Combining Measurements of Synchrotron Radiation and Neutrons from Liquids at High Temperature

Abstract

Investigation of condensed matter by combining synchrotron radiation and neutrons characterization constitute a powerful structural tool in high temperature material science. We have developed a new type of high temperature analysis chamber for performing synchrotron radiation measurements (quasi simultaneous X-ray absorption and X-ray diffraction) as well as neutron analysis. Measurements on solids and liquids are performed by using a laser heating system and aerodynamic levitation. This high temperature device presents several advantages : the sample is neither physically nor chemically perturbed by the container, heterogeneous nucleation during cooling is suppressed and pollution by the container is removed. This cell can operate under various gas conditions from room temperature up to 3000°C obtained by a sealed 125 W CO2 laser. Various experiments have been performed at synchrotron radiation facility of LURE (Orsay, France) and ESRF (Grenoble, France) and also at the neutron source of ISIS (Didcot, UK). We have studied the local structure around cations in some liquid and solid oxides. We have shown that combined Xray and neutron data contain valuable information on disorder in liquids at high temperature