Anomalous neutron scattering `halo' observed in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

Lilin He, Chen Li, William A. Hamilton, Tao Hong, Xin Tong, Barry L. Winn, Lowell Crow, Katherine Bailey, Nidia C. Gallego

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) has been used as monochromators, analyzers and filters at neutron and X-ray scattering facilities for more than half a century. Interesting questions remain. In this work, the first observation of anomalous neutron `halo' scattering of HOPG is reported. The scattering projects a ring onto the detector with a half-cone angle of 12.4°, which surprisingly persists to incident neutron wavelengths far beyond the Bragg cutoff for graphite (6.71 Å). At longer wavelengths the ring is clearly a doublet with a splitting roughly proportional to wavelength. Sample tilting leads to the shift of the ring, which is wavelength dependent with longer wavelengths providing a smaller difference between the ring shift and the sample tilting. The ring broadens and weakens with decreasing HOPG quality. The lattice dynamics of graphite play a role in causing the scattering ring, as shown by the fact that the ring vanishes once the sample is cooled to 30 K. A possible interpretation by multiple scattering including elastic and inelastic processes is proposed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)296-303
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Applied Crystallography
Volume52
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2019

Funding

LH is thankful for the support of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (LDRD No. 8420) under the Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (simulation and analysis of porous materials).

Keywords

  • highly oriented pyrolytic graphite
  • multiple scattering
  • neutron inelastic scattering
  • total reflection

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