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X-ray Imaging

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German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845–1923) was experimenting with electrical current when he discovered that a mysterious and invisible "ray" would pass through his flesh but leave an outline of his bones on a screen coated with a metal compound. In 1895, Röntgen made the first durable record of the internal parts of a living human: an "X-ray" image (as it came to be called) of his wife’s hand. Scientists worldwide quickly began their own experiments with...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 11, 2025

The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Chemical Bath Deposition of Bisthiourea Cadmium Chloride Crystals and the Subsequent CdS Obtention

The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Chemical Bath Deposition of Bisthiourea Cadmium Chloride Crystals and the Subsequent CdS Obtention

Published on: August 30, 2018

Negative X-ray expansion in cadmium cyanide.

Chloe S Coates¹, Claire A Murray, Hanna L B Boström

¹Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QR, UK. andrew.goodwin@chem.ox.ac.uk.

Materials Horizons

|November 30, 2021

Summary

Cadmium cyanide exhibits negative thermal expansion (NTE) that is dependent on X-ray exposure. This material contracts under X-ray irradiation, a phenomenon termed negative X-ray expansion (NXE).

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Published on: August 10, 2017

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Solid-State Chemistry
Crystallography

Background:

Cadmium cyanide (Cd(CN)₂) is a flexible coordination polymer known for its strong negative thermal expansion (NTE).
Previous studies on Cd(CN)₂ using X-ray diffraction (XRD) have reported varying NTE coefficients, suggesting potential complexities.
Understanding the factors influencing the structural behavior of coordination polymers is crucial for materials design.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of X-ray exposure on the structural properties of cadmium cyanide.
To elucidate the mechanism behind the observed negative thermal expansion (NTE) and introduce the concept of negative X-ray expansion (NXE).
To resolve discrepancies in previously reported NTE coefficients and establish the true NTE behavior of Cd(CN)₂.

Main Methods:

X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements at various temperatures and under X-ray irradiation.
Analysis of structural changes and lattice parameters in response to thermal and X-ray stimuli.
Computational modeling to explore potential mechanisms, ruling out local heating effects.

Main Results:

Cadmium cyanide demonstrates negative X-ray expansion (NXE), contracting upon X-ray irradiation, unlike other beam-sensitive materials.
The NTE of Cd(CN)₂ is confirmed to be X-ray-exposure dependent, with NXE originating from interactions with cyanide 'flips'.
X-ray irradiation influences the low-temperature phase transition of Cd(CN)₂, and the true NTE behavior was established between 150-750 K.

Conclusions:

The NTE of cadmium cyanide is significantly influenced by X-ray exposure, leading to the phenomenon of NXE.
Discrepancies in prior NTE studies are resolved by accounting for X-ray-induced structural changes.
The interplay of irradiation and mechanical response in Cd(CN)₂ suggests potential applications in designing novel functional materials.