scholarly journals Flexible Sample Environment for the Investigation of Soft Matter at the European Spallation Source: Part II—The GISANS Setup

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4036
Author(s):  
Tobias Widmann ◽  
Lucas P. Kreuzer ◽  
Matthias Kühnhammer ◽  
Andreas J. Schmid ◽  
Lars Wiehemeier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Solvent Vapor ◽  
Spallation Source ◽  
Sample Environment

The FlexiProb project is a joint effort of three soft matter groups at the Universities of Bielefeld, Darmstadt, and Munich with scientific support from the European Spallation Source (ESS), the small-K advanced diffractometer (SKADI) beamline development group of the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS), and the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ). Within this framework, a flexible and quickly interchangeable sample carrier system for small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) at the ESS was developed. In the present contribution, the development of a sample environment for the investigation of soft matter thin films with grazing-incidence small-angle neutron scattering (GISANS) is introduced. Therefore, components were assembled on an optical breadboard for the measurement of thin film samples under controlled ambient conditions, with adjustable temperature and humidity, as well as the optional in situ recording of the film thickness via spectral reflectance. Samples were placed in a 3D-printed spherical humidity metal chamber, which enabled the accurate control of experimental conditions via water-heated channels within its walls. A separately heated gas flow stream supplied an adjustable flow of dry or saturated solvent vapor. First test experiments proved the concept of the setup and respective component functionality.

scholarly journals Flexible Sample Environments for the Investigation of Soft Matter at the European Spallation Source: Part III—The Macroscopic Foam Cell

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 5116
Author(s):  
Matthias Kühnhammer ◽  
Tobias Widmann ◽  
Lucas P. Kreuzer ◽  
Andreas J. Schmid ◽  
Lars Wiehemeier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Angle ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Foam Cell ◽  
Foam Formation ◽  
Formation Temperature ◽  
Carrier System ◽  
Spallation Source ◽  
Under Construction ◽  
Sample Environment

The European Spallation Source (ESS), which is under construction in Lund (Sweden), will be the leading and most brilliant neutron source and aims at starting user operation at the end of 2023. Among others, two small angle neutron scattering (SANS) machines will be operated. Due to the high brilliance of the source, it is important to minimize the downtime of the instruments. For this, a collaboration between three German universities and the ESS was initialized to develop and construct a unified sample environment (SE) system. The main focus was set on the use of a robust carrier system for the different SEs, which allows setting up experiments and first prealignment outside the SANS instruments. This article covers the development and construction of a SE for SANS experiments with foams, which allows measuring foams at different drainage states and the control of the rate of foam formation, temperature, and measurement position. The functionality under ESS conditions was tested and neutron test measurement were carried out.

scholarly journals A temperature-controlled electric field sample environment for small-angle neutron scattering experiments

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 033903
Author(s):  
Dominic W. Hayward ◽  
Germinal Magro ◽  
Anja Hörmann ◽  
Sylvain Prévost ◽  
Ralf Schweins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Field Sample ◽  
Temperature Controlled ◽  
Sample Environment

Comment on “Cholesterol solubility limit in lipid membranes probed by small angle neutron scattering and MD simulations” by S. Garg et al., Soft Matter, 2014, 10, 9313

Soft Matter ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (27) ◽  
pp. 5580-5581
Author(s):  
Richard M. Epand ◽  
Diana Bach ◽  
Ellen Wachtel
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Solubility Limit ◽  
Phospholipid Bilayers ◽  
Cholesterol Solubility

As consistently described in the literature, the solubility limit of cholesterol in phospholipid bilayers is defined by its phase separation and crystallization.

scholarly journals A novel methodology to study nanoporous alumina by small-angle neutron scattering

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 745-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Christoulaki ◽  
Alexis Chennevière ◽  
Isabelle Grillo ◽  
Lionel Porcar ◽  
Emmanuelle Dubois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Condensed Matter ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Sem Analysis ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Fitting Method ◽  
Hexagonal Arrangement ◽  
Sans Data

Nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) membranes are promising host systems for confinement of condensed matter. Characterizing their structure and composition is thus of primary importance for studying the behavior of confined objects. Here a novel methodology to extract quantitative information on the structure and composition of well defined AAO membranes by combining small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging is reported. In particular, (i) information about the pore hexagonal arrangement is extracted from SEM analysis, (ii) the best SANS experimental conditions to perform reliable measurements are determined and (iii) a detailed fitting method is proposed, in which the probed length in the fitting model is a critical parameter related to the longitudinal pore ordering. Finally, to validate this strategy, it is applied to characterize AAOs prepared under different conditions and it is shown that the experimental SANS data can be fully reproduced by a core/shell model, indicating the existence of a contaminated shell. This original approach, based on a detailed and complete description of the SANS data, can be applied to a variety of confining media and will allow the further investigation of condensed matter under confinement.

scholarly journals Detector rates for the Small Angle Neutron Scattering instruments at the European Spallation Source

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (07) ◽  
pp. P07016-P07016 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kanaki ◽  
M. Klausz ◽  
T. Kittelmann ◽  
G. Albani ◽  
E. Perelli Cippo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Spallation Source

scholarly journals Soft Matter Sample Environments for Time-Resolved Small Angle Neutron Scattering Experiments: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5566
Author(s):  
Volker S. Urban ◽  
William T. Heller ◽  
John Katsaras ◽  
Wim Bras
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Condensed Matter ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Soft Condensed Matter ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Neutron Sources

With the promise of new, more powerful neutron sources in the future, the possibilities for time-resolved neutron scattering experiments will improve and are bound to gain in interest. While there is already a large body of work on the accurate control of temperature, pressure, and magnetic fields for static experiments, this field is less well developed for time-resolved experiments on soft condensed matter and biomaterials. We present here an overview of different sample environments and technique combinations that have been developed so far and which might inspire further developments so that one can take full advantage of both the existing facilities as well as the possibilities that future high intensity neutron sources will offer.

On the design and experimental realization of a multislit-based very small angle neutron scattering instrument at the European Spallation Source

2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1242-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sohrab Abbas ◽  
Sylvain Désert ◽  
Annie Brûlet ◽  
Vincent Thevenot ◽  
Patrice Permingeat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Experimental Realization ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Spallation Source ◽  
Length Scaling ◽  
First Time ◽  
Sans Instrument

This article reports the design of a versatile multislit-based very small angle neutron scattering (VSANS) instrument working either as a dedicated instrument or as an add-on for any small-angle neutron scattering machine like the proposed SANS instrument, SKADI, at the future European Spallation Source. The use of multiple slits as a VSANS collimator for the time-of-flight techniques has been validated usingMcStassimulations. Various instrument configurations to achieve different minimum wavevector transfers in scattering experiments are proposed. The flexibility of the multislit VSANS instrument concept is demonstrated by showing the possibility of instrument length scaling for the first time, allowing access to varying minimum wavevector transfers with the same multislit setup. These options can provide smooth access to minimum wavevector transfers lower than ∼4 × 10−5 Å−1and an overlapping of wavevector coverage with normal SANS mode,e.g.with the SKADI wavevector range of 10−3–1.1 Å−1. Such an angularly well defined and intense neutron beam will allow faster SANS studies of objects larger than 1 µm. Calculations have also been carried out for a radial collimator as an alternative to the multislit collimator setup. This extends the SANSQrange by an order of magnitude to 1 × 10−4 Å−1with much simpler alignment. The multislit idea has been realized experimentally by building a prototype at Laboratoire Leon Brillouin, Saclay, with cross-talk-free geometry. Feasibility studies were carried out by making VSANS measurements with single- and multislit collimators, and the results are compared with multiple-pinhole geometry using classical SANS analysis tools.

scholarly journals Small-angle neutron scattering measurements of δ-phase deuteride (hydride) precipitates in Zircaloy 4

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 768-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent J. Heuser ◽  
Jun-Li Lin ◽  
Changwoo Do ◽  
Lilin He
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Reference Sample ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Deuterium Substitution ◽  
Hydrogen Pickup ◽  
Δ Phase

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements have been performed under ambient conditions to characterize deuteride (hydride) particles in Zircaloy 4, a fuel cladding material used in pressurized light-water nuclear reactors. Hydrogen pickup by the cladding leads to a rim structure in which large circumferential hydride plate-like particles preferentially form on the cooler water-side region of the cladding. Deuterium substitution has been used to increase the coherent response and decrease the incoherent background of the SANS measurements. Four bulk deuterium concentrations were investigated, approximately 100, 400, 500 and 1000 parts per million by weight (w.p.p.m.) deuterium, as well as a zero-deuterium-concentration reference sample. The net SANS response from the deuteride phase was determined at all concentration values after subtraction of the reference SANS response, which effectively subtracted the strong scattering from second-phase particles in as-received Zircaloy. The net SANS response consisted of strong Porod scattering from deuteride particles over the entire measured Q range (0.005–0.4 Å−1). The net SANS response was anisotropic at concentrations greater than 100 w.p.p.m. and required elliptical averaging analysis. A significant sample orientation effect on the intensity of the SANS response was observed, due to preferential alignment of deuteride particles. The effect of ex situ applied stress at elevated temperature on deuteride phase dissolution and reprecipitation was investigated; a weak effect was observed with SANS that could not be confirmed by optical microscopy.

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