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Microfluidic Horizons 2026

May 18 – 23, 2026
Europe/Rome timezone

MH2026

Microfluidic devices for synchrotron Small Angle X-ray Scattering Experiments

May 18, 2026, 4:40 PM
20m
Oral High-energy spectroscopy and advanced imaging methods coupled with microfluidics Monday 18/05, 14 - 19; Room 35

Description

Micro-nanotechnology has blurred the borders between material science, chemistry and biology. The miniaturization of chemical and biological assays, promoted by micro-nanofluidics, requires both a careful selection of the fabrication methods and the development of tailored materials for the specific applications. As a consequence, interdisciplinarity is becoming fundamental in the combination of microfabrication and characterization techniques aimed at the construction of new devices that create new sample environments, allowing to access new fields of investigation (1). In this communication, we want to underline the advantages obtainable by combining microfluidics with synchrotron Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS). SAXS is a standard method for structural characterization at the nanoscale between 1 nm and 100 nm, with excellent in situ, time resolved and operando capabilities, and providing unique information on the nanostructure and kinetics of soft and condensed matter. In this communication, two microdevices for SAXS investigations will be presented. The first is a microfluidic device to feed water through the pores of a mesoporous material thin film (which has an ordered structure with uniform connected pores in the size range 2-50 nm) in order to maintain the hydration of model lipid membranes. The idea is to prove the possibility to use mesoporous materials as “active” sample holders which are able to deliver fluids (2). The second is a microfluidic device which is transparent to UV-visible light in one direction and to X-rays in the perpendicular one, for the study of photoactive systems using UV-visible spectroscopy and/or SAXS (3). The research has been performed at the microfabrication laboratory and at the Austrian SAXS beamline at Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy).

  1. M. A. Levenstein, C. Chevallard, F. Malloggi, F. Testard and O. Taché, Lab Chip, 2025, 25, 1169
  2. B. Marmiroli, B. Sartori, A. R. Kyvik, I. Ratera, H. Amenitsch, Front. Mat., 2021, 8, 686353
  3. B. Marmiroli, S. Klokic, B. Sartori, M. Reißenbüchel, A. Turchet, and H. Amenitsch, http://arxiv.org/abs/2511.11441, 2025

Authors

Benedetta Marmiroli (Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology) Dr Barbara Sartori (Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology) Dr Sumea Klokic (Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology) Mr Alessio Turchet (Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste) Prof. Heinz Amenitsch (Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology)

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