Small-Angle X-ray Scattering

Most of the pores in carbon materials are formed during the pyrolysis and carbonization of the precursors and govern some physicochemical properties of the resultant carbon materials. Therefore, the characterization of pore structure in some carbon materials is very important for their applications, such as adsorbents, catalyst supports, etc., as well as control of the materials during pyrolysis and carbonization. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is the technique used to characterize closed pores as well as open pores, although other techniques are possible for evaluating only open pores. In this chapter, the SAXS technique is explained by focusing on the applications to carbon materials by introducing some of the specific examples.