Multi-angle in situ dynamic light scattering at a neutron spin echo spectrometer

Review of Scientific Instruments, vol. 94, pp. 034106

Abstract

A new sample environment, called Bio-Oven, has been built for the Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) Spectrometer J-NSE Phoenix. It provides active temperature control and the possibility to perform Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) measurements during the neutron measurement. DLS provides diffusion coefficients of the dissolved nanoparticles, and thus one can monitor the aggregation state of the sample on a time scale of minutes during the spin echo measurement times on the order of days. This approach helps to validate the NSE data or to replace the sample when its aggregation state influences the spin echo measurement results. The new Bio-Oven is an in situ DLS setup based on optical fibers decoupling the free space optics around the sample cuvette in a lightproof casing from the laser sources and the detectors. It collects light from three scattering angles simultaneously. Six different values of momentum transfer can be accessed by switching between two different laser colors. Test experiments were performed with silica nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 20 nm up to 300 nm. Their hydrodynamic radii were determined from DLS measurements and compared with the ones obtained by a commercial particle sizer. It was demonstrated that also the static light scattering signal can be processed and gives meaningful results. The protein sample apomyoglobin was used for a long-term test and in a first neutron measurement using the new Bio-Oven. The results prove that the aggregation state of the sample can be followed using in situ DLS along with the neutron measurement.

Authors 12

1. Florian Vögl

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum · Technical University of Munich

   Affiliation as printed

   Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) 1 , 85748 Garching, Germany

   Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics, Chair for Functional Materials 2 , James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany

   Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics, Chair for Functional Materials, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany

2. Livia Balacescu Aachen Physikalisches Institut

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) 1 , 85748 Garching, Germany

   RWTH Aachen, Physikalisches Institut (IA), AG Biophysik 3 , 52074 Aachen, Germany

3. Olaf Holderer

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum

   Affiliation as printed

   Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) 1 , 85748 Garching, Germany

4. Stefano Pasini

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum

   Affiliation as printed

   Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) 1 , 85748 Garching, Germany

5. Simon Staringer

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum

   Affiliation as printed

   Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) 1 , 85748 Garching, Germany

6. Georg Brandl

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum

   Affiliation as printed

   Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) 1 , 85748 Garching, Germany

7. Vladimir Ossovyi

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum

   Affiliation as printed

   Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) 1 , 85748 Garching, Germany

8. Herbert Feilbach

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS-1) and Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-8) 4 , 52425 Jülich, Germany

9. Peter Müller‐Buschbaum

   Technical University of Munich

   Affiliation as printed

   Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics, Chair for Functional Materials 2 , James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany

   Technische Universität München, MLZ 5 , Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany

10. Andreas Maximilian Stadler Aachen Institute of Physical Chemistry 6

    Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS-1) and Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-8) 4 , 52425 Jülich, Germany

    RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Physical Chemistry 6 , Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany

11. Jörg Fitter Aachen Physikalisches Institut

    Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-6) 7 , 52425 Jülich, Germany

    RWTH Aachen, Physikalisches Institut (IA), AG Biophysik 3 , 52074 Aachen, Germany

12. Tobias E. Schrader corresponding

    Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum

    Affiliation as printed

    Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) 1 , 85748 Garching, Germany