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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

On-Chip Crystallization and Large-Scale Serial Diffraction at Room Temperature
Published on: March 11, 2022
Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy as a novel tool to probe colloidal and photonic crystals
Matti M van Schooneveld1, Jan Hilhorst, Andrei V Petukhov
1Inorganic Chemistry & Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Sorbonnelaan 16, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Photonic crystals consisting of nano- to micrometer-sized building blocks, such as multiple sorts of colloids, have recently received widespread attention. It remains a challenge, however, to adequately probe the internal crystal structure and the corresponding deformations that inhibit the proper functioning of such materials. It is shown that scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) can directly reveal the local structure, orientations, and even deformations in polystyrene and silica colloidal crystals with 30-nm spatial resolution. Moreover, STXM is capable of imaging a diverse range of crystals, including those that are dry and inverted, and provides novel insights complementary to information obtained by benchmark confocal fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy techniques.
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