McDowall Daniel, Adams Dave J, Seddon Annela M
School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL, UK.
Soft Matter. 2022 Feb 23;18(8):1577-1590. doi: 10.1039/d1sm01707a.
The material properties of a gel are determined by the underpinning network that immobilises the solvent. When gels are formed by the self-assembly of small molecules into a so-called low molecular weight gel, the network is the result of the molecules forming one-dimensional objects such as fibres or nanotubes which entangle or otherwise cross-link to form a three-dimensional network. Characterising the one-dimensional objects and the network is difficult. Many conventional techniques rely on drying to probe the network, which often leads to artefacts. An effective tool to probe the gel in the solvated state is small angle scattering. Both small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) can be used. Here, we discuss these approaches and provide a tutorial review to describe how these approaches work, what opportunities there are and how the data treatment should be approached. We aim to show the power of this approach and provide enabling information to make them accessible to the non-specialist.
凝胶的材料特性由固定溶剂的基础网络决定。当凝胶通过小分子自组装形成所谓的低分子量凝胶时，网络是分子形成一维物体（如纤维或纳米管）的结果，这些物体相互缠结或以其他方式交联形成三维网络。表征一维物体和网络很困难。许多传统技术依靠干燥来探测网络，这往往会导致假象。探测溶剂化状态下凝胶的有效工具是小角散射。小角X射线散射（SAXS）和小角中子散射（SANS）都可以使用。在这里，我们讨论这些方法，并提供一篇教程综述，以描述这些方法如何工作、有哪些机会以及应如何进行数据处理。我们旨在展示这种方法的强大之处，并提供相关信息，使非专业人员也能使用它们。
