Humidity-controlled SAXS/WAXS experiments provide quantitative access to:
- Swelling or contraction of nanostructures, visible through shifts in SAXS peak positions
- Changes in correlation lengths and packing distances
- Hydration-driven phase transitions or ordering/disordering events
- Crystallite deformation, captured by WAXS peak shifts in lattice spacings
- Hydration and dehydration kinetics, using time-resolved measurement sequences
- Hierarchical responses, where different structural levels evolve in distinct humidity ranges
Understanding these moisture-driven changes is essential for optimizing the performance, stability, and processing of humidity-responsive materials across a wide range of applications.
Figure 1. Microfibril packing distance in spruce wood as a function of moisture content as determined from SAXS data.
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