Neutron Scattering in Materials Research

Abstract

With materials of ever-increasing complexity becoming key elements of the technologies underpinning industrial and economic development, there is an ongoing need for tools that reveal the microscopic origins of physical, electrical, magnetic, chemical, and biological properties. Neutron scattering is one such powerful tool for the study of the structure and dynamics of materials. Neutrons are well suited to this purpose for several reasons:∎ Neutrons are electrically neutral, leading to penetration depths of centimeters and thereby enabling in situ studies.∎ Neutron cross sections exhibit no regular dependence on atomic number and are similar in magnitude across the periodic table, giving rise to sensitivity to light elements in the presence of heavier ones.∎ Certain large differences in isotopic scattering cross sections (e.g., hydrogen to deuterium, H/D) make neutrons especially useful for the study of light atoms in materials.∎ The range of momentum transfer available allows probing of a broad range of length scales (0.1–105 Å), important in many different materials and applications.∎ Thermal and “cold” (longer-wavelength) neutrons cover a range of energies sufficient to probe a wide range of lattice or magnetic excitations, “slow” dynamic processes such as polymer chain reptation, and so forth.∎ Neutrons have magnetic moments and are thus uniquely sensitive probes of magnetic interactions.∎ Neutrons can be polarized, allowing the cross sections (magnetic and non-magnetic) to be separated.∎ The simplicity of the magnetic and nuclear interactions makes interpretation of results straightforward.