Semicrystalline poly(ethylene-butene) (PEB-n) random copolymers can modify the sizes of wax crystals and thus improve the viscoelastic properties of crude oil and middle distillate fuels at low temperatures. The wax-copolymer interactions in solution are rather complex and not fully understood. When the copolymer self-assembles at temperatures higher than the wax cloud point a hierarchy of morphologies templated by the primordial polymer structure evolves with decreasing temperature. Multilevel structures showing characteristic sizes from 10 µm to 1 nm are formed upon cooling in solutions of semicrystalline PEB-7.5 copolymers and in wax containing mixed solutions. The coplymer structures with the different wax molecules were evaluated by three SANS techniques (conventional SANS, focusing-SANS and ultra-SANS) and contrast matching. Complementary microscopy techniques allowed a direct visualization of these structures in real space.

Aspherical neutron lenses are discussed in detail as focusing elements for existing small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS) diffractometers. The conceptual design can be obtained by analytical equations, while computer simulations provide the intensity distribution of the primary beam, which is strongly correlated with the instrumental resolution and the minimal momentum transfer Q. For large illuminated sample/lens areas of 50 mm diameter the aspherical lens design is essential, while spherical lenses are limited to ca 20 mm diameter with a 60% spherical aberration for standard SANS experiments. Scattering experiments on different samples proved the applicability and revealed the resolution limits of the two lens types. From theoretical considerations it is proposed that lens cooling can be used to reduce the thermal diffuse scattering.

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Abstract-During the upgrade of the small-angle neutron scattering instrument KWS-1 at the research reactor FRJ-2, the 15-yr-old detector system has been replaced. While the Anger camera-based concept of the detector remained unchanged, the signal and data processing branch has been completely revised. Because of higher count rate requirements, a highly configurable parallel readout electronics has been developed aiming at counting rates of several hundred kilohertz. The whole detector system has been recently installed at KWS-1 and measurements to study the system performance have been carried out. The linearity and spatial resolution of the new detector have been determined by an analysis of an acquired image taken with a hole diaphragm in front of the scintillator. The overall system dead time has been measured by comparing the detector count rates at several scattering intensities to the count rates achieved with a fission chamber. Finally, scattering patterns of well-known samples have been taken in order to demonstrate the quality of the acquired images.