterogeneity within the bilayer and the creation of lipid clusters of higher order.
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Jan 2023
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B18-Core EXAFS
I20-Scanning-X-ray spectroscopy (XAS/XES)
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[20872, 24074, 28515]
Open Access
Abstract: Advanced Cr-doped UO2 fuels are essential for driving safe and efficient generation of nuclear energy. Although widely deployed, little is known about their fundamental chemistry, which is a critical gap for development of new fuel materials and radioactive waste management strategies. Utilising an original approach, we directly evidence the chemistry of Cr(3+)2O3–doped U(4+)O2. Advanced high-flux, high-spectral purity X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), corroborated by diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and high energy resolved fluorescence detection-XAS, is used to establish that Cr2+ directly substitutes for U4+, accompanied by U5+ and oxygen vacancy charge compensation. Extension of the analysis to heat-treated simulant nuclear fuel reveals a mixed Cr2+/3+ oxidation state, with Cr in more than one physical form, explaining the substantial discrepancies that exist in the literature. Successful demonstration of this analytical advance, and the scientific underpinning it provides, opens opportunities for an expansion in the range of dopants utilised in advanced UO2 fuels.
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Dec 2022
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I19-Small Molecule Single Crystal Diffraction
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Lauren E.
Hatcher
,
Mark R.
Warren
,
Jonathan M.
Skelton
,
Anuradha R.
Pallipurath
,
Lucy K.
Saunders
,
David R.
Allan
,
Paul
Hathaway
,
Giulio
Crevatin
,
David
Omar
,
Ben. H.
Williams
,
Ben A.
Coulson
,
Chick C.
Wilson
,
Paul R.
Raithby
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[17306, 19670]
Open Access
Abstract: The visualization of chemical processes that occur in the solid-state is key to the design of new functional materials. One of the challenges in these studies is to monitor the processes across a range of timescales in real-time. Here, we present a pump-multiprobe single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) technique for studying photoexcited solid-state species with millisecond-to-minute lifetimes. We excite using pulsed LEDs and synchronise to a gated X-ray detector to collect 3D structures with sub-second time resolution while maximising photo-conversion and minimising beam damage. Our implementation provides complete control of the pump-multiprobe sequencing and can access a range of timescales using the same setup. Using LEDs allows variation of the intensity and pulse width and ensures uniform illumination of the crystal, spreading the energy load in time and space. We demonstrate our method by studying the variable-temperature kinetics of photo-activated linkage isomerism in [Pd(Bu4dien)(NO2)][BPh4] single-crystals. We further show that our method extends to following indicative Bragg reflections with a continuous readout Timepix3 detector chip. Our approach is applicable to a range of physical and biological processes that occur on millisecond and slower timescales, which cannot be studied using existing techniques.
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Aug 2022
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I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[26793]
Open Access
Abstract: Cyclodipeptide synthases (CDPSs) generate a wide range of cyclic dipeptides using aminoacylated tRNAs as substrates. Histidine-containing cyclic dipeptides have important biological activities as anticancer and neuroprotective molecules. Out of the 120 experimentally validated CDPS members, only two are known to accept histidine as a substrate yielding cyclo(His-Phe) and cyclo(His-Pro) as products. It is not fully understood how CDPSs select their substrates, and we must rely on bioprospecting to find new enzymes and novel bioactive cyclic dipeptides. Here, we developed an in vitro system to generate an extensive library of molecules using canonical and non-canonical amino acids as substrates, expanding the chemical space of histidine-containing cyclic dipeptide analogues. To investigate substrate selection we determined the structure of a cyclo(His-Pro)-producing CDPS. Three consecutive generations harbouring single, double and triple residue substitutions elucidated the histidine selection mechanism. Moreover, substrate selection was redefined, yielding enzyme variants that became capable of utilising phenylalanine and leucine. Our work successfully engineered a CDPS to yield different products, paving the way to direct the promiscuity of these enzymes to produce molecules of our choosing.
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Aug 2022
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I19-Small Molecule Single Crystal Diffraction
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Deepak
Asthana
,
Dean
Thomas
,
Selena J.
Lockyer
,
Adam
Brookfield
,
Grigore A.
Timco
,
Iñigo J.
Vitorica-Yrezabal
,
George F. S.
Whitehead
,
Eric J. L.
Mcinnes
,
David
Collison
,
David A.
Leigh
,
Richard E. P.
Winpenny
Open Access
Abstract: Polymer beads have been used as the core of magnetic particles for around twenty years. Here we report studies to attach polymetallic complexes to polymer beads for the first time, producing beads of around 115 microns diameter that are attached to 1014 hybrid inorganic-organic [2]rotaxanes. The bead is then formally a [1014] rotaxane. The number of complexes attached is counted by EPR spectroscopy after including TEMPO radicals within the thread of the hybrid [2]rotaxanes.
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Jun 2022
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I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
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Samuel P.
Jarvis
,
Hongqian
Sang
,
Filipe
Junqueira
,
Oliver
Gordon
,
Joe E. A.
Hodgkinson
,
Alex
Saywell
,
Philipp
Rahe
,
Salvatore
Mamone
,
Simon
Taylor
,
Adam
Sweetman
,
Jeremy
Leaf
,
David A.
Duncan
,
Tien-Lin
Lee
,
Pardeep K.
Thakur
,
Gabriella
Hoffman
,
Richard J.
Whitby
,
Malcolm H.
Levitt
,
Georg
Held
,
Lev
Kantorovich
,
Philip
Moriarty
,
Robert G.
Jones
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12979, 15022]
Open Access
Abstract: Molecular surgery provides the opportunity to study relatively large molecules encapsulated within a fullerene cage. Here we determine the location of an H2O molecule isolated within an adsorbed buckminsterfullerene cage, and compare this to the intrafullerene position of HF. Using normal incidence X-ray standing wave (NIXSW) analysis, coupled with density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations, we show that both H2O and HF are located at an off-centre position within the fullerene cage, caused by substantial intra-cage electrostatic fields generated by surface adsorption of the fullerene. The atomistic and electronic structure simulations also reveal significant internal rotational motion consistent with the NIXSW data. Despite this substantial intra-cage interaction, we find that neither HF or H2O contribute to the endofullerene frontier orbitals, confirming the chemical isolation of the encapsulated molecules. We also show that our experimental NIXSW measurements and theoretical data are best described by a mixed adsorption site model.
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Sep 2021
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