Keywords
SANS
SAXS
neutron and X-ray scattering
Polymers
Soft Materials
Colloids
How to Cite
Abstract
Small-angle X-ray (SAXS) and neutron (SANS) scattering are among the most important techniques for experimental structural studies of soft materials, such as polymers, biomolecules, and colloids. The typical dimensions that can be investigated using SAXS and SANS range from 10 to 1000 Å, i.e. within the nanometer scale. In contrast, SAXS and SANS cannot provide information at the atomic length scale, unlike classical X-ray and neutron diffraction. The article reviews form factors and structure factors and presents examples of how neutron scattering allows for changing the contrast conditions, thereby enabling the study of the internal structure of, for instance, polymer colloids. Other examples illustrate methods for studying interactions between colloidal particles, which can lead to the formation of exotic materials with ordered nanostructures.
References
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