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Herrero C, Ediger MD, Berthier L. Front propagation in ultrastable glasses is dynamically heterogeneous. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:114504. [PMID: 37724735 DOI: 10.1063/5.0168506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Upon heating, ultrastable glassy films transform into liquids via a propagating equilibration front, resembling the heterogeneous melting of crystals. A microscopic understanding of this robust phenomenology is, however, lacking because experimental resolution is limited. We simulate the heterogeneous transformation kinetics of ultrastable configurations prepared using the swap Monte Carlo algorithm, thus allowing a direct comparison with experiments. We resolve the liquid-glass interface both in space and in time as well as the underlying particle motion responsible for its propagation. We perform a detailed statistical analysis of the interface geometry and kinetics over a broad range of temperatures. We show that the dynamic heterogeneity of the bulk liquid is passed on to the front that propagates heterogeneously in space and intermittently in time. This observation allows us to relate the averaged front velocity to the equilibrium diffusion coefficient of the liquid. We suggest that an experimental characterization of the interface geometry during the heterogeneous devitrification of ultrastable glassy films could provide direct experimental access to the long-sought characteristic length scale of dynamic heterogeneity in bulk supercooled liquids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Herrero
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Mark D Ediger
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Ludovic Berthier
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, 34095 Montpellier, France
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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2
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Barbour A, Cai YQ, Fluerasu A, Freychet G, Fukuto M, Gang O, Gann E, Laasch R, Li R, Ocko BM, Tsai EHR, Wąsik P, Wiegart L, Yager KG, Yang L, Zhang H, Zhang Y. X-ray Scattering for Soft Matter Research at NSLS-II. SYNCHROTRON RADIATION NEWS 2023; 36:24-30. [PMID: 38046894 PMCID: PMC10688614 DOI: 10.1080/08940886.2023.2207449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andi Barbour
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Yong Q Cai
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Andrei Fluerasu
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | | | - Masafumi Fukuto
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Oleg Gang
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Eliot Gann
- Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Ricarda Laasch
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Ruipeng Li
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Benjamin M Ocko
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Esther H R Tsai
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Patryk Wąsik
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Lutz Wiegart
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Kevin G Yager
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Lin Yang
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Honghu Zhang
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Yugang Zhang
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
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3
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Freychet G, Zhernenkov M. Flatfielding of hybrid pixel detectors in tender x-ray scattering. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2023; 94:2888612. [PMID: 37144942 DOI: 10.1063/5.0139377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability of the soft matter interfaces beamline at National Synchrotron Light Source II to access x-ray energy in the tender x-ray regime, i.e., from 2.1 to 5 keV, enables new resonant x-ray scattering studies at the sulfur K-edge and others. We present a new approach to correct data acquired in the tender x-ray regime with a Pilatus3 detector in order to improve the data quality and to correct the various artifacts inherent to hybrid pixel detectors, such as variations in modules' efficiency or noisy detector module junctions. This new flatfielding significantly enhances the data quality and enables detection of weak scattering signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Freychet
- National Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Leti, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA
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4
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Controlling morphology and microstructure of conjugated polymers via solution-state aggregation. Prog Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2022.101626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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5
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Freychet G, Chantler P, Huang Y, Tan WL, Zhernenkov M, Nayak N, Kumar A, Gilhooly-Finn PA, Nielsen CB, Thomsen L, Roychoudhury S, Sirringhaus H, Prendergast D, McNeill CR. Resolving the backbone tilt of crystalline poly(3-hexylthiophene) with resonant tender X-ray diffraction. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2022; 9:1649-1657. [PMID: 35421883 DOI: 10.1039/d2mh00244b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The way in which conjugated polymers pack in the solid state strongly affects the performance of polymer-based optoelectronic devices. However, even for the most crystalline conjugated polymers the precise packing of chains within the unit cell is not well established. Here we show that by performing resonant X-ray diffraction experiments at the sulfur K-edge we are able to resolve the tilting of the planar backbones of crystalline poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) within the unit cell. This approach exploits the anisotropic nature of the X-ray optical properties of conjugated polymers, enabling us to discern between different proposed crystal structures. By comparing our data with simulations based on different orientations, a tilting of the planar conjugated backbone with respect to the side chain stacking direction of 30 ± 5° is determined.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul Chantler
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Yuxuan Huang
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Wen Liang Tan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | | | - Nagaraj Nayak
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Anil Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Peter A Gilhooly-Finn
- Department of Chemistry, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Christian B Nielsen
- Department of Chemistry, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Lars Thomsen
- Australian Synchrotron, ANSTO, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia
| | - Subhayan Roychoudhury
- The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Henning Sirringhaus
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - David Prendergast
- The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Christopher R McNeill
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
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Freychet G, Lemaur V, Jevric M, Vu D, Olivier Y, Zhernenkov M, Andersson MR, McNeill CR. Multi-Edge Resonant Tender X-ray Diffraction for Probing the Crystalline Packing of Conjugated Polymers. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Freychet
- NSLS-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Vincent Lemaur
- Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials, University of Mons-UMONS, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Martyn Jevric
- Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Doan Vu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Yoann Olivier
- Laboratory for Computational Modeling of Functional Materials, Namur Institute of Structured Matter, Université de Namur, Rue de Bruxelles, 61, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- NSLS-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Mats R. Andersson
- Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Christopher R. McNeill
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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Zhong W, Zhang M, Freychet G, Su GM, Ying L, Huang F, Cao Y, Zhang Y, Wang C, Liu F. Decoupling Complex Multi-Length-Scale Morphology in Non-Fullerene Photovoltaics with Nitrogen K-Edge Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2107316. [PMID: 34750871 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202107316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Complex morphology in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and other functional soft materials commonly dictates performance. Such complexity in OPVs originates from the mesoscale kinetically trapped non-equilibrium state, which governs device charge generation and transport. Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) has been revolutionary in the exploration of OPV morphology in the past decade due to its chemical and orientation sensitivity. However, for non-fullerene OPVs, RSoXS analysis near the carbon K-edge is challenging, due to the chemical similarity of the materials used in active layers. An innovative approach is provided by nitrogen K-edge RSoXS (NK-RSoXS), utilizing the spatial and orientational contrasts from the cyano groups in the acceptor materials, which allows for determination of phase separation. NK-RSoXS clearly visualizes the combined feature sizes in PM6:Y6 blends from crystallization and liquid-liquid demixing, while PM6:Y6:Y6-BO ternary blends with reduced phase-separation size and enhanced material crystallization can lead to current amplification in devices. Nitrogen is common in organic semiconductors and other soft materials, and the strong and directional N 1s → π* resonances make NK-RSoXS a powerful tool to uncover the mesoscale complexity and open opportunities to understand heterogeneous systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenkai Zhong
- Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Center of Hydrogen Science, and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Ming Zhang
- Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Center of Hydrogen Science, and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | | | - Gregory M Su
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Lei Ying
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Fei Huang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Yong Cao
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Yongming Zhang
- Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Center of Hydrogen Science, and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Feng Liu
- Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Center of Hydrogen Science, and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
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8
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A. Collins
- Physics and Astronomy Washington State University Pullman Washington USA
| | - Eliot Gann
- Material Measurement Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg Maryland USA
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Zhong W, Liu F, Wang C. Probing morphology and chemistry in complex soft materials with in situresonant soft x-ray scattering. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2021; 33:313001. [PMID: 34140434 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac0194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Small angle scattering methodologies have been evolving at fast pace over the past few decades due to the ever-increasing demands for more details on the complex nanostructures of multiphase and multicomponent soft materials like polymer assemblies and biomaterials. Currently, element-specific and contrast variation techniques such as resonant (elastic) soft/tender x-ray scattering, anomalous small angle x-ray scattering, and contrast-matching small angle neutron scattering, or combinations of above are routinely used to extract the chemical composition and spatial arrangement of constituent elements at multiple length scales and examine electronic ordering phenomena. Here we present some recent advances in selectively characterizing structural architectures of complex soft materials, which often contain multi-components with a wide range of length scales and multiple functionalities, where novel resonant scattering approaches have been demonstrated to decipher a higher level of structural complexity that correlates to functionality. With the advancement of machine learning and artificial intelligence assisted correlative analysis, high-throughput and autonomous experiments would open a new paradigm of material research. Further development of resonant x-ray scattering instrumentation with crossplatform sample environments will enable multimodalin situ/operando characterization of the system dynamics with much improved spatial and temporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenkai Zhong
- Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, In-situ Center for Physical Science, and Center of Hydrogen Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of America
| | - Feng Liu
- Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, In-situ Center for Physical Science, and Center of Hydrogen Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of America
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10
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Freychet G, Gann E, Zhernenkov M, McNeill CR. Anisotropic Resonant X-ray Diffraction of a Conjugated Polymer at the Sulfur K-Edge. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:3762-3766. [PMID: 33844538 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The planar, aromatic nature of the backbone of conjugated polymers endows them with anisotropic properties. Here we show that the resonant X-ray diffraction of a sulfur-containing semicrystalline conjugated polymer at the sulfur K-edge is highly anisotropic, with strong modulation of diffracted intensity depending upon the relative orientation of the polarization of the incident beam with respect to the diffracting crystal planes. Through determination of the anisotropic resonant scattering factors, we can spectroscopically reproduce the observed resonant anisotropic scattering effects based on a proposed unit cell geometry for the polymer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Freychet
- NSLS-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Eliot Gann
- Materials Measurement Science Division, Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- NSLS-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Christopher R McNeill
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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