NG3 VSANS

Instrument Purpose

Measures structural features across length scales from 1 nm to 2,000 nm by employing a 45-meter flight path, converging beam optics, and multi-carriage detector arrays for comprehensive Q-range coverage.

Key Capabilities

• Broad Simultaneous Q-Range: Three independent detector arrays spanning a 45-meter flight path cover the complete scattering vector range (0.002 nm^-1 ≤ Q ≤ 10 nm^-1) in a single setting, making it optimal for kinetic and time-resolved measurements.
• Converging Beam Optics: Lenses and prisms correct for gravity smearing while enabling the use of larger samples, yielding up to a 200× gain in count rates compared to standard pinhole collimation.
• Variable Monochromation: Flexible beam definition via a mechanical velocity selector (Δλ/λ = 12%), a double-reflection HOPG monochromator (Δλ/λ = 1%), or a filtered broad-spectrum beam for low-resolution, high-flux requirements.
• Polarized Beam Capabilities: Full beam polarization analysis supported using an integrated ³He spin filter.

Research Domains

• Soft Matter & Complex Fluids: Hierarchical self-assembly in surfactants, block copolymers, microemulsions, and colloidal suspensions.
• Biological Structures: Macromolecular complexes, lipid membranes, proteins, and biomimetic assemblies over multi-nanometer dimensions.
• Polymers & Composites: Phase separation, domain morphology, cross-linking networks, and nanoparticle dispersion in nanocomposites.
• Advanced Materials: Porosity distribution, mesoporous structures, precipitate kinetics in alloys, and magnetic domain configurations.

What You Can Measure

• Hierarchical Size Distribution: Particle sizes, pore structures, and structural correlations spanning from 1 nm to 2,000 nm.
• Kinetic & Time-Resolved Scattering: Non-equilibrium structural evolution captured continuously without needing to move detector positions.
• Anisotropic & Oriented Structures: Two-dimensional scattering patterns under external shear, magnetic, or thermal fields.
• Polarized Neutron Scattering: Separation of nuclear and magnetic scattering density profiles in nanocomposites and magnetic fluids.

Technical Specifications

Specialized Sample Environments

• Rheology & Shear Cells: Capillary RheoSANS, MCR 301/501 stress-controlled rheometers, and 1-2 Shear Cells for structural studies under flow.
• Temperature & Thermal Control: Standard heating blocks, fluid circulating baths, and dedicated cryogenic sample stages.
• Magnetic Fields: Electromagnets and superconducting magnet systems for magnetic field-aligned scattering.
• Pressure Cells: Liquid Insertion Pressure System for SANS (LIPSS) and gas-loading pressure cells for in-situ measurements.

Expertise & Support

• CHRNS Facility Support: Jointly funded by NIST and the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Agreement No. DMR-2010792, providing full technical and scientific user support.
• Data Reduction & Modeling: Supported pipelines for automated 2D data reduction and state-of-the-art structural modeling using SasView.

Access & Resources

Instrument Contacts