Search results for "SMALL-ANGLE NEUTRON"
showing 10 items of 111 documents
Time-resolving Analysis of Cryotropic Gelation of Water/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Solutions via Small Angle Neutron Scattering
2007
The structural transformations occurring in initially homogeneous aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) through application of freezing (-13 degrees C) and thawing (20 degrees C) cycles is investigated by time resolving small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). These measurements indicate that formation of gels of complex hierarchical structure arises from occurrence of different elementary processes, involving different length and time scales. The fastest process that could be detected by our measurements during the first cryotropic treatment consists of the crystallization of the solvent. However, solvent crystallization is incomplete, and an unfrozen liquid microphase more concentr…
Slow Crystallization Kinetics of Poly(vinyl alcohol) in Confined Environment during Cryotropic Gelation of Aqueous Solutions
2006
The gelation kinetics of aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) during freezing at −13 °C has been investigated with time-resolved small angle neutron scattering. Crystallization of PVA takes place inside an unfrozen liquid microphase that forms in the matrix of ice crystals and follows a first-order kinetics during the early stages and becomes very slow in the later stages with an apparent Avrami exponent lower than 1. Crystallization of PVA at low temperatures is responsible of formation of strong physical gels upon defrosting, provided that the concentration of PVA is higher than a critical value.
Fractal approach in petrology: Small-angle neutron scattering experiments with volcanic rocks.
1988
Following Mandelbrot's pioneering work in 1977, we attempt to use the concept of fractal dimension in petrology. Fractal dimension is an intensive property of matter which offers a quantitative measure of the degree of surface roughness. Neutron scattering experiments have been performed on 18 volcanic rocks from different localities. The scattered intensity as a function of the momentum transfer obeys a power law whose exponent varies, for the rock samples presented, between -3 and -4. We conclude that, at the molecular level, our volcanic rocks are not fractal volumes. With regard to the particle-matrix interface, it is not possible to provide a determination at the present stage of resea…
Application of small angle neutron scattering to micellar fluids
1990
Abstract In this paper we present a short overview of the application of small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to micellar fluids. In the first part of the paper a general expression of the scattering equation is derived, with particular emphasis on the approximations involved and on their practical consequences. In the second part of the paper we present six selected test cases (such as mono- and polydisperse fluids, critical fluids, shapes other than spherical, etc.) taken from our own work, to demonstrate the kind of analysis performed in each case to extract the information from SANS data.
A structural comparison of halloysite nanotubes of different origin by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) and Electric Birefringence
2018
The structure of halloysite nanotubes (Hal) from different mines was investigated by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) and Electric Birefringence (EBR) experiments. The analysis of the SANS curves allowed us to correlate the sizes and polydispersity and the specific surfaces (obtained by a Porod analysis of the SANS data) of the nanotubes with their specific geological setting. Contrast matching measurements were performed on patch Hal (from Western Australia) in order to determine their experimental scattering length density for a more precise analysis. Further characterization of the mesoscopic structure of Hal was carried out by Electric Birefringence (EBR), which allowed to study th…
Neutron Scattering of Poly(ethylene terephthalate)
1986
Through the use of deuterium labeling, small angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been found to be an extremely effective tool for elucidating the structure of polymer molecules in the condensed matter state. In this study, the molecular morphology of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been determined under four different conditions: (1) in the glassy state, (2) in the semicrystalline state, (3) after cold-drawing, and (4) after undergoing partial transesterification.
Modelling small angle neutron scattering data from polymers in supercritical fluids
2000
In this paper we report a SANS investigation of micelle formation by fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon block copolymers in supercritical CO2(scCO2) at 313K. A sharp unimer-micelle transition is obtained due to the tuning of the solvating ability of scCO2 by profiling pressure. At high pressure the copolymer is in a monomeric state with a random coil structure. By lowering the pressure aggregates are formed with the hydrocarbon segments forming the core and the fluorocarbon segments forming the corona of spherical aggregates. This aggregate-unimer transition is driven by the gradual penetration of CO2 molecules toward the core of the aggregate and is critically related to the density of the solvent, …
Effects of isotopic substitution on the conformational properties of polymeric aqueous solutions
2000
Abstract This work deals with a side-by-side comparison between the PEO conformational properties in H 2 O and D 2 O. The gyration radius, evaluated by SANS, the hydrodynamic radius, evaluated by PCS, and the Raman D-LAM band analysis furnish valuable information on the structural arrangement of the molecules. The findings clearly show different behavioural properties of the polymer in H 2 O and D 2 O.
Preparation and determination of the structure of high-performance polymer blends by small-angle neutron scattering
1995
Amorphous blends from a deuterated polyaryletherketone and a polyetherimide have been prepared and investigated by neutron scattering. The used components differ remarkably in their structure antheir solution properties. The blends on the other hand are combinatorial mixtures : the scattering quantity Φ 1 Φ 2 /S(q) is independent of the composition of the blends if the polymer chains have the same length
The structure of high-performance polymer blends by small-angle neutron scattering
1997
Abstract Amorphous blends from a deuterated polyaryletherketone and a polyetherimide have been prepared and investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The blends are combinatorial mixtures: the scattering quantity Φ1Φ2/S(q) is independant of the composition of the blends.