Non crystalline diffraction, which covers the techniques of small and wide angle X-ray scattering, is a powerful tool for structural investigations of condensed matter, taking advantage of: 

• very high count rates
• controlled environmental conditions for in situ experiments
• millisecond and shorter timescales (i.e. nanoparticle growth)

to provide information about size, size distribution, shape and orientation of components in the sample. It is especially useful for:

• Samples that are difficult or impossible to crystallise (proteins, polymers)
• Complex or composite systems (polymer composites, alloys)
• Materials with large scale self-organisation (lipids, surfactants)
• Characterisation of nanoparticulate systems

Service options

We offer a range of service options for small and wide angle X-ray scattering including:

• mail in data collection and analysis
• scientific and technical support and training during experiments
• collaboration on design of sample environment equipment to allow in situ experiments.

Case Studies

Smart pigment dispersions for energy efficient displays (HP Laboratories)	Functional hybrid materials: making the most of waste products (University of Bath and Unilever)	What becomes of the broken heart valves? (University of Cambridge)	Monitoring nanoparticle growth: environmental remediation (University of Leeds)
Enhancing oil recovery using Diamond (University of Cambridge)	Studying protein structures using small angle scattering (University of Leeds)	Shining a light on new solar cell materials (University of Sheffield)