Neutron Powder Diffractometer | NPDF

Local Structure, Magnetism, and Nanomaterials

The Neutron Powder Diffractometer (NPDF) is a high-resolution total-scattering powder diffractometer located at Flight Path 1, 32 meters from the spallation neutron target. It has 20 detector panels with 160 position-sensitive detectors in the backscattering region of the instrument. These specifications give the instrument a high resolution and a large Q-range (0.8 to 50 Å-1), and together with low and stable background scattering, position NPDF is a world-leader in pair distribution function (PDF) studies of disordered and nanocrystalline materials. A standard data set suitable for PDF analysis can be obtained in only two hours. NPDF is equally well-suited for high-resolution crystallographic studies.

The instrument is available to general users. NPDF experiments have resulted in more than 130 peer-reviewed journal articles since the instrument shutter opened in 2002, in fields as diverse as geochemistry, actinide research, complex oxides, bulk metallic glasses, and hydrogen storage materials. Additionally, NPDF serves a key role as a development platform for local structure analysis tools for disordered and nanostructured bulk materials, and finite nanomaterials.

The NPDF project was funded by the National Science Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, Michigan State University, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of Virginia, and State University of New York at Stony Brook, as well as Los Alamos National Laboratory. For science highlights and links to publications, tutorials, and analysis tools please access the Total Scattering Group Pages: http://totalscattering.lanl.gov