A Shear Cell for XPCS Studies of Soft Materials

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The aim of this proposal is to develop an in-situ shear cell for X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) of soft glassy materials. XPCS probes fluctuations in the coherent scattering intensity due to material motion on the nanoscale, providing unique information about slow, microscopic dynamics. In order to investigate the nanoscale response of soft glassy systems to mechanical perturbation, a shear strain cell based on piezoelectric transducer technology is planned for the XPCS beamline at Sector 8-ID of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Labs. The XPCS beamline at APS is one of few such facilities in the world, and hence our team is well positioned to make an important impact in this emerging area of research. The acquisition of a shear cell for XPCS studies would enhance this international collaboration, and also have a substantial impact on my funded NSERC Discovery program on aging, rejuvenation, and slow dynamics in soft glassy materials. The access of HQP to this instrumentation will provide exclusive training at a superlative international facility for XPCS not currently available anywhere else in North America.