Materials ScienceBiologyMedicine

Yanhong Wang, Tim Snow, Nick J. Terrill, H. S. Gupta

2026.1.1IUCrJ

DOI: 10.1107/s2052252525009686

tlooto Summary

This framework enhances the interpretation of WAXD in heterogeneous fibre-based materials and can be embedded into advanced tomographic or machine-learning workflows, facilitating high-throughput structural characterization in scenarios where rotation is impractical or impossible.

Abstract

A generalized diffraction model is presented for anisotropic nanomaterials with fibre symmetry, enabling the extraction of 3D orientation, strain and angular dispersion from wide-angle X-ray scattering patterns without sample rotation. Validated on chitinous Bouligand structures in shrimp cuticle, this framework allows robust multi-reflection analysis and is broadly applicable to complex biological and synthetic fibre-based materials.

Citation format

WANG, Yanhong, et al. Anisotropic diffraction of materials with fibre symmetry: Application to chitin cuticle. IUCrJ, 2026, 13(1): 63–76.