SPring-8, the large synchrotron radiation facility

Date&Time: 20 November 2003, 15:00-16:30

Speaker: Prof. Harald Ade
Affiliation: Dept. of Physics, North Carolina State Univ.

Abstract
　　Over the past decade, NEXAFS microscopy has evolved into a powerful characterization tool for a number of material classes including polymers [1,2] and magnetic materials [3,4]. We will review the advances made in NEXAFS spectroscopy and microscopy of polymeric materials, delineate the present status of this subfield, and outline the future. Specific examples of a few applications will be made to provide a flavor of the range of possible applications. To date, this range includes fundamental studies of confinement induced microemulsion formation [5] to industrially relevant studies of super absorbent polymers [6] which are extensively used in diapers. Extension to semi-crystalline polymers are under way.

1. H. Ade and B. Hsiao, "X-ray Linear Dichroism Microscopy", Science 262, 1427 (1993).
2. H. Ade, X. Zhang, S. Cameron, C. Costello, J. Kirz, and S. Williams, "Chemical Contrast in X-ray Microscopy and Spatially Resolved XANES Spectroscopy of Organic Specimens", Science 258, 972 (1992).
3. J. Stohr, M. G. Samant, Y. Wu, B. D. Hermsmeier, G. R. Harp, S. Koranda, D. Dunham, and B. P. Tonner, "Element-Specific Magnetic Microscopy with Circularly Polarized X-rays", Science 259, 658 (1993).
4. A. Scholl, J. Stohr, J. Luning, J. Seo, J. Fompeyrine, H. Siegwart, J. Locquet, F. Nolting, S. Anders, E. Fullerton, M. Scheinfein, and H. Padmore, "Observation of antiferromagnetic domains in epitaxial thin films", Science 287, 1014 (2000).
5. S. Zhu, Y. Liu, M. H. Rafailovich, J. Sokolov, D. Gersappe, D. A. Winesett, and H. Ade, "Confinement Induced Miscibility in Polymer Blends", Nature 400, 49 (1999).
6. G. E. Mitchell, L. R. Wilson, M. T. Dineen, S. G. Urquhart, F. Hayes, E. G. Rightor, A. P. Hitchcock, and H. Ade, "Quantitative Characterization of Microscopic Variations in the Crosslink Density of Gels", Macromol. 35, 1336 (2002).