I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Barbara
Bonechi
,
Fabio
Arzilli
,
Margherita
Polacci
,
Alessandro
Fabbrizio
,
Giuseppe
La Spina
,
Eleni
Michailidou
,
Elisa
Biagioli
,
Richard A.
Brooker
,
Jean-Louis
Hazemann
,
Robert C.
Atwood
,
Danilo
Di Genova
,
Sumith
Abeykoon
,
David A.
Neave
,
Renat R.
Almeev
,
Mike
Burton
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[31529]
Open Access
Abstract: Crystallisation kinetics play a fundamental role in controlling conduit dynamics and eruptive style. The degree of superheating is critical in controlling crystallisation kinetics; however, its effect is still debated and has an unclear impact on eruption dynamics. Here, we investigate how superheating influences clinopyroxene nucleation in tephritic magmas from the 2021 Tajogaite eruption (La Palma, Spain) through both in situ and ex situ view experiments. Our findings show that superheating delays nucleation by dissolving pre-existing nuclei, thereby inhibiting crystallisation upon return to subliquidus conditions. Using a numerical model, we investigate how different nucleation delays resulting from different degrees of superheating affect magma ascent dynamics. Depending on the initial thermodynamic conditions and on the pre-eruptive history of magma, an increased nucleation delay can significantly reduce crystal content during ascent, lowering magma viscosity and affecting eruptive style. These findings highlight the critical role of pre-eruptive thermal histories in controlling eruptive style, and provide constraints for refining experimental protocols and numerical models, with direct implications for improving volcanic hazard assessment and eruption forecasting.
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Jun 2026
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B16-Test Beamline
Detectors
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Abstract: This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the dosimetric characteristics and sensitivity mapping of a CVD diamond radiation detector (VS-Pt) fabricated with platinum metal contacts. The detector’s performance was evaluated through a series of measurements, including I–V characteristics, signal-to-noise ratio, dose rate dependence, linearity, photoconductive gain, sensitivity, rise time, and reproducibility, using an X-ray tube source. The device underwent annealing, which led to improvements in sensitivity, with a linear response and increased photoconductive gain. The reproducibility of the device was found to be slightly higher than the IAEA’s recommended limit. Following this, a comparative sensitivity mapping study was performed using two synchrotron micro-beam facilities—NSLS and DLS—employing different micro-beam sizes. The investigation explored the effects of beam size, bias polarity, and step displacement on the spatial resolution and sensitivity of the device. Results showed that sensitivity was influenced by beam size, with smaller beam and step sizes yielding higher sensitivity, likely due to the priming effect. Bias polarity also played a significant role, with negative bias producing higher photocurrents, particularly near nitrogen lines in the diamond. Additionally, the annealed sample exhibited better homogeneity and faster rise times compared to the un-annealed version. The findings highlight the optimal conditions for synchrotron-based dosimetric measurements, providing valuable insights for improving detector performance in applications such as radiotherapy dosimetry, radiobiology, and beam monitoring at synchrotron facilities.
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Jun 2026
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I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[34540]
Open Access
Abstract: Fibrous plaster (FP) is a fabric-reinforced composite (FRC) comprising plaster of Paris (POP) and woven jute fabric (‘hessian’), historically used in decorative ceilings across the UK since the late 19th century. Despite its architectural significance, FP remains under-researched, limiting the development of reliable structural assessment methods. Recent ceiling failures have been linked to the tensile failure of the supporting component known as the ‘wad’. Acoustic emission (AE) provides a non-destructive means of remotely sensing and locating such failures from the underside of ceilings, yet its potential for extracting detailed information on FP wad failure processes remains unexplored. This study comprises two parts. First, an AE-based failure classification model was developed using unsupervised spherical k-means clustering to distinguish matrix cracking and fabric–matrix debonding based on the RA-AF method. Second, the first in-situ direct tensile tests on FP wad-analogue specimens conducted under synchrotron X-ray imaging were conducted at the I12 beamline of Diamond Light Source (DLS), UK, integrating AE monitoring with digital image correlation (DIC) and synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (sCT). This multi-modal dataset enabled examination of the AE model and internal failure analysis through digital volume correlation (DVC), while complementary crack analysis and the Kabsch algorithm provided new insight into the failure mechanisms of FP wads and revealed the reinforcement-bridging role of the hessian during progressive fracture. By linking remote AE monitoring with multi-scale observations, this study advances understanding of FP failure processes, offering a pathway for assessing historic ceilings and informing the design of more resilient FP components.
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Jun 2026
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DIAD-Dual Imaging and Diffraction Beamline
I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Sarah
Davidson
,
Davide
Simone
,
Kathrin
Jansen
,
Max
Cowan
,
Caio
Machado
,
Ian
Reekie
,
Ananya
Bhalla
,
Rowie
Borst
,
Cesar
Prada Medina
,
Joshua
Bull
,
Zhi Yi
Wong
,
Sarah
Hill
,
Micon
Garvilles
,
Sam
Pledger
,
Patricia Reis
Nisa
,
Nora Rebecca
Schwingen
,
Dylan
Windell
,
Moustafa
Attar
,
Catherine
Disney
,
Andrew J.
Bodey
,
Alissa
Parmenter
,
Helen
Byrne
,
Sharif
Ahmed
,
Shashidhara
Marathe
,
Peter
Lee
,
Chris
Mahony
,
Adam P.
Croft
,
Stephen
Sansom
,
Mark C.
Coles
,
Christopher D.
Buckley
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[30542, 34348]
Open Access
Abstract: The cellular basis for site-specific inflammation remains unclear. In human fingers, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints are preferentially affected by inflammatory arthritis, whereas distal interphalangeal joints are spared, providing a model to investigate the predilection of inflammation to distinct sites. Here we combine single-cell RNA sequencing, imaging and X-ray tomography to examine cellular composition, spatial organization and structure of finger joints during fetal development. PIP joints had a larger synovial volume and were enriched for PI16+ ‘universal’ fibroblasts. These cells were located in perivascular regions and at developing tendon–ligament interfaces. PI16+ fibroblasts exhibited both a shared inflammatory and cell-type-specific response to cytokine stimulation, suggesting that the combination of their spatial location and transcriptional responses promote inflammation. We suggest that differences in the stoichiometry of mesenchymal cells established in utero, including the key role of PI16+ fibroblasts, is a general principle that drives inflammation susceptibility across tissues.
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Jun 2026
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E01-JEM ARM 200CF
I13-1-Coherence
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[39271]
Open Access
Abstract: Multi-material structures have shown great versatility in wide applications. However, additive manufacturing of multi-metal mechanical composite structures is challenging. Beyond this, a comprehensive and multi-scale understanding of the fracture mechanisms in such structures has not been sufficiently elucidated. In this study, we exploited synchrotron phase contrast X-ray computed tomography and synchrotron X-ray ptychographic tomography to achieve in situ, continuous observation of the fracturing process in large-scale brick-and-mortar multi-metal composite structures, resolving phenomena spanning from the micro- to nano- scale. Findings suggest that nano-pores prevailingly exist in additively manufactured metals, and interfacial porosity as a transitional geometry between different materials can retard the crack growth and improve fracture toughness. This multi-scale study directly informs the designing, manufacturing, and testing of multi-metal composite structures.
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May 2026
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B18-Core EXAFS
I18-Microfocus Spectroscopy
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Swaroop
Chakraborty
,
Iuliia
Mikulska
,
Rhiannon
Boseley
,
Sang
Pham
,
Prathmesh
Bhadane
,
Pankti
Dhumal
,
Santanu
Majumder
,
Jajati
Mandal
,
Tina
Geraki
,
Superb K.
Misra
,
Christian
Pfrang
,
Iseult
Lynch
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[33674, 35117, 41674]
Open Access
Abstract: Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are increasingly deployed in environmental technologies, yet their fate and hazard under realistic multistep exposure scenarios remain poorly constrained. Here, we track hierarchical transformations of nanoscale ZIF-8 (Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8) across an exposure cascade spanning atmospheric aging (air and reactive gases O3/NO2), aqueous aging in environmentally and biologically relevant media, and ingestion by the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna. Synchrotron Zn K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electron microscopy show that gas-phase exposure produces only minor surface perturbations, whereas aqueous contact drives pronounced medium-dependent restructuring, including nitrogen depletion and oxygen enrichment at the surface and time-resolved dissolved Zn release with chemistry-imposed plateaus. In vivo, Zn speciation diverges from the pristine Zn–N fingerprint; an unexposed endogenous Zn baseline and linear combination fitting (LCF) indicate a mixture of endogenous Zn with transformed Zn pools dominated by O/P/S-type coordination environments. Acute ecotoxicity assay demonstrates strong concentration dependence (48 h immobilization EC50 ≈0.5 μg mL–1), and chronic exposure at 0.10 μg mL–1 reduces cumulative brood production with increased adult mortality over 24 days. Mechanistically, fractionated toxicity assays show that washed aged particles/precipitates and whole aged suspensions are more potent than particle-free filtrates, indicating that particle-associated transformed Zn pools contribute substantially beyond dissolved Zn alone. Together, these results show that ZIF-8 risk emerges from its sequential transformation trajectory rather than its pristine state, motivating tiered aging protocols coupled to in vivo speciation and fractionated hazard testing for MOF safety assessment.
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May 2026
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DIAD-Dual Imaging and Diffraction Beamline
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Open Access
Abstract: Continuous technological advancement and depleting natural sources of key metals such as gold necessitate highly selective recovery processes from secondary sources. Herein, we report the visualisation of a recyclable precipitation process using dual imaging and diffraction that gives insight into the mechanism of precipitation and highlights the possibility of kinetic separations.
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May 2026
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I18-Microfocus Spectroscopy
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Tamar
Hodos
,
Sally
Waite
,
Andrew
Parkin
,
Eline
Van Asperen
,
Vanessa
Boschloos
,
Hendrik
Hameeuw
,
Thomas
Delbey
,
Konstantin
Ignatyev
,
Christopher
Jones
,
Dave
Megson-Smith
,
Peter G.
Marten
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[32888]
Open Access
Abstract: Local and regional museums often rely on cost-effective handheld equipment to undertake non-destructive pigment assessment. When preserved colourants are only microscopic, however, these methods’ limits may be encountered. This becomes acute with fragile objects, as is often the case for organic materials. Using a reconstructed decorated ostrich eggshell vessel, an elite grave good in 7th–6th C BCE Etruria, this study compares the efficacy of portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry; handheld Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy; Raman spectroscopy; visible-induced luminescence imaging; multispectral multi-light reflectance analysis; synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence; and X-ray absorption near edge structure analysis to distinguish microscopic pigment traces. The portable device results were inconclusive, but Egyptian blue and malachite were positively identified via synchrotron analyses. This outcome supports museums to further develop protocols regarding minimal pigment residue identifications on fragile objects, including assessing risk with external analysis, and informs our understanding of pigments used on organic objects during this period.
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May 2026
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DIAD-Dual Imaging and Diffraction Beamline
E02-JEM ARM 300CF
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Kang
Xiang
,
Yueyuan
Wang
,
Shi
Huang
,
Hongyuan
Song
,
Alberto
Leonardi
,
Peter
Garland
,
Sharif
Ahmed
,
Michał M.
Kłosowski
,
Hongmei
Yang
,
Mengnie
Li
,
Jiawei
Mi
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[31637, 35828]
Open Access
Abstract: Using quasi-simultaneous synchrotron X-ray diffraction and tomography techniques, we have studied in-situ and in real-time the nucleation and co-growth dynamics of the peritectic structures in an Al-Mn alloy during solidification. We collected ∼30 TB 4D datasets which allow us to elucidate the phases’ co-growth dynamics and their spatial, crystallographic and compositional relationship. The primary Al4Mn hexagonal prisms nucleate and grow with high kinetic anisotropy -70 times faster in the axial direction than that in the radial direction. In all cases, a ∼5 µm Mn-rich diffusion layer forms at the liquid-solid interface, creating a sharp local solute gradient that governs subsequent phase transformation. The peritectic Al6Mn phases nucleate epitaxially within this diffusion zone, initially forming a thin shell surrounding the Al4Mn with an orientation relationship of {10
0}HCP // {110}O, [0001]HCP // [001]O. Such ∼5 µm Mn-rich diffusion layers also cause solute depletion at the liquid side of the liquid-solid interface, limiting further epitaxial phase growth, but prompting phase re-nucleation and branching at crystal edges, resulting tetragonal prism structures that no longer follow the initial orientation relationship. The anisotropic interfacial kinetics and local region latent heat release also led to the formation of liquid-filled core defects at the centre of both phases. Furthermore, increasing cooling rate from 0.17 to 20°C/s can disrupt the stability of the solute diffusion zone, effectively suppressing the formation of the core defects and forcing a transition from faceted to non-faceted morphologies. Our work provides systematic new knowledge and practical approach for tailoring and controlling the peritectic structures in metallic alloys through the solidification processes.
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May 2026
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[17205, 20721, 25391]
Open Access
Abstract: Crab spiders (Thomisidae) are well-known predators, typically ambushing prey upon flowers and other plants. This style of predation suggests a potential benefit from vision in prey capture by crab spiders despite their comparatively small eyes. However, behavioural evidence on the impact of vision on prey capture success by crab spiders is currently lacking. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed predatory performance in blinded and unblinded crab spiders (Sidymella rubrosignata) co-housed with fruit flies as prey. The results indicate that a lack of visual cues significantly hindered prey capture success. We contextualize this finding using micro-computed X-ray tomography to quantitatively compare the visual optics and central nervous system of S. rubrosignata to other spider species with known hunting strategies (both visual and non-visual). We find that neither high levels of visual system investment nor interocular volumetric specialization are evident in crab spiders, despite the implied contribution of vision to prey capture. Presenting evidence that vision impacts hunting by crab spiders has important implications for our understanding of the elaborate visual ecology of these animals as well as providing key information for future studies on the comparative evolution of eyes and their underlying nervous systems.
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May 2026
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