Editing Small-angle neutron scattering (section)

{{short description|Material analysis technique}}
{{Science with neutrons}}
{{broader|Small-angle scattering}}

'''Small-angle neutron scattering''' ('''SANS''') is an [[analytical technique|experimental technique]] that uses [[elastic neutron scattering]] at small scattering angles to investigate the structure of various substances at a [[mesoscopic scale]] of about 1–100&nbsp;nm.

Small angle neutron scattering is in many respects very similar to [[small-angle X-ray scattering]] (SAXS); both techniques are jointly referred to as [[small-angle scattering]] (SAS).<ref>Hamley, I.W. "Small-Angle Scattering: Theory, Instrumentation, Data, and Applications" – Wiley, 2022.</ref> The most important feature of the SAS method is its potential for analyzing the inner structure of disordered systems, and frequently the application of this method is a unique way to obtain direct structural information on systems with random arrangement of density inhomogeneities in such large-scales. Advantages of SANS over SAXS are its sensitivity to light elements, the possibility of isotope labelling, and the strong scattering by magnetic moments.