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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I13-1-Coherence
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[27249]
Abstract: The characterization of irradiation defects is crucial for understanding irradiation effects in materials. However, conventional TEM characterization mainly provides two-dimensional projections of defects within the material. In this study, using X-ray ptychography, the three-dimensional spatial distribution and three-dimensional geometry of irradiation-induced voids in bcc ferritic/martensitic steel samples (6 μm × 6.5 μm × 6 μm cubes) were reconstructed. It was found that 2 MeV He+ irradiation to a fluence of 2.5 × 1018 ions/cm2 at 500 °C produced voids with an average equivalent spherical radius of 140 ± 30 nm at a depth of 3.0 - 4.5 μm from the surface. The results are broadly comparable to those obtained from TEM characterization, suggesting that X-ray ptychography may provide a viable approach for characterizing irradiation-induced voids, particularly as the spatial resolution of the technique continues to improve.
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Apr 2026
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E02-JEM ARM 300CF
I13-1-Coherence
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[39271, 42138]
Open Access
Abstract: Modern electroconductive materials involve copper-based carbon-enhanced composites featuring convenient mechanical properties and, simultaneously, favorable electric conductivity. Such composites can be processed by deformation/thermomechanical treatments to introduce advantageous microstructures, further enhancing their performance. The study features powder-based copper–carbon (Cu/C) composites, fabricated from chemical vapor deposition-prepared powder mixture by a direct consolidation using the rotary swaging method, which enables to eliminate the typical (costly and time consuming) preparation steps of consolidation and sintering. The directly consolidated Cu/C composites were further processed by the severe plastic deformation method of high-pressure torsion (HPT), introducing severe shear strain and high pressure and thus providing fine-grained microstructures. The consolidated composites were processed with two HPT revolutions. The results showed that the final microstructures and properties were primarily influenced by the carbon content within the prepared powder mixture; although the HPT-processed composites featured homogeneous fine-grained microstructures with the average grain sizes of 2–3 µm, the sizes of the graphene particles varied. The Vickers microhardness exceeded 100 HV0.1 for all the samples, and the electric conductivity varied between 98.8% and 102.1% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard).
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Mar 2026
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I08-1-Soft X-ray Ptychography
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Richard J.
Harrison
,
Jeffrey
Neethirajan
,
Zhaowen
Pei
,
Pengfei
Xue
,
Lourdes
Marcano
,
Radu
Abrudan
,
Emilie
Ringe
,
Po-Yen
Tung
,
Venkata S. C.
Kuppili
,
Burkhard
Kaulich
,
Benedikt J.
Daurer
,
Luis Carlos
Colocho Hurtarte
,
Majid
Kazemian
,
Liao
Chang
,
Claire
Donnelly
,
Sergio
Valencia
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[33254]
Open Access
Abstract: Giant magnetofossils are unusual, micron-sized biogenic magnetite particles found in sediments dating back at least 97 million years. Their distinctive morphologies are the product of biologically controlled mineralisation, yet the identity of their biomineralising organism, and the biological function they serve, remain a mystery. It is currently thought that the organism exploited magnetite’s mechanical properties for protection. Here we explore an alternative hypothesis, that it exploited magnetite’s magnetic properties for the purpose of magnetoreception. We present a three-dimensional magnetic vector tomography study of a giant magnetofossil and assess its magnetoreceptive potential. Our results reveal a single magnetic vortex that displays an optimised response to spatial variations in the intensity of Earth’s magnetic field. This magnetic trait may have conferred an evolutionary advantage to mobile marine organisms, providing an upper age limit on the development of navigational magnetoreception and raising the possibility that earlier evidence of this sense may yet be preserved in the fossil record. More broadly, this work provides a blueprint for assessing the morphological and magnetic evidence for putative biogenic iron oxide particles, which are a key component in the search for early life on Earth and Mars.
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Oct 2025
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I13-1-Coherence
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Emily C.
Bamber
,
Fabio
Arzilli
,
Silvia
Cipiccia
,
Darren J.
Batey
,
Giuseppe
La Spina
,
Margherita
Polacci
,
Ali
Gholinia
,
Heath
Bagshaw
,
Danilo
Di Genova
,
Richard
Brooker
,
Daniele
Giordano
,
Pedro
Valdivia
,
Mike R.
Burton
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23863]
Open Access
Abstract: Nanoscale crystals are becoming increasingly recognised in the products of volcanic eruptions, spanning a range of magma compositions. The crystallisation of nanolites impacts magma rheology, ascent dynamics, and eruptive style. Their impact can be enhanced due to their capacity to aggregate and develop neighbouring chemically differentiated boundary layers. However, their 3D interaction, spatial distribution, and morphology is not currently understood. Here we present a cutting-edge, 3D nanometre-scale visualisation and quantification of nanolites in scoriae of the Las Sierras-Masaya basaltic Plinian eruptions, acquired using X-ray ptychography. We find that Ti-magnetite nanolites aggregate, forming elongate, irregular structures in 3D. Their crystallisation extracts Fe and Ti from the melt, resulting in differentiated boundary layers with higher viscosity. Syn-eruptive crystallisation of nanolites and their interaction is estimated to have increased magma viscosity by 2–3 orders of magnitude, therefore, they likely had a strong control on magma rheology, increasing the potential of magma fragmentation.
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Aug 2025
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I13-1-Coherence
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23967]
Open Access
Abstract: How pigment distribution influences the cuticle density within a microscopic butterfly wing scale, and how both impact each scale’s final reflected color, remains unknown. We use ptychographic X-ray computed tomography to quantitatively determine, at nanoscale resolutions, the three-dimensional mass density of scales with pigmentation differences. By comparing cuticle densities between two pairs of scales with pigmentation differences, we determine that the density of the lower lamina is inversely correlated with pigmentation. In the upper lamina structure of Junonia orithya and Bicyclus anynana, low pigment levels also correlate with sheet-like chitin structures as opposed to rod-like structures. Within each scale, we determine that the lower lamina in all scales has the highest density, and distinct layers within the lower lamina help explain reflected color. We hypothesize that pigments, in addition to absorbing specific wavelengths, can affect cuticle polymerization, density, and refractive index, thereby impacting reflected wavelengths that produce colors.
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Aug 2025
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I13-1-Coherence
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[29218, 23409, 32637, 34164]
Abstract: In conventional x-ray ptychography, diffraction data are collected by scanning a sample through a monochromatic and spatially coherent x-ray beam. A high-resolution image is then retrieved using an iterative algorithm. Combined with a scan of the incident photon energy, it is also possible to access chemical and elemental information. Although powerful, the high brilliance required currently constrains the method to third and fourth generation synchrotron sources and long scanning times. An alternative approach is to use broadband illumination in combination with an energy resolving detector. These detectors record the data in a series of energy channels simultaneously, creating stacks of coherent data suitable for a ptychographic reconstruction. This approach promises to unlock the full power of the radiation source and provide spectral imaging at a higher rate and in a single acquisition. However, these detectors currently saturate well below reaching the flux rates produced at synchrotrons, which is preventing the uptake of this approach. Furthermore, current monochromatic synchrotron setups typically employ Fresnel zone plates for pre-sample focusing due to their stability, flexibility, and affordability, but these diffractive optics limit the spectral bandwidth that the setup can accept. In this article, we analyze the problem and consider alternative optics that can both maximize the total photon detection rates and broaden the tolerable bandwidth. Broadband x-ray ptychography has the potential to dramatically reduce data collection times at synchrotron sources but also to harness the full power of lower brilliance sources and transition x-ray ptychography into a laboratory technique.
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Aug 2025
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I08-1-Soft X-ray Ptychography
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Abstract: The scales of butterflies display a vast array of vivid colors. However, the exact mechanisms behind these colours are not yet fully understood. Butterfly scales consist of intricate nanostructures that in- teract with light through interference, diffraction, and scattering. Additionally, the nanostructures on butterfly scales vary in pigment density across different species.
A combination of 'pigment effects' and ‘structural effects’ gives rise to the vivid colors observed on a butterfly’s wings. Variations in pigment density have been correlated with specific nanostructures. However, the interplay between pigmentation and nanostructures - how they influence each other - remains largely unexplored. Hence, our work aims to perform a detailed examination of the distribution of various matrix components within butterfly scales, leading to a deeper understanding of not only their colour, but also their role in guiding nano- structure growth.
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Jul 2025
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I13-1-Coherence
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[34164]
Open Access
Abstract: X-ray ptychography is a robust microscopy technique with nanoscale resolution that requires a spatially and temporally coherent illumination. In a typical setup, the temporal coherence requirements are satisfied by monochromating the x-ray source, e.g., using a crystal monochromator. Recent studies have shown that energy resolving, or hyperspectral, detectors can to some extent replace the role of the monochromator to perform, e.g., edge-subtraction ptychographic imaging with broadband radiation in a single acquisition. Scaling this capability from two dimensions (2D) to three dimensions (3D), and from a single absorption edge to multiple edges, is critical for its applications in structural and elemental characterisation. The method is hitherto limited by the inherently lower maximum count rate of hyperspectral detectors and the chromaticity of the optics often used in x-ray ptychography experiments, namely Fresnel zone plates. In this work, we design an optimized broadband spectroscopic ptychography setup and use it to perform 3D hyperspectral imaging of particles of battery material containing various percentages of nickel, manganese, cobalt (NMC). We show that we can identify different compositions based on their spectral response. We discuss the results and provide guidelines for future exploitation of the method in laboratory settings.
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Jun 2025
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I13-1-Coherence
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E.
Erin
,
L.
Fardin
,
D.
Batey
,
M.
Burian
,
S.
Vogel
,
S.
Grimm
,
M.
Fratini
,
M.
Palombo
,
F.
Zhou
,
G. J. M.
Parker
,
A.
Olivo
,
S.
Cipiccia
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[34189, 32306]
Open Access
Abstract: X-ray ptychography is a scanning coherent diffraction imaging technique which combines nanometer-scale resolution with high penetration depth. This method has been proven to be suitable for scanning weakly absorbing samples and therefore potentially very valuable for medical applications such as brain imaging. However, currently employed scanning techniques present challenges: step-scanning is too slow and inefficient, while fly-scanning introduces blurring and noise into reconstructions due to the motion and reduced photon counts per pixel. To date, only a few methods have been proposed to denoise reconstructions, most of which rely on traditional approaches and are limited in addressing the challenges posed by noise and blurring. To overcome these limitations, we investigate the possibility of using a deep learning-based denoising method combined with position binning. The deep learning-based denoising method, Deep Image Prior (DIP), denoises the reconstructions while position binning increases the photon count statistics per pixel. The method can be integrated within the existing iterative phase retrieval algorithms to denoise the object or probe in between iterations. The method is tested in far-field geometry on two different samples: a Siemens star resolution target and a polymer-based phantom mimicking the white matter of the brain. By assessing the resolution via Fourier ring correlation, we measure up to a 14% increase in the resolution. However, depending on the architecture used, artifacts due to machine hallucination appear in the denoised images which could be affecting the observed enhancement in resolution. This will be the subject of further investigation.
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May 2025
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