Nature Communications (May 2021)

Label-free characterization of organic nanocarriers reveals persistent single molecule cores for hydrocarbon sequestration

  • Terry McAfee,
  • Thomas Ferron,
  • Isvar A. Cordova,
  • Phillip D. Pickett,
  • Charles L. McCormick,
  • Cheng Wang,
  • Brian A. Collins

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23382-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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In-situ methods are important for investigating the local structure and function in molecular nanostructures but such investigations often involve laborious labeling methods that can disrupt behavior or are not fast enough to capture stimuli-responsive phenomena. Here, the authors use X-rays resonant with molecular bonds to demonstrate an in-situ nanoprobe that eliminates the need for labels and enables data collection times within seconds.