Abstract
Over the past decade, a multiple small-angle neutron scattering (MSANS) formalism has been developed to enable researchers to derive microstructural parameters from multiply-scattered small-angle neutron data. The MSANS formalism is particularly useful in ceramic science and materials research because it is applicable to samples that are thicker (> 2 mm) and have larger scattering volume fractions (> 2%) than are commonly used in small-angle neutron scattering studies. At the same time, the microstructural size range within which microstructures are determined is extended from 10–l000 Å for small-angle neutron scattering to 800 Å– 10 µm for MSANS. This extended size range is precisely the size regime where significant materials microstructure exists. Finally, the rapidity with which MSANS data can be accumulated (on the order of minutes) compared to the typical time for small-angle neutron scattering data accumulation (on the order of hours) offers an opportunity to explore the kinetics of microstructure development in sifu.
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