Characterizing Materials with Synchrotron-based Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS)

Presented by: Ahmed S. A. Mohammed

Former affiliation: BioSAXS group, EMBL Hamburg, DESY, Hamburg, Germany
Present affiliation: Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Egypt

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful technique for obtaining structural information from a diverse range of non-crystalline samples across various fields, including materials science, physics, chemistry, and biology. In the context of structural biology, particularly for analyzing dilute biomacromolecule samples, SAXS enhances our understanding of structure by measuring scattering intensities from macromolecular populations1.

Additionally, SAXS is frequently utilized in materials science across several studies. For instance, it has proven crucial in identifying amorphous entities in suspension, such as clusters or nanodroplets with a density surpassing that of the solvent, as well as in assessing their size and shape2.

Understanding the formation (i.e. pre-nucleation) of these entities is of essential importance for effectively controlling solid formation at the macroscopic level. This talk will give an overview for some principles of SAXS and share case studies carried out at synchrotron facilities, featuring some biological samples as well as a model system that tackles the challenge of solid formation from solution.

1 D. I. Svergun and M. H. J. Koch, Small-angle scattering studies of biological macromolecules in solution, Reports Prog. Phys., 2003, 66, 1735–1782.
2 A. S. A. Mohammed, A. Carino, A. Testino, M. R. Andalibi and A. Cervellino, In Situ Liquid SAXS Studies on the Early Stage of Calcium Carbonate Formation, Part. Part. Syst. Charact., 2019, 36, 1–11.

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