Students and scientists of soft matter (polymers, liquid crystals, colloids, etc.) with a chemical background need to know the technique of x-ray scattering without becoming an expert. This book explains basic principles and applications of x-ray scattering in a simple way without heavy maths, using practical examples and case studies.

• 1: Introduction and overview


• 2: Basic scattering by particles


• 3: Order/disorder in soft matter


• 4: Diffraction physics - Scattering by crystals


• 5: Applications to soft matter


• 6: Soft matter surfaces and films

Wim de Jeu dedicated most of his scientific life to studying soft matter, starting with liquid crystals at Philips Research (Eindhoven, the Netherlands) in the early days of liquid-crystal displays. At a later stage he established the group Order/Disorder in Soft Matter at the FOM Institute AMOLF in Amsterdam, in combination with a serving as a professor of Physical Characterization of Polymers at the Eindhoven University of Technology. He investigated problems in polymer and liquid-crystal physics, including phase transitions and ordering in films and at surfaces, using modern x-ray methods. He played an active role at various synchrotrons, in particular the ESRF (Grenoble, France), and was regularly invited as speaker.