Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: Vitrification during cryopreservation requires a quantitative understanding of protein transport in deeply supercooled cryoprotectant solutions, yet direct measurements at molecular length scales remain scarce. Here, we combine X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to investigate ferritin diffusion in glycerol-water mixtures from ambient conditions down to 210 K. The measured diffusion coefficients reveal that ferritin retains a higher mobility upon cooling than expected from hydrodynamic scaling based on measurements of larger silica reference tracers, with the difference emerging below approximately 230 K. A minimal fluctuating-friction model reproduces the observed relative enhancement in diffusion, illustrating how local variations in the effective friction can give rise to such behavior. These measurements provide direct experimental benchmarks for future theoretical and simulation studies aimed at understanding molecular transport in deeply supercooled liquids approaching the glass transition.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Bin, Maddalena, Girelli, Anita, Filianina, Mariia, Reiser, Mario, Berkowicz, Sharon, Åhlfeldt, Milla, Dargasz, Michelle, Timmermann, Sonja, Savelkouls, Jaqueline, Kawasaki, Takeshi, Saito, Shinji, Zontone, Federico, Chushkin, Yuriy, Zhang, Fajun, Schreiber, Frank, Paulus, Michael, Gutt, Christian, Perakis, Fivos
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Wenner-Gren Stiftelserna, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Vetenskapsrådet, Röntgen-Ångström Cluster, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Moonshot Research and Development Program
Awards: Pioneering Theoretical and Computational Studies for Elucidating Dynamic Disorder in Condensed-Phase Dynamics, G2146180242, Dynamics of proteins in crowded environments on multiple length and time scales, G4464022740, G456169517, G457976044, G5255304557, Unveiling dynamical heterogeneities using novel coherent x-ray sources, Schnelle Korrelationsspektroskopie an der ESRF-EBS, G7145679200, Vollständiger Ausbau der BATS Option für IN16B, G7360107881, Theoretical study of efficient excitation energy transfer in light-harvesting antenna of higher plants, G769537561, G826194526, Resolving non-equilibrium biomolecular transitions with coherent X-rays, Instrumentierung, um die Dynamik von biologischen Proben mit Korrelationsspektroskopie zu messen., G8906743551, G8911972677
OpenAlex ID: W4417009296
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