Development of Neutron Dark-field Tomography to Map Nanostructures in Bulk Systems

The performance of advanced materials and systems heavily relies on carefully architected structures spanning nano- to macroscale. Manufacturing/synthesis defects and design flaws at any of these length scales could lead to degraded material performance or even catastrophic system failure. Therefore, nondestructive techniques that can characterize a bulk system across multiple length scales, especially probing nanoscale in a centimeter-sized system are in high demand.

This research will address such needs by developing neutron dark-field tomography (nDFT), leveraging the unique time-of-flight (TOF) characteristics offered by the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and the advanced microfabrication capability at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences. This technique will employ grating interferometry to exploit the wave–particle duality of neutrons to simultaneously map structural details across multiple length scales in centimeter-sized complex systems in 3D. This unprecedented capability will bring transformative insights to advance the forefront of advanced manufacturing and energy materials, which demand an understanding of material structure and performance that spans multiple length scales. This effort will position SNS to establish international leadership in TOF-nDFT and enhance neutron imaging for a wide array of applications, advancing our understanding of materials science, structural engineering, and beyond.