Defining specifications for a USANS neutron scattering instrument
On 15-16 November 2007, the Institute hosted a workshop on ?Pushing Small-Angle Neutron Scattering at OPAL to Smaller Q?.
The thirty-nine participants, coming from universities, research institutes and industry, discussed large-scale structures with real space-sizes ranging from 0.1 to 50 microns, such as polymers, precipitates, grain structures, viruses and bacteria. The length scales of such materials exceed the measurement capabilities of conventional small-angle neutron scattering by one or two orders of magnitude and therefore require a new experimental approach.
A major point of this workshop was to make a start on defining specifications for a USANS neutron-scattering instrument at OPAL. Invited talks were given on the two techniques, crystal ultra small-angle neutron scattering and spin-echo small-angle neutron scattering, with emphasis on their scientific merits. The workshop discussed science covering a wide range of subjects, including colloids, coals, complex fluids, porous materials, nanocomposites, cements, steels and various areas in biology.
A detailed report can be found under http://www.ansto.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/24521/ANSTO_Low-Q_Workshop_Report.pdf