Spin echo small angle neutron scattering

{{Short description|Measure of structures from around 20 to 2000 nm in size}}

{{Science with neutrons}}

{{broader|Small-angle scattering}}

Spin echo small angle neutron scattering (SESANS) measures structures from around 20 to 2000 nm in size. The information is presented as a real-space (similar to g(r)) as opposed to a reciprocal space (q(r)) mapping. This can simplify the interpretation for some systems.{{cite web|url=https://www.tudelft.nl/en/faculty-of-applied-sciences/about-faculty/departments/radiation-science-technology/research/research-groups/neutron-positron-methods-for-materials/research-facilities/spin-echo-small-angle-neutron-scattering-sesans/|title=Spin-echo small-angle neutron scattering SESANS|website=TUDelft}}

SESANS is useful for studying processes that occur over relatively long time scales, as data collection is often slow, but large length scales. Aggregation of colloids,{{cite web|url=https://www.tudelft.nl/en/faculty-of-applied-sciences/about-faculty/departments/radiation-science-technology/neutron-positron-methods-for-materials/research-facilities/spin-echo-small-angle-neutron-scattering-sesans/colloidal-phase-diagram-studied-by-sesans/|title=Colloidal phase diagram studied by SESANS|website=TUDeltf}} block copolymer micelles,{{Cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Gregory N.|last2=Cunningham|first2=Victoria J.|last3=Canning|first3=Sarah L.|last4=Derry|first4=Matthew J.|last5=Cooper|first5=J. F. K.|last6=Washington|first6=A. L.|last7=Armes|first7=Steven P.|date=2019|title=Spin-echo small-angle neutron scattering (SESANS) studies of diblock copolymer nanoparticles|url=http://xlink.rsc.org/?DOI=C8SM01425F|journal=Soft Matter|language=en|volume=15|issue=1|pages=17–21|doi=10.1039/C8SM01425F|pmid=30520930|bibcode=2019SMat...15...17S |s2cid=54561253 |issn=1744-683X}} Stöber silica particles{{Cite journal|last1=Parnell|first1=S. R.|last2=Washington|first2=A. L.|last3=Parnell|first3=A. J.|last4=Walsh|first4=A.|last5=Dalgliesh|first5=R. M.|last6=Li|first6=F.|last7=Hamilton|first7=W. A.|last8=Prevost|first8=S.|last9=Fairclough|first9=J. P. A.|last10=Pynn|first10=R.|date=2016|title=Porosity of silica Stöber particles determined by spin-echo small angle neutron scattering|url=http://xlink.rsc.org/?DOI=C5SM02772A|journal=Soft Matter|language=en|volume=12|issue=21|pages=4709–4714|doi=10.1039/C5SM02772A|pmid=27021920|bibcode=2016SMat...12.4709P |issn=1744-683X|doi-access=free}} being a prime examples.

The technique offers some advantages over SANS{{Cite journal|last1=Rehm|first1=Christine|last2=Barker|first2=John|last3=Bouwman|first3=Wim G.|last4=Pynn|first4=Roger|date=2013-04-01|title=DCD USANS and SESANS: a comparison of two neutron scattering techniques applicable for the study of large-scale structures|url=http://scripts.iucr.org/cgi-bin/paper?S0021889812050029|journal=Journal of Applied Crystallography|volume=46|issue=2|pages=354–364|doi=10.1107/S0021889812050029|bibcode=2013JApCr..46..354R |issn=0021-8898|url-access=subscription}} but there are fewer SESANS instruments available than SANS instruments. Facilities for SESANS exist at TUDelft (Netherlands){{Cite web|url=https://www.tudelft.nl/en/faculty-of-applied-sciences/business/facilities/reactor-institute-delft/research-instruments/sesans/|title=SESANS|website=TU Delft|language=en|access-date=2019-10-28}} and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK).{{Cite web|url=https://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/Larmor.aspx|title=ISIS Larmor|website=www.isis.stfc.ac.uk|access-date=2019-10-28}}