Synchrotron X-Ray Techniques in the Study of Nanomaterials

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2026 | Viewed by 33

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083970, Brazil
Interests: synchrotron radiation; X-ray diffraction; X-ray imaging; coherent diffractive imaging; ptychography

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Guest Editor
Physics Department, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte CEP 31270-901, Brazil
Interests: X-ray scattering and diffraction; scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy; semiconductors; two-dimensional materials; self-assembly in organic compounds

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Guest Editor Assistant
Peter Grünberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
Interests: synchrotron radiation; X-ray microscopy; X-ray imaging; surface science; scanning probe microscopy; low-dimensional semiconductors; memristive materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fundamental physical properties such as optical emission, electrical conductivity, and magnetic ordering are directly affected and can be tailored by phenomena occurring at the nanoscale. Investigating the structure of nanomaterials can open up new avenues for developing advanced devices that exploit properties that are absent in their bulk counterparts. Probing local domains and grains within crystals, however, remains a significant challenge, particularly under non-ambient thermodynamic conditions or when external electric and magnetic fields are applied. Conventional benchtop techniques like probe-based or electron microscopy often struggle to access subsurface information, and sometimes require severe sample preparation, limiting their applicability for in situ and operando studies. X-rays offer a compelling alternative, thanks to their high penetration depth and flexible experimental geometries with relatively large working distances. Historically, the spatial resolution of X-ray techniques was constrained by beam sizes on the order of millimeters. However, recent advances in X-rays focusing on optics and the appearance of the new generation of synchrotron machines with improved brilliance have enabled State-of-the-Art techniques capable of exploring local phenomena at the nanoscale with high spatial and temporal resolution. The present Special Issue on ‘Synchrotron X-ray Techniques in the Study of Nanomaterials’ may summarize novel approaches, including multi-setup experiments, developed on synchrotron facilities to investigate crystals’ basic properties at the nanoscale.

Dr. Lucas Atila Bernardes Marçal
Dr. Ângelo Malachias de Souza
Guest Editors

Dr. Yen-Po Liu
Guest Editor Assitant

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • X-ray diffraction
  • crystallography
  • synchrotron radiation
  • nanomaterials
  • crystal dynamics
  • X-ray spectroscopy
  • nano-device characterization

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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