The small angle neutron scattering technique is a valuable method for the characterization of morphology of various materials. It can probe inhomogeneities in the sample (whether occurring naturally or introduced through isotopic substitution) at a length scale from the atomic size (nanometers) to the macroscopic (micrometers) size. This work provides an overview of the small angle neutron scattering facilities at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and a review of the technique as it has been applied to polymer systems, biological macromolecules, ceramic, and metallic materials. Specific examples have been included.
In this Letter we present small-angle neutron scattering data from a biomimetic system composed of the phospholipids dimyristoyl and dihexanoyl phosphorylcholine (DMPC and DHPC, respectively). Doping DMPC-DHPC multilamellar vesicles with either the negatively charged lipid dimyristoyl phosphorylglycerol (DMPG, net charge -1) or the divalent cation, calcium (Ca2+), leads to the spontaneous formation of energetically stabilized monodisperse unilamellar vesicles whose radii are concentration independent and in contrast with previous experimental observations.
The NIST Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory works with industry, standards bodies, universities, and other government laboratories to improve the nation’s measurements and standards infrastructure for materials. An increasingly important component of this effort is carried out at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), at present the most productive center of its kind in the United States. This article gives a brief historical account of the growth and activities of the Center with examples of its work in major materials research areas and describes the key role the Center can expect to play in future developments.
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