Chapter 4. Neutron diffraction studies on liquids

Abstract

The above examples serve to illustrate the extent to which neutron diffraction isotopic substitution methods have been used to determine interatomic structure in a wide range of liquid and amorphous systems. The direct determination of pair radial functions not only offers a means of characterising the different structures in liquids, but also provides theorists with information to construct more realistic model potentials which can be used to explore properties in regimes not currently accessible to experiment. It is anticipated that the NDIS methods will continue to be developed and applied to a wider range of systems. The construction and commissioning of new diffractometers with higher count rates, such as D20 and D4C at ILL, and GEM at ISIS with an optimised sample environment for work at non-ambient conditions will enable new and more extensive research to be undertaken. Besides the many problems of immediate interest suggested at the end of some sections, there are several investigations which will become feasible in the longer term as the technology develops. These include: (i) the use of isotopes such as 12C and 13C which will enable detailed and extensive structural studies to be carried out on a wide range of biologically significant materials, and (ii) the exploitation of higher count rates to investigate changes of structure as a chemical reaction occurs.