Neutron and X-ray diffraction studies of the structure of non-crystalline materials

Neutron and X-ray diffraction experiments have provided useful information about the topological and chemical short-range order in non-crystalline materials. The availability of new sources and detectors for X-rays and neutrons has greatly improved the statistical accuracy of the scattered intensity and extended its range in momentum (Q) space, yielding high-resolution atomic distribution functions. The methods of isotopic and isomorphous substitution have been used to determine the partial atomic structure factors and their corresponding atomic pair distribution functions in binary metallic systems, and to evaluate the nearest-neighbor interactions in more complicated inorganic glasses. Recent results of structural investigations on Ni-based amorphous alloys and on halide glasses are discussed.