Sergei M. Butorin

Beamline I511 at MAX II, capabilities and performance

The new undulator beamline I511 at MAX-lab, now under commissioning, has been optimized for X-ray emission and photoelectron spectroscopies. Using an SX-700 high flux monochromator the accessible photon energy range is from 90 eV to about 1500 eV. The per

The INE-Beamline for actinide science at ANKA

Since its inauguration in 2005, the INE-Beamline for actinide research at the synchrotron source ANKA (KIT North Campus) provides dedicated instrumentation for x-ray spectroscopic characterization of actinide samples and other radioactive materials. R&D work at the beamline focuses on various aspects of nuclear waste disposal within INEs mission to provide the scientific basis for assessing long-term safety of a final nuclear waste repository. The INE-Beamline is accessible for the actinide and radiochemistry community through the ANKA proposal system and the European Union Integrated Infrastructure Initiative ACTINET-I3. Experiments with activities up to 1 × 10(+6) times the European exemption limit are feasible within a safe but flexible containment concept. Measurements with monochromatic radiation are performed at photon energies varying between ~2.1 keV (P K-edge) and ~25 keV (Pd K-edge), including the lanthanide L-edges and the actinide M- and L3-edges up to Cf. The close proximity of the INE-Beamline to INE controlled area labs offers infrastructure unique in Europe for the spectroscopic and microscopic characterization of actinide samples. The modular beamline design enables sufficient flexibility to adapt sample environments and detection systems to many scientific questions. The well-established bulk techniques x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy in transmission and fluorescence mode have been augmented by advanced methods using a microfocused beam, including (confocal) XAFS/x-ray fluorescence detection and a combination of (micro-)XAFS and (micro-)x-ray diffraction. Additional instrumentation for high energy-resolution x-ray emission spectroscopy has been successfully developed and tested.

Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering as a probe of optical scale excitations in strongly electron-correlated systems: quasi-localized view

Abstract An application of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering technique for studying optical scale excitations in electron-correlated materials is discussed. Examples are given including data obtained for 3d transition metal, lanthanide, and actinide systems. In some cases, the data are compared with the results of crystal-field multiplet and Anderson impurity model calculations. Advantages of this technique are pointed out, such as an ability to probe an extended multiplet structure of the ground state configuration, which is not fully accessible by other spectroscopies, an extreme sensitivity of spectral profiles to the chemical state of the element in question and to the crystal-field strength, and a great potential in probing the ground state character (for example, ground state J-mixing in rare-earths) due to the technique’s elemental selectivity and strict selection rules. Issues are addressed, such as a possible deviation from the linear dispersion of inelastic scattering structures, corresponding to charge-transfer excitations, with varying excitation energies and an estimation of values for model parameters, involved in the description of charge-transfer processes.

Visualization of custom-tailored iron oxide nanoparticles chemistry, uptake, and toxicity

Nanoparticles of iron oxide generated by wearing of vehicles have been modelled with a tailored solution of size-uniform engineered magnetite particles produced by the Bradley reaction, a solvothermal metal-organic approach rendering hydrophilic particles. The latter does not bear any pronounced surface charge in analogy with that originating from anthropogenic sources in the environment. Physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized by a wide range of methods, including XPD, TEM, SEM, DLS and spectroscopic techniques. The magnetite nanoparticles were found to be sensitive for transformation into maghemite under ambient conditions. This process was clearly revealed by Raman spectroscopy for high surface energy magnetite particles containing minor impurities of the hydromaghemite phase and was followed by quantitative measurements with EXAFS spectroscopy. In order to assess the toxicological effects of the produced nanoparticles in humans, with and without surface modification with ATP (a model of bio-corona formed in alveolar liquid), a pathway of potential uptake and clearance was modelled with a sequence of in vitro studies using A549 lung epithelial cells, lymphocyte 221-B cells, and 293T embryonal kidney cells, respectively. Raman microscopy unambiguously showed that magnetite nanoparticles are internalized within the A549 cells after 24 h co-incubation, and that the ATP ligand is retained on the nanoparticles throughout the uptake process. The toxicity of the nanoparticles was estimated using confocal fluorescence microscopy and indicated no principal difference for unmodified and modified particles, but revealed considerably different biochemical responses. The IL-8 cytokine response was found to be significantly lower for the magnetite nanoparticles compared to TiO(2), while an enhancement of ROS was observed, which was further increased for the ATP-modified nanoparticles, implicating involvement of the ATP signalling pathway in the epithelium.

Intrinsic deviations in fluorescence yield detected x-ray absorption spectroscopy: the case of the transition metal L2,3 edges

Fluorescence yield (FY) detected x-ray absorption spectra (XAS) of 3d transition metal ions are calculated from the integrated 2p3d resonant x-ray emission spectra. The resulting FY-XAS spectra are compared with the normal XAS spectra corresponding to the absorption cross section and significant deviations between the two spectra are found. This implies that the assumption that the FY-XAS spectrum identifies with the XAS spectrum is disproved. Especially for the early transition metal systems the differences between the FY-XAS and XAS are large, due to the opening of inelastic decay channels from selected x-ray absorption final states. The theoretical calculations show that the difference between FY detection and XAS is largest for the detection in depolarized geometry. The calculations are compared with experimental spectra for oxides and coordination compounds for Fe(2+), Co(2+) and Ni(2+) systems. The implications for the sum rules in XAS and magnetic circular dichroism experiments are discussed.

Lithium ion insertion in nanoporous anatase TiO2 studied with RIXS

Lithium insertion into nanoporous anatase TiO2 electrodes has been studied using resonant inelastic soft-x-ray scattering spectroscopy (RIXS). We have measured Ti 2p absorption, L2,3-emission and resonant inelastic scattering spectra of pristine anatase TiO2 and Li inserted TiO2. Inelastic scattering features in RIXS spectra of pristine TiO2 are assigned to charge-transfer excitations. Low energy-loss features for Li inserted TiO2 electrodes, appearing within t2g bands, due to d–d excitations, indicate the presence of Ti3+ states. The experimental observations suggest strong electron correlation in anatase TiO2 introduced by the Li-insertion.

Electronic structure investigation of CoO by means of soft X-ray scattering

The electronic structure of the heavy fermion compound CeB6 is probed by resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering using photon energies across the Ce 3d and 4d absorption edges. The hybridization between the localized 4f orbitals and the delocalized valence-band states is studied by identifying the different spectral contributions from inelastic Raman scattering and normal fluorescence. Pronounced energy-loss structures are observed below the elastic peak at both the 3d and 4d thresholds. The origin and character of the inelastic scattering structures are discussed in terms of charge-transfer excitations in connection to the dipole allowed transitions with 4f character. Calculations within the single impurity Anderson model with full multiplet effects are found to yield consistent spectral functions to the experimental data.

THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF POLYANILINE AND DOPED PHASES STUDIED BY SOFT X-RAY ABSORPTION AND EMISSION SPECTROSCOPIES

The electronic structure of the conjugated polymer, polyaniline, has been studied by resonant and nonresonant soft x-ray emission spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation for the excitation. The measurements were made on polyaniline and a few doped (protonated) phases for both the carbon and nitrogen contents. The resonant x-ray emission spectra show depletion of the π electron bands due to the selective excitation which enhances the effect of symmetry selection rules. The valence band structures in the x-ray emission spectra attributed to the π bands show unambiguous changes of the electronic structure upon protonation. By comparing to x-ray absorption measurements, the chemical bonding and electronic configuration is characterized.

Tunable-excitation soft X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of high-Tc superconductors: an inequivalent-site seeing story

Abstract The study of high- T c superconductors and related compounds by means of soft X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy with monochromatic photon excitation is reviewed. It is shown that this spectroscopy provides a powerful tool for probing the local electronic structure at inequivalent O sites. The states in the valence band belonging to different sites are selectively studied by virtue of large variations in the O 1 s X-ray absorption cross-section for these sites at certain excitation energies as well as by taking advantage of 1 s chemical shifts between the sites. The character of unoccupied states is analyzed by monitoring the changes in the shape of X-ray fluorescence spectra with varying energies of incident photons. Issues are addressed, such as symmetry of doping-induced states and the origin of charge-carriers with respect to inequivalent sites, as well as the influence of electron–electron interaction.

End station for polarization and excitation energy selective soft x‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy

An end station for soft x‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy has been constructed, which includes an experiment chamber, rotatable 90° under ultrahigh vacuum conditions around the incoming synchrotron radiation beam, which is provided with a high‐resolution soft x‐ray spectrometer. A manipulator allowing three axes of rotation, three directions of translation, as well as LN2 cooling and resistive heating is mounted to the chamber and serves as the sample holder. Samples can be transferred under vacuum between the experiment chamber and two other chambers, one for sample preparation and another for introducing new samples and for sample storage. The end station has been used at two different synchrotron radiation laboratories (beamline BW3) at HASYLAB in Hamburg and at ALS (beamline 7.0) in Berkeley. Polarization‐dependent and angular resolved, selectively excited x‐ray emission studies have been made on ordered as well as nonordered systems, e.g., high‐Tc superconducting systems, diamond, fullerenes, and molec...