Online Workshop on Synchrotron X-Ray Needs for Soft Matter Far From Equilibrium; June/July 2021

这笔赠款将支持一个高度跨学科的在线研讨会，确定与远离平衡的软物质有关的重要基本问题，以及如何利用X射线工具回答这些问题。我们周围世界的许多丰富性--事实上，生命本身--都是由远离平衡的条件和过程产生的。然而，与处于或接近平衡的系统相比，我们对远离平衡的系统的基本原理的理解还处于初级阶段。非均衡过程在软物质系统中尤其相关，对从健康到能源再到制造等领域都有巨大影响。X射线散射研究，特别是使用同步辐射，能够在广泛的时间和空间尺度上探索软物质的三维原子尺度结构，提供阐明基本过程和后来控制它们所需的关键信息。非平衡过程在软物质系统中特别相关。由于它们的结构基于弱相互作用力，包括偶极、氢键、pi-pi或屏蔽的静电相互作用，即使是微小的外部扰动也可以显著改变软物质的行为。例如，在大分子系统中，结构松弛时间可能很长。因此，它们往往对制备或加工条件保持记忆，这是大分子结构多样性和许多技术创新的关键。此外，与生物学类似，研究具有产生能量并将其从一种形式转换为另一种形式的软耗散系统的能力导致了活动物质的涌现领域。近年来，人们加强了对软物质中非平衡过程的系统研究，以探索与瞬变结构、有序和动力学相关的全新现象，并提高我们对它们的基本理解。基于同步加速器的X射线辐射已经成为促进这一理解的一个特别有用的工具。本研讨会将：1.确定在高结构材料的卷对卷打印等先进制造过程中与“远未达到平衡的软物质”有关的重要科学问题；2.确定如何利用基于同步加速器的X射线能力解决这些问题；3.确定支持这项研究的同步加速器X射线资源的关键需求和特征；以及4.确定支持这项研究的关键需求和特征。确定为软物质社区提供这种资源的更广泛的影响。研讨会的结果将被记录在研讨会报告中，提交给公众发表。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This grant will support a highly interdisciplinary on-line workshop identifying important fundamental questions related to soft matter far from equilibrium and how to employ X-ray tools to answer these questions. Much of the richness of the world around us – and in fact life itself – arises from conditions and processes far from equilibrium. And yet in contrast to systems at or near-equilibrium, our understanding of the basic principles of far-from-equilibrium systems is in its infancy. Non-equilibrium processes are particularly relevant in soft-matter systems, with huge impacts on areas ranging from health to energy to manufacturing. X-ray scattering studies, particularly using synchrotron radiation, are uniquely able to probe the three-dimensional, atomic-scale structure of soft matter over a wide range of time- and spatial scales, providing critical information needed to elucidate the fundamental processes and later to control them.Non-equilibrium processes are particularly relevant in soft-matter systems. Since their structures are based on weak interaction forces, including dipolar, hydrogen bonding, pi-pi, or screened electrostatic interactions, even small external perturbations can substantially alter the behavior of soft matter. In macromolecular systems, for example, structural relaxation times can be very long. As a result, they often retain a memory of the preparation or processing conditions, a key to the large diversity of macromolecular structures and many technological innovations. Furthermore, in analogy to biology, the study of soft dissipative systems with an ability to produce energy and convert it from one form to another has led to the emergent field of active matter. In recent years, efforts have intensified to study non-equilibrium processes in soft matter systematically in order to explore the entirely novel phenomena associated with transient structure, order, and dynamics, and to improve our fundamental understanding of them. Synchrotron-based x-ray radiation has emerged as a particularly useful tool to contribute to this understanding. This workshop will:1. Identify important science questions related to “Soft Matter Far From Equilibrium” during advanced manufacturing processes such as roll-to-roll printing of highly structured materials;2. Determine how these questions can be addressed using synchrotron-based X-ray capabilities; 3. Identify critical needs for and characteristics of synchrotron-based x-ray resources to support this research; and4. Identify the broader impacts of providing such resources to the soft matter community.The outcomes of the workshop will be captured in a workshop report to be submitted for publication.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.