Combining wide-angle and small-angle scattering to study colloids and self-assembly

The characterization of structure over a wide range of length scales from atomic to microns is a common requirement for understanding the behaviour of many soft matter systems. In the case of self-assembling and colloidal materials, the final properties will depend sensitively on intermolecular as well as interparticle interactions. Experimental methods such as wide and small angle scattering, which, between them, cover a wide range of length-scales are therefore growing in importance to better understand and thus exploit these systems. This review covers the growing use of wide angle scattering, either in conjunction with small angle scattering, or applied to systems which have previously been studied using small angle scattering, in order to highlight the complementarity between these two techniques, and the areas where atomistic information has contributed to understanding of the behaviour of systems containing structure at much larger length scales. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.