Grazing incidence SANS and reflectometry combined with simulation of adsorbed microgel particles

Adsorbed ethylene glycol based microgel particles on a silicon surface were studied. Neutron reflectometry (NR) and grazing incidence small-angle neutron scattering (GISANS) were performed to investigate their internal structure. Scattering experiments on soft matter systems such as adsorbed microgels often give only partial information about the inner structure of the polymer system. In this contribution, we discuss how the detailed inner structure of adsorbed microgel particles can be reconstructed by a combination of the specular Neutron Reflectivity (NR), Grazing Incidence Small Angle Neutron Scattering (GISANS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and a simulation in the framework of the Distorted Wave Born Approximation.