Structural and chemical properties of anion exchanged CsPb(Br(1-x)Clx)3heterostructured perovskite nanowires imaged by nanofocused x-rays

Over the last years metal halide perovskites have demonstrated remarkable potential for integration in light emitting devices. Heterostructures allow for tunable bandgap depending on the local anion composition, crucial for optoelectronic devices, but local structural effects of anion exchange in single crystals is not fully understood. Here, we investigate how the anion exchange of CsPbBr3nanowires fully and locally exposed to HCl vapor affects the local crystal structure, using nanofocused x-rays. We study the nanoscale composition and crystal structure as function of HCl exposure time and demonstrate the correlation of anion exchange with changes in the lattice parameter. The local composition was measured by x-ray fluorescence and x-ray diffraction, with general agreement of both methods but with much less variation using latter. The heterostructured nanowires exhibit unintentional gradients in composition, both axially and radially. Ferroelastic domains are observed for all HCl exposure times, and the magnitude of the lattice tilt at the domain walls scales with the Cl concentration.

Diffraction based Hanbury Brown and Twiss interferometry at a hard x-ray free-electron laser

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) provide extremely bright and highly spatially coherent x-ray radiation with femtosecond pulse duration. Currently, they are widely used in biology and material science. Knowledge of the XFEL statistical properties during an experiment may be vitally important for the accurate interpretation of the results. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate Hanbury Brown and Twiss (HBT) interferometry performed in diffraction mode at an XFEL source. It allowed us to determine the XFEL statistical properties directly from the Bragg peaks originating from colloidal crystals. This approach is different from the traditional one when HBT interferometry is performed in the direct beam without a sample. Our analysis has demonstrated nearly full (80%) global spatial coherence of the XFEL pulses and an average pulse duration on the order of ten femtoseconds for the monochromatized beam, which is significantly shorter than expected from the electron bunch measurements.

Revealing Three-Dimensional Structure of an Individual Colloidal Crystal Grain by Coherent X-Ray Diffractive Imaging

We present results of a coherent x-ray diffractive imaging experiment performed on a single colloidal crystal grain. The full three-dimensional (3D) reciprocal space map measured by an azimuthal rotational scan contained several orders of Bragg reflections together with the coherent interference signal between them. Applying the iterative phase retrieval approach, the 3D structure of the crystal grain was reconstructed and positions of individual colloidal particles were resolved. As a result, an exact stacking sequence of hexagonal close-packed layers including planar and linear defects were identified.

Characterization of spatial coherence of synchrotron radiation with non-redundant arrays of apertures

A method to characterize the spatial coherence of soft X-ray radiation from a single diffraction pattern is presented. The technique is based on scattering from non-redundant arrays (NRAs) of slits and records the degree of spatial coherence at several relative separations from 1 to 15 µm, simultaneously. Using NRAs the spatial coherence of the X-ray beam at the XUV X-ray beamline P04 of the PETRA III synchrotron storage ring was measured as a function of different beam parameters. To verify the results obtained with the NRAs, additional Young's double-pinhole experiments were conducted and showed good agreement.

Double hexagonal close-packed structure revealed in a single colloidal crystal grain by Bragg rod analysis

A coherent X-ray diffraction study of a single colloidal crystal grain composed of silica spheres is reported. The diffraction data contain Bragg peaks and additional features in the form of Bragg rods, which are related to the stacking of the hexagonally close-packed layers. The profile of the Bragg rod shows distinct intensity modulations which, under the specific experimental conditions used here, are directly related to the stacking sequence of the layers. Using a model for the scattered intensity along the Bragg rod for an exact stacking sequence of a finite number of hexagonally close-packed layers, it is found that a double hexagonal close-packed stacking sequence is present in the colloidal crystal grain. This analysis method opens up ways to obtain crucial structural information from finite-sized crystalline samples by employing advanced third-generation X-ray sources.

X-ray cross-correlation analysis of liquid crystal membranes in the vicinity of the hexatic-smectic phase transition

We present an x-ray study of liquid crystal membranes in the vicinity of the hexatic-smectic phase transition by means of angular x-ray cross-correlation analysis. By applying two-point angular-intensity cross-correlation functions to the measured series of diffraction patterns the parameters of bond-orientational (BO) order in hexatic phase were directly determined. The temperature dependence of the positional correlation lengths was analyzed as well. The obtained correlation lengths show larger values for the higher-order Fourier components of BO order. These findings indicate a strong coupling between BO and positional order.