New experimental set-ups for studying nanoconfined water on the AILES beamline at SOLEIL

Three ensembles designed to investigate condensed matter in complex environments have been developed recently on the AILES beamline at SOLEIL. They have been exploited for studies aiming at understanding the properties of water molecules and their network in various confining systems, namely:a hydration and temperature-controlled cell for the study of water confined in nanoporous Vycor,a high pressure set-up allowing the study of the evolution of water molecules network trapped in Faujasite through the pressure-induced amorphisation of the matrix material,a temperature resolved electrochemical cell used to record FIR difference spectra of metalloproteins interacting with water molecules. By combining the high infrared flux and collimation of the AILES beamline with these optimized sample environments, it is possible to measure the infrared and THz spectra for minute quantities of samples in precise physical conditions.