Neutron reflectometry is an experimental technique that provides information about the thickness, composition and roughness of thin films and other flat samples with layered structures with a layer thickness between 2-200 nm. Owing to the large sensitivity of neutrons to for example hydrogen and lithium, neutron reflectometry can be used to in operando study battery materials, metal hydrides but also has many applications in soft matter science. For metal hydrides/optical hydrogen sensing materials, we use it to quantify the hydrogen content (‘hydrogen-to-metal’ ratio) and expansion in the different materials while being exposed to hydrogen. To this end, we designed a pressure- and temperature-controlled cell.
Please click here for more information about the neutron reflectometer connected to the TU Delft Research Reactor and a description of the technique.
TU Delft Optical Hydrogen Sensing & Thin Film Energy Materials 