Small-angle scattering instrument SANS-1

SANS-1 has been designed for polarised neutron scattering from polarised targets. A powerful technique to study the structure is the variation of the scattering contrast with selected deuteration. It is primarily used for projects in molecular biology and soft matter science (colloids, polymers, macromolecules & membranes and biological systems).

From the two-dimensional figure it is easy to conclude that the scattering at large q is not isotropical. It means that consequently the aggregates which cause the ionomer peak are not randomly distributed in the membrane.

Nafion® (red symbols) and Flemion® (blue symbols, shifted down 10 times for better comparison). In the case of Flemion® the broad maximum at intermediate q is observed which shows the additional order of the aggregate location. The position of ionomer peak at larger qmax is the same in Nafion® and in Flemion® spectra and corresponds to the mean distance dmax between clusters as 31 Å (dmax=2p/qmax).

Schematic visualisation of a block copolymer micelle. Block copolymer micelles have a well-defined core/shell structure. Like micelles that are formed by surfactants or lipids, block copolymer micelles are able to solubilize hydrophobic molecules in the micellar core. This is used e.g. in chemotherapy to deliver hydrophobic drugs like doxorubicin or daunorubicin to tumor cell ("Drug Delivery Systems").

Example for fits to the measured scattering curves for three different block copolymers/heavy water solutions.