Events in Physics
CMP Seminar - Helen Playford (ISIS): New Insights into Functional Materials from a Local Structural Viewpoint
In this talk I will introduce the technique of total scattering and, using a variety of scientific examples, demonstrate its power for the detailed analysis of disordered crystalline materials. Total scattering is an extension of powder diffraction methods in which Bragg and diffuse scattering are measured and analysed simultaneously. Taking the sine Fourier transform of the reciprocal space total scattering function produces the pair distribution function: a weighted histogram of interatomic distances. This function is an intuitive visual representation of local structure. In this talk I will focus on methods of analysing total scattering data, examples of the structural insights gained, and ways in which the technique continues to develop into new science areas.