DARTS for X-ray Scattering
This is an important method for studying the structural properties of non-or semi-crystalline states of matter. including synthetic polymers, gels, liquid crystals, films, oils and paints, biological macro-molecules like fibres or proteins and their complexes in solution. The technique yields information on the shape and size of molecules or molecular assemblies and is particularly sensitive to phase changes or conformational rearrangements on a distance scale ranging from 2 Å to 1000 Å.
The interference patterns resulting from scattering from small molecular particles or components occurs at low scattering angles (1-5°), hence the use of the acronym SAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering). Small-angle scattering techniques began with the use of laboratory-based X-ray generators, but the development of high intensity synchrotron X-ray sources has changed the picture dramatically and opened up new opportunities for its use, in particular time-resolved studies and experiments with weakly scattering samples such as biological specimens. At present, the main work has been in the field of materials science and applications to structural biology (biological samples can be measured in solution i.e. under almost physiological conditions requiring the powerful X-ray source).
A recent development of this technique is in nanoparticle size analysis - DARTS cracks the 'Holy Grail' of Nanoparticle Size Measurement
One of the newest facilities on the SRS is Station MPW6.2. This station is a multitechnique facility and can be used for powder diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and small angle X-ray scattering.