Neutron Scattering in Analysis of Polymers and Rubbers

Abstract

The neutron is in many ways an ideal probe for the investigation of the structure and dynamics of materials. Elastically scattered neutrons can be used to determine the structure of the sample from the atomic to macromolecular length scales, whilst dynamic information describing the vibration, rotation and translation of these molecules is obtained from inelastically scattered neutrons. The use of isotopic substitution provides an easy route to highlighting whole or parts of a molecule in the neutron scattering experiment. Isotopic labeling has been extensively used in polymer studies owing to the large difference between hydrogen and deuterium. The combined use of neutrons often with isotopic labeling schemes has provided a wealth of detailed information about polymer materials, which could not be derived so easily by other methods.