Applications of High-Pressure Solution Device for Synchrotron Radiation Small Angle X-Ray Scattering Method

High pressure is one of the fundamental thermodynamic parameters, which can induce the structural changes in soft matter systems. By combining the spatial resolution of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), this technique can be employed to explore the dynamics of protein folding and the mechanisms of nucleic acid structural stability. Moreover, it has promising and broad applications in the field of life sciences. Currently, the specialized equipment for high-pressure solution scattering is still lacking in China. For this purpose, a high-pressure in-situ sample device and a manual pressurization system for specialized solution X-ray scattering have been developed at BL19U2 beamline at SSRF, which can complete the hydrostatic pressure measurements from 0.1 to 250 MPa. More important, the apparatus can keep the X-ray window in the same place throughout the experiment, which can help to subtract the accurate background scattering and achieve the measurements with high signal-to-noise ratio. This will provide a valuable research platform for wide range of areas, including food science, pharmacology, and structural biology.