Benchtop ultra-small angle X-ray scattering system for nanoscale and nanoparticle characterization

我们建议购买NANOPIX微型实验室规模的超小角X射线散射（USAXS）系统，以检查纳米颗粒的尺寸，孔隙率和聚集行为。USAXS技术是由Marangoni小组实施的，用于研究食用脂肪的纳米级晶体结构。对脂肪进行15分钟的分析将产生从4 nm到10 um长度尺度的结构信息。所开发的技术和理论都对这些材料的结构及其与功能的关系产生了有价值的见解。本研究中最重要的参数之一是结晶纳米片（CNP）的大小。CNP可以具有100 nm至400 nm的长度、60 nm至100 nm的宽度和20 nm至40 nm的厚度。CNP对组成、冷却速率和剪切力的变化极其敏感。例如，我们报告了巧克力中的回火过程导致CNP大小减少了10倍。因此，我们开发了一种结构探针的纳米在这些食品材料。这些实验必须在芝加哥的阿贡国家实验室的同步加速器X射线设备上进行，因为圭尔夫大学没有所需的设备。难以获得设备严重限制了可以进行的研究的类型和数量。NANOPIX机器将使我们能够对脂肪和油的加工、其成分及其纳米级晶体结构之间的相关性进行更多的探索性研究。定义这种相关性对于用油凝胶和结构化乳液取代硬脂肪以改善营养特性而不影响功能和质量至关重要。同样的方法将扩展到蛋白质凝胶。Pensini实验室有兴趣开发具有可调孔隙率的颗粒，用于有针对性地输送试剂以修复地下污染物。Pensini实验室还对使用天然乳化剂（例如大豆卵磷脂，一种类似表面活性剂的脂肪）稳定的乳化凝胶处理地表沃茨的化学品泄漏感兴趣。乳化凝胶在净化地表沃茨所需的时间内必须稳定。凝胶稳定性与油-水界面处的乳化剂膜的结构和稳定物质如表面活性剂样脂肪（例如卵磷脂）的聚集行为密切相关。Zhou实验室有兴趣了解水中絮凝蛋白质，细胞外物质和精细分散有机物的大小和结构，以优化用于水净化的先进过滤膜的设计。污染物絮体的尺寸是设计具有最佳膜孔径的膜所必需的。此外，污染物絮体的孔隙率与絮体的强度相关。Zhou实验室对使用添加剂来提高絮凝体强度感兴趣，因为在水处理厂中，当受到剪切时，坚固的絮凝体不太容易分解。*****

We propose to purchase a NANOPIX mini lab-scale Ultra-Small Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS) system to examine the size, porosity and aggregation behavior of nano-particles. The USAXS technique was implemented for the study of the nanoscale crystalline structure of edible fats by the Marangoni group. A 15-minute analysis of a fat would yield structural information at length scales from 4 nm to 10 um. Both technique and theory developed yielded valuable insight into the structure of these materials and its relationship to functionality. One of the most important parameters derived from this study is the size of a crystalline nanoplatelet (CNP). CNPs can have lengths between 100 nm and 400nm, widths between 60 nm and 100nm and thicknesses between 20 nm and 40nm. CNPs are extremely sensitive to changes in composition, cooling rate and shear. For example, we reported that the tempering process in chocolate led to a 10-fold reduction in CNP size. We have thus developed a structural probe for the nanoscale in these food materials. These experiments had to be carried out at the synchrotron X-Ray facility at Argonne National Labs in Chicago because the required equipment is not available at the University of Guelph. The difficulty in accessing the equipment severely limits the types and number of studies that can be carried out. The NANOPIX machine will allow us to carry out more exploratory studies on the correlation between the processing of fats and oils, their composition and their nanoscale crystalline structure. Defining this correlation is crucial to replace hard fats with oleogels and structured emulsions to improve nutritional properties without affecting functionality and quality. The same approach will be extended to protein gels. The Pensini lab is interested in developing particles with tunable porosity for the targeted delivery of reagents to remediate subsurface contaminants. The Pensini lab is also interested in treating chemical spills on surface waters using emulsion gels stabilized by natural emulsifiers (e.g. soy lecithin, a surfactant-like fat). Emulsion gels must be stable during the time required to decontaminate surface waters. Gel stability is strongly correlated to the structure of the emulsifier films at the oil-water interface and to the aggregation behaviour of the stabilizing species such as surfactant-like fats (e.g. lecithin). The Zhou lab is interested in understanding the size and structure of flocculated proteins, extracellular material and finely dispersed organic matter in water, to optimize the design of advanced filtration membranes for water purification. The size of the contaminant flocs is required to design membranes with the optimal membrane pore size. Also, the porosity of contaminant flocs is correlated with the strength of the flocs. The Zhou lab is interested in using additives to improve floc strength, because strong flocs are less prone to disaggregating when subject to shear in water treatment plants. *****