Neutron diffraction studies of glasses

A survey is given of the application of neutron diffraction to structural studies of oxide and halide glasses. As with crystalline materials, neutron and X-ray diffraction are the major structural probes for glasses and other amorphous solids, particularly in respect of intermediate range order. The glasses discussed mostly have structures which are dominated by a network in which the bonding is predominantly covalent. The examples discussed demonstrate the power of the neutron diffraction technique in the investigation of the structures of inorganic glasses. The best modern diffraction experiments are capable of providing accurate data with high real space resolution, which if used correctly, are an extremely fine filter for the various structural models proposed in the literature. 42 refs