Temperature-Induced Structural Evolution by SAXS/WAXS

Temperature-controlled SAXS/WAXS experiments capture how structure evolves as thermal energy drives reorganization. From scattering data, one can extract:

• Thermal phase transitions, including crystallization, melting, order–order transitions, or disordering
• Changes in characteristic spacing (lamellar period, domain spacing, correlation lengths)
• Crystallinity evolution, via WAXS peak intensity, position, and width
• Thermal hysteresis, offering insight into reversible versus irreversible pathways

These measurements allow researchers to map complete thermal trajectories and understand how nanoscale structure governs macroscopic performance.

Temperature-induced structural evolution can be studied in an exceptionally wide range of materials, including:

• Semi-crystalline and engineering polymers undergoing melting, crystallization, or thermal reorganization
• Block copolymers, micelles, surfactants, and self-assembled soft-matter systems
• Organic semiconductors and thin films undergoing annealing or order–disorder transitions
• Colloidal, nanoparticle, and hybrid inorganic–organic assemblies sensitive to thermal history
• Biomolecular materials, such as protein complexes, lipid assemblies, or biopolymer networks
• Energy materials, including battery electrodes, solid electrolytes, and catalytic nanostructures
• Pharmaceutical formulations, where temperature affects aggregation or polymorphism
• Food and cosmetic formulations, including emulsions, gels, and structured soft materials
• Nanostructured or porous materials, whose periodicity or crystallinity changes with temperature

Both heating and cooling modes allow detailed mapping of reversible and irreversible phenomena.

Temperature-controlled SAXS/WAXS provides a unique window into how materials reorganize across multiple length scales when heated or cooled.