XAFS

Welcome to XAFS at Elettra

XAFS at Elettra is the Italian beamline dedicated to x-ray absorption spectroscopy. It is installed on a bending magnet source and it was designed to cover a wide energy range: from 2.4 to 25 keV . In addition, different collection modes and sample environments are available (including furnace, liquid-N₂ cryostat and cells for liquid samples). In this way XAFS beamline meets the needs of a large number of researchers in the area of conventional x-ray absorption spectroscopy.
For this reason the research activity at the XAFS at Elettra is quite diverse and ranges from fundamental physics to catalysis to material and environmental science.
 

Research highlights   |   Publications   |   Calendar

Structural characterization of electrodeposited copper hexacyanoferrate films by using a spectroscopic multi-technique approach

A deep structural investigation predominantly by X-ray spectroscopic techniques is conducted on films of copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) deposited under different conditions, aimed at establishing structure–properties relationships.
E. Giorgetti et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.  14, 5527 (2012).

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Exploring the Effect of Co Doping in Fine Maghemite Nanoparticles

Nanosized spinel ferrites are the subject of increasing interest in the current landscape of nanotechnology due to their remarkable properties that make them suitable for a large range of applications, from catalysis to biomedicine. In C-substituted ferrite nanoparticles, XAFS allowed to investigate the Co ion distribution inside the lattice and to exclude the unexpected magnetic behaviour arises from differrent metal ion distribution.
E. Fantechi et al., J. Phys. Chem.  116, 8261 (2012).

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Interplay between microstructure and magnetism in NiO nanoparticles: breakdown of the antiferromagnetic order

This work reports on how the antiferromagnetism of a bulk material can be broken when reducing its size under a given threshold. For
this aim, a comprehensive study combining structural characterization techniques and magnetic measurements was performed in NiO
nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes ranging from 2.5 to 9 nm. Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 457-465

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Magnetite Biomineralization in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense: Time-Resolved Magnetic and Structural Studies

Magnetotactic bacteria biosynthesize magnetite nanoparticles of high structural and chemical purity that allow them to orientate in the geomagnetic field. This work presents a magnetic and structural time-resolved study on magnetotactic bacteria Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldensestrain MSR-1, to follow the process of biomineralization of magnetite nanoparticles. ACS Nano, 2013, 7 (4), pp 3297–3305

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Structural Investigation of the Ligand Exchange Reaction with Rigid Dithiol on Doped (Pt, Pd) Au25 Clusters

The ligand exchange reaction between heteroatom doped (Pd, Pt) Au₂₅(2-PET)₁₈ (2-PET = 2-phenylethylthiolate) clusters and enantiopure 1,1′-binaphthyl-2,2′-dithiol (BINAS) was monitored in situ using chiral high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). During the ligand exchange reactions, replacement of two protecting thiols (2-PET) with one new entering BINAS ligand on the cluster surface occurs. J. Phys. Chem. C, Article ASAP

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Tunable thermal expansion in framework materials through redox intercalation

Thermal expansion properties of solids are of fundamental interest and control of thermal expansion is important for practical applications but can be difficult to achieve. Here we show that redox intercalation offers an effective method to control thermal expansion from positive to zero to negative.
Chen et al., Nat. Commun, Vol. 8, pp. 14441 (2017).

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XAFS e le fuel cells in onda su RadioRAI

Il 14/07/2020 la trasmissione radiofonica RADAR, condotta da Daniela Picoi, ha ospitato ai propri microfoni il Dr. Simone Pollastri per il suo ruolo nel progetto CEROP sulle fuel cells. Lo studio, finanziato da CERIC, mira alla caratterizzazione in condizioni operando di catalizzatori anodici di ultima generazione con un ridotto contenuto in Pt, che permette di abbassarne il costo di produzione. Maggiori dettagli sul sito della trasmissione e nel podcast.

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XAFS, MCX e l'università di Bologna portano le batterie sul Sole 24 ore

Il 14/07/2020 il Sole 24 ore ha dedicato un articolo allo studio effettuato sulle linee XAFS e MCX dedicato alle batterie. Il lavoro, una collaborazione tra il prof. Marco Giorgetti (Università di Bologna), Giuliana Aquilanti (XAFS) e Jasper Plaisier (MCX), è finalizzato allo studio dei materiali che costituiscono gli elettrodi e al loro comportamento nelle fasi di carica e scarica della batteria.

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Proposal Submission

We invite users and collabrators to discuss their proposals with the beamline local contacts well in advance before the submission deadline. This is crucial for a careful assessment of the experiment feasibility and may lead to improvements in the proposed experimental plan. Our website provides a wealth of information on experiment feasibilty and proposal submission.