SAXS for Inorganic Materials
Inorganic materials develop complex internal architectures as they are synthesized, processed, or exposed to heat, pressure, or chemical environments. Oxides reorganize during calcination, ceramics densify through evolving grain and pore structures, layered minerals adjust their interlayer spacing as they hydrate or exfoliate, and fillers in composites adopt distributions that govern mechanical, barrier, or thermal performance. Understanding how these structures form and transform is essential for controlling functionality in areas such as catalysis, filtration, coatings, and advanced composites.
Small-Angle and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS/WAXS) provide direct insight into these structural evolutions under realistic conditions. Scattering techniques quantify pore networks, aggregation states, crystallite dimensions, interlayer distances, and hierarchical organization across powders, ceramics, films, and composite matrices. With grazing-incidence geometries for surfaces and USAXS for extended size ranges, these methods capture structural transitions that are difficult to observe with imaging or microscopy alone. SAXS/WAXS thus enable the design, optimization, and quality control of a wide range of inorganic systems by linking nanoscale architecture to macroscopic performance.
Questions you can answer with SAXS for Inorganic Materials
How do catalytic nanoparticles rearrange or coarsen during activation or thermal treatment, and which early structural changes forecast a loss in activity?
Which nanoscale precipitates form during alloy hardening, and how do their size and distribution evolve during heat treatment or service exposure?
How does the pore network in ceramic or cement-based materials develop as they hydrate, dry, or cure, and which structural signatures reflect strength or durability?
How do oxide clusters or grains assemble and densify during calcination or synthesis, and what aggregation patterns emerge as temperature increases?
How do thin inorganic or hybrid films nucleate and grow on substrates, and which nanoscale features mark the transition from disordered islands to ordered crystalline layers?