The ability to track such fast dynamic properties would not be possible without the unique capabilities of NSLS-II-a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven Lab. “For example, we could look at how the lipid molecules in a cell membrane cooperate with each other to create tiny porous regions where even smaller molecules, like oxygen or carbon dioxide, can pass through-to see how gas exchange operates in gills and lungs,” Bolmatov said. The technique could also be used to study dynamic processes in other soft systems such as biological membranes or any kind of complex fluid. “By tuning the structure, we can change the dynamic properties of this material,” said Brookhaven physicist Dima Bolmatov, the paper’s lead author. Thus choosing or changing the “phase,” or arrangement of molecules, could control the vibrations and the flow of energy.īy tuning the structure, we can change the dynamic properties of this material. Their findings show that the nanoscale structural changes that occur with increasing temperature-as the liquid crystals become less ordered-dramatically disrupt the flow of vibrational waves. In a paper just published in Nano Letters, the scientists describe using the newly constructed inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), which has unprecedented energy resolution, to monitor the propagation of vibrations through a liquid crystal compound in three different phases. Controlling these vibrational waves in soft materials such as polymers or liquid crystal compounds could lead to a range of energy-inspired innovations-from thermal and acoustic insulators, to ways to convert waste heat into electricity, or light into mechanical motion. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new way to track dynamic molecular features in soft materials, including the high-frequency molecular vibrations that transmit waves of heat, sound, and other forms of energy. The circular track accommodates utility cables and allows the arm housing the detectors to move to different locations to select the scattering angle for the measurement. Brookhaven Lab members of the research team at the IXS beamline of the National Synchrotron Light Source II, left to right: Dima Bolmatov, Alessandro Cunsolo, Mikhail Zhernenkov, Ronald Pindak (sitting), Alexei Suvorov (sitting), and Yong Cai.
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