Dynamic X-ray Coherent Diffraction Analysis: Bridging the Time Scales between Imaging and Photon Correlation Spectroscopy

The advent of diffraction limited sources and developments in detector technology opens up new possibilities for the study of materials <i>in situ</i> and <i>operando</i>. Coherent X-ray diffraction techniques such as coherent X-ray diffractive imaging (CXDI) and X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) are capable for this purpose and provide complementary information, although due to signal-to-noise requirements, their simultaneous demonstration has been limited. Here, we demonstrate a strategy for the simultaneous use of CXDI and XPCS to study <i>in situ</i> the Brownian motion of colloidal gold nanoparticles of 200 nm diameter suspended in a glycerol-water mixture. We visualize the process of agglomeration, examine the spatiotemporal space accessible with the combination of techniques, and demonstrate CXDI with 22 ms temporal resolution.