SAXS and SANS studies of polymer colloids

The analysis of latex particles by small-angle scattering (small-angle X-ra y scattering, SAXS; small-angle neutron scattering, SANS) is reviewed. Smal l-angle scattering techniques give information on the radial structure of t he particles as well as on their spatial correlation. Recent progress in in strumentation allows to extend SANS and SAXS to the q-range of light scatte ring. Moreover, contrast variation employed in SANS and SAXS studies may le ad to an unambiguous determination of the radial scattering length density of the particles in situ, i.e. in suspension. Hence, these techniques are h ighly valuable for a comprehensive analysis of polymer colloids as shown by the examples discussed herein. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. Ah rights re served.