Total Scattering Based Characterization Techniques for Nanostructures

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advances in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have pushed the frontier of next-generation nanostructures towards a high level of structural complexity. Engineering and controlling such complexity with atomic and nanometer precision are crucial in order to enhance the material properties and improve the fabrication methods. Nonetheless, characterizing these complex nanostructures remains a challenging task. 

Scattering techniques based on X-ray, neutron, visible light sources, and experiments in reciprocal space are powerful and highly versatile tools to the scope. The different techniques span the small and wide-angle scattering regions and, depending on the different length scales being probed, provide different and complementary information encompassing the atomic, nanometer and micrometer scales. Experiments can be performed by irradiating dry powders and colloidal suspension of nanoparticles (enabling statistically robust analysis of the distribution properties of the ensemble), in grazing incidence mode (to investigate thin films prepared by cheap solution-based processes) and in scanning mode (providing spatially resolved properties of laterally extended systems). Brilliant sources and efficient detectors allow fast scattering data acquisition enabling time-dependent changes to be monitored within in-situ/in-operando experiments.

Within this reach scenario, this special issue welcomes, but not limits to, contributions that focus on the different scattering techniques and investigate technologically appealing nanostructures in terms of their crystal structure and atomic-scale defectiveness, local short-range vs long-range order, lattice strain and compositional inhomogeneity/gradients in core-shell and core-crown systems; determination of nanocrystals/nanoparticle size, shape, surface and faceting; investigation of supramolecular order, 3D/2D self-assembled superlattices and thin films nanostructures.

This special issue is open to research papers and review articles covering the latest trends related to nanostructures characterization through scattering techniques, and wants to provide the readers with a clear overview of the recent advances in scattering methodologies.

Dr. Antonietta Guagliardi
Dr. Federica Bertolotti
Guest Editors

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