Phase Separation in Alloys Using Low Q Neutron Scattering

Abstract

Small-angle scattering has been used extensively to study the phase separation in alloys since the pioneering x-ray experiments of Guinier [1]. The first tentative neutron experiments were begun in the late 1960’s [2,3,4,5,6], however, the depth and range of the investigation of the phase segragation processes have benefited immensely from small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies over the last decade or so. This is mainly due to the availability of intense long wavelength neutron beams at the Institut Laue-Langevin and the development of large area position-sensitive neutron detectors. I will begin with a brief outline of phase separation in alloys and then discuss the background to the SANS technique before illustrating what information can be obtained from such experiments. The early work on phase separation has been surveyed in the excellent detailed reviews of Gerold and Kostorz [7] and Kostorz [8]. More recent work is covered in the reviews of Kostorz [9,10,11].KeywordsPhase SeparationSpinodal DecompositionSingle Phase RegionSpherical PrecipitateReciprocal Lattice PointThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.