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Schelling MPM, Verouden TWJ, Stevens TCM, Meijer JM. 3D visualization reveals the cooling rate dependent crystallization near a wall in dense microgel systems. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:6343-6352. [PMID: 38963471 PMCID: PMC11323939 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00517a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Controlled crystallization, melting and vitrification are important fundamental processes in nature and technology. However, the microscopic details of these fundamental phenomena still lack understanding, in particular how the cooling rate and presence of a wall influence the crystal nucleation and glass formation. Thermoresponsive microgels provide the possibility to study phase transitions at the single-particle level, owing to the ability to tune the particle size with temperature. In this study, we employ composite microgels consisting of a hard core and a crosslinked poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) shell to study the crystallization of dense suspensions of soft colloids near a wall using confocal microscopy. We investigate the effect of the cooling rate on the fluid-to-solid transition close to the sample wall. The structures formed during cooling range from glassy in the case of a rapid temperature quench to crystalline when a slow cooling rate is used. Detailed analysis of the final structure reveals that the cooling rate also sets the degree of alignment of the crystal domains with the wall as a result of a balance between homogeneous and heterogeneous crystal nucleation. The results presented here yield valuable insight into the microscopic details of temperature-controlled crystallization near a wall. This understanding will help pave the way towards optimal crystallization conditions for microgel applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- M P M Schelling
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - T W J Verouden
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - T C M Stevens
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - J-M Meijer
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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2
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Anthuparambil ND, Timmermann S, Dargasz M, Retzbach S, Senft MD, Begam N, Ragulskaya A, Paulus M, Zhang F, Westermeier F, Sprung M, Schreiber F, Gutt C. Salt induced slowdown of kinetics and dynamics during thermal gelation of egg-yolk. J Chem Phys 2024; 161:055102. [PMID: 39105556 DOI: 10.1063/5.0219004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effect of the NaCl concentration (0.3-2M) on the structure and dynamics of hen egg yolk at room temperature and during thermal gelation at temperatures in the range of 66-90 °C utilizing low-dose x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy in ultra-small angle x-ray scattering geometry. With an increase in the salt concentration, we observe progressive structural and dynamic changes at room temperature, indicating the disruption of yolk components such as yolk-granules and yolk-plasma proteins. Temperature- and salt-dependent structural and dynamic investigations suggest a delay in the gel formation and aggregation of yolk low-density lipoproteins with increasing ionic strength. However, the time-temperature superposition relationship observed in all samples suggests an identical mechanism underlying protein aggregation-gelation with a temperature-dependent reaction rate. The sol-gel transition time extracted from kinetic and dynamic information follows Arrhenius's behavior, and the activation energy (460 kJ/mol) is found to be independent of the salt concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sebastian Retzbach
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maximilian D Senft
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nafisa Begam
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Physics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
| | | | - Michael Paulus
- Fakultät Physik/DELTA, Technische Universität Dortmund, 44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Fajun Zhang
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Michael Sprung
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Frank Schreiber
- Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christian Gutt
- Department Physik, Universität Siegen, 57072 Siegen, Germany
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3
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Schulz F, Jain A, Dallari F, Markmann V, Lehmkühler F. In situ aggregation and early states of gelation of gold nanoparticle dispersions. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:3836-3844. [PMID: 38651356 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00080c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The aggregation and onset of gelation of PEGylated gold nanoparticles dispersed in a glycerol-water mixture is studied by small-angle X-ray scattering and X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. Tracking structural dynamics with sub-ms time resolution over a total experimental time of 8 hours corresponding to a time windows larger than 108 Brownian times and varying the temperature between 298 K and 266 K we can identify three regimes. First, while cooling to 275 K the particles show Brownian motion that slows down due to the increasing viscosity. Second, upon further cooling the static structure changes significantly, indicated by a broad structure factor peak. We attribute this to the formation of aggregates while the dynamics are still dominated by single-particle diffusion. Finally, the relaxation functions become more and more stretched accompanied by an increased slow down of the dynamics. At the same time the structure changes continuously indicating the onset of gelation. Our observations further suggest that the colloidal aggregation and gelation is characterized first by structural changes with a subsequent slowing down of the systems dynamics. The analysis also reveals that the details of the gelation process and the gel structure strongly depend on the thickness of the PEG-coating of the gold nanoparticles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Schulz
- Institute of Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Avni Jain
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Francesco Dallari
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Verena Markmann
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Felix Lehmkühler
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
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4
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Dallari F, Lokteva I, Möller J, Roseker W, Goy C, Westermeier F, Boesenberg U, Hallmann J, Rodriguez-Fernandez A, Scholz M, Shayduk R, Madsen A, Grübel G, Lehmkühler F. Real-time swelling-collapse kinetics of nanogels driven by XFEL pulses. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadm7876. [PMID: 38640237 PMCID: PMC11029799 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm7876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive polymers are an important class of materials with many applications in nanotechnology and drug delivery. The most prominent one is poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAm). The characterization of the kinetics of its change after a temperature jump is still a lively research topic, especially at nanometer-length scales where it is not possible to rely on conventional microscopic techniques. Here, we measured in real time the collapse of a PNIPAm shell on silica nanoparticles with megahertz x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy at the European XFEL. We characterize the changes of the particles diffusion constant as a function of time and consequently local temperature on sub-microsecond timescales. We developed a phenomenological model to describe the observed data and extract the characteristic times associated to the swelling and collapse processes. Different from previous studies tracking the turbidity of PNIPAm dispersions and using laser heating, we find collapse times below microsecond timescales and two to three orders of magnitude slower swelling times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Dallari
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics and Astronmy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Irina Lokteva
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Möller
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Wojciech Roseker
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Goy
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Westermeier
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Boesenberg
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Jörg Hallmann
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | | | - Markus Scholz
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Roman Shayduk
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Anders Madsen
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Gerhard Grübel
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Felix Lehmkühler
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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5
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Bin M, Reiser M, Filianina M, Berkowicz S, Das S, Timmermann S, Roseker W, Bauer R, Öström J, Karina A, Amann-Winkel K, Ladd-Parada M, Westermeier F, Sprung M, Möller J, Lehmkühler F, Gutt C, Perakis F. Coherent X-ray Scattering Reveals Nanoscale Fluctuations in Hydrated Proteins. J Phys Chem B 2023. [PMID: 37209106 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c02492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Hydrated proteins undergo a transition in the deeply supercooled regime, which is attributed to rapid changes in hydration water and protein structural dynamics. Here, we investigate the nanoscale stress-relaxation in hydrated lysozyme proteins stimulated and probed by X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS). This approach allows us to access the nanoscale dynamics in the deeply supercooled regime (T = 180 K), which is typically not accessible through equilibrium methods. The observed stimulated dynamic response is attributed to collective stress-relaxation as the system transitions from a jammed granular state to an elastically driven regime. The relaxation time constants exhibit Arrhenius temperature dependence upon cooling with a minimum in the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts exponent at T = 227 K. The observed minimum is attributed to an increase in dynamical heterogeneity, which coincides with enhanced fluctuations observed in the two-time correlation functions and a maximum in the dynamic susceptibility quantified by the normalized variance χT. The amplification of fluctuations is consistent with previous studies of hydrated proteins, which indicate the key role of density and enthalpy fluctuations in hydration water. Our study provides new insights into X-ray stimulated stress-relaxation and the underlying mechanisms behind spatiotemporal fluctuations in biological granular materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maddalena Bin
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mario Reiser
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mariia Filianina
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sharon Berkowicz
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sudipta Das
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sonja Timmermann
- Department Physik, Universität Siegen, Walter-Flex-Strasse 3, 57072 Siegen, Germany
| | - Wojciech Roseker
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Robert Bauer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Freiberg Water Research Center, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
| | - Jonatan Öström
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aigerim Karina
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katrin Amann-Winkel
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Marjorie Ladd-Parada
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fabian Westermeier
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Sprung
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Möller
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Felix Lehmkühler
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Gutt
- Department Physik, Universität Siegen, Walter-Flex-Strasse 3, 57072 Siegen, Germany
| | - Fivos Perakis
- Department of Physics, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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6
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Striker NN, Lokteva I, Dartsch M, Dallari F, Goy C, Westermeier F, Markmann V, Hövelmann SC, Grübel G, Lehmkühler F. Dynamics and Time Scales of Higher-Order Correlations in Supercooled Colloidal Systems. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:4719-4725. [PMID: 37171882 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The dynamics and time scales of higher-order correlations are studied in supercooled colloidal systems. A combination of X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) and X-ray cross-correlation analysis (XCCA) shows the typical slowing of the dynamics of a hard sphere system when approaching the glass transition. The time scales of higher-order correlations are probed using a novel time correlation function gC, tracking the time evolution of cross-correlation function C. With an increasing volume fraction, the ratio of relaxation times of gC to the standard individual particle relaxation time obtained by XPCS increases from ∼0.4 to ∼0.9. While a value of ∼0.5 is expected for free diffusion, the increasing values suggest that the local orders within the sample are becoming more long-lived for larger volume fractions. Furthermore, the dynamics of local order is more heterogeneous than the individual particle dynamics. These results indicate that not only the presence but also the lifetime of locally favored structures increases close to the glass transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nele N Striker
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Irina Lokteva
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Dartsch
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Francesco Dallari
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Goy
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Westermeier
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Verena Markmann
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Svenja C Hövelmann
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Leibnizstraße 19, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Gerhard Grübel
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Felix Lehmkühler
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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7
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Lapkin D, Mukharamova N, Assalauova D, Dubinina S, Stellhorn J, Westermeier F, Lazarev S, Sprung M, Karg M, Vartanyants IA, Meijer JM. In situ characterization of crystallization and melting of soft, thermoresponsive microgels by small-angle X-ray scattering. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:1591-1602. [PMID: 34994372 PMCID: PMC8864529 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01537k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Depending on the volume fraction and interparticle interactions, colloidal suspensions can form different phases, ranging from fluids, crystals, and glasses to gels. For soft microgels that are made from thermoresponsive polymers, the volume fraction can be tuned by temperature, making them excellent systems to experimentally study phase transitions in dense colloidal suspensions. However, investigations of phase transitions at high particle concentration and across the volume phase transition temperature in particular, are challenging due to the deformability and possibility for interpenetration between microgels. Here, we investigate the dense phases of composite core-shell microgels that have a small gold core and a thermoresponsive microgel shell. Employing Ultra Small-Angle X-ray Scattering, we make use of the strong scattering signal from the gold cores with respect to the almost negligible signal from the shells. By changing the temperature we study the freezing and melting transitions of the system in situ. Using Bragg peak analysis and the Williamson-Hall method, we characterize the phase transitions in detail. We show that the system crystallizes into an rhcp structure with different degrees of in-plane and out-of-plane stacking disorder that increase upon particle swelling. We further find that the melting process is distinctly different, where the system separates into two different crystal phases with different melting temperatures and interparticle interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Lapkin
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Dameli Assalauova
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Svetlana Dubinina
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Institutskiy Per. 9, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia
| | - Jens Stellhorn
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8527, Japan
| | - Fabian Westermeier
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sergey Lazarev
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), Lenin Avenue 30, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Michael Sprung
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Karg
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ivan A Vartanyants
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Kashirskoe shosse 31, 115409 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Janne-Mieke Meijer
- Department of Applied Physics and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
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