Solution Small-Angle Scattering in Soft Matter: Application and Prospective

Abstract

Solution small-angle scattering (SAS) is a powerful tool for elucidating the structural properties of soft matter systems. SAS includes X-ray scattering (SAXS) and Neutron scattering (SANS) techniques which allow determination of the material's properties at a scale ranging from few Angstroms to hundreds of nanometers. Wide time scales ranging from real time (milliseconds) to several minutes can be also covered by these techniques. In recent years, solution SAS techniques have had versatile applications in several research fields, especially in structural biology and in probing self-assembling nanomaterials. Probing the structure of materials at micro- and nano-scales provide an insight on the macroscopic properties of the material. The high throughput and fast time resolution offered by SAXS in combination with the neutron penetrating ability in SANS can offer a great potential to cover different soft-matter systems and processes (i.e. probing the kinetic of self-assembly). Here we review the solution SAS (both synchrotrons and Neutron Sources) capabilities which have been established in mainland China, and cover scattering theoretical developments. Recent advances in solutions SAS used in soft matter will also be discussed. Given the potential offered by the next generation X-ray and Neutron sources, further developments in this field are expected, with a proliferation of solution SAS applications.