NEUTRON AND X-RAY AMORPHOGRAPHY

A brief account is presented of the use of neutron and X-ray diffraction techniques in studying the structure of amorphous solids. An emphasis is placed on the exact nature of the information provided by diffraction measurements and on the correct methods of extracting structural parameters from experimental data. The use of modelling to investigate order beyond the basic structural unit is discussed, together with the need for accurate quantitative comparisons between models and experiment. Modern diffraction procedures are capable of yielding high quality data and it is concluded that, when used properly, these provide a stringent test of the various structural models proposed in the literature.