Anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering beamline B1 at HASYLAB, DESY

Anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS) is a contrast variation technique used for studying the structure of complex materials which have coexisting inhomogeneities of different chemical composition. By measuring at different photon energies near an absorption edge of a certain chemical element contained in the sample, the small-angle scattering caused by the distribution of that element can be distinguished from other scattering contributions caused by other elements or by voids in the case of porosity. This is possible because the scattering factor of the considered element changes significantly near its absorption edge. The dedicated instrument is optimized for this kind of measurement in terms of precision. The energy of the radiation can be tuned from 5 keV up to 35 keV and accurate X-ray absorption scans can be performed. The beamline is located at a bending magnet at the DORIS storage ring