Ultra-Small-Angle X-ray Scattering of Polymers

Ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) is capable of probing structural inhomogeneities in the size range of 1 to 1000 nm. Recent developments of X-ray sources and optics make USAXS increasingly relevant to polymer research. In this review, we examine the current technical state of USAXS instrumentation, and briefly introduce the method of data reduction and analysis. We emphasize USAXS's application in areas such as polymer nanocomposites, polymer gels and solutions, polymer blends, polymer micelles and microemulsions, and colloidal sciences. Finally, we predict more USAXS studies on polymeric systems, especially those with large-scale structures or hierarchical microstructures.