Twin-compartment solid–liquid cells for neutron reflectometry

We propose a new type of sample environment for neutron reflectometry at solid–liquid interfaces. The twin-compartment solid–liquid cell optimizes several aspects of neutron reflectometry measurements by splitting the surface of substrates currently in use at facilities into two independent samples. This approach increases the capacity of mounted samples on the stage of current neutron reflectometers by a factor of two, shortens alignment times, and enables side-by-side comparison and control experiments on identical substrates. Furthermore, it reduces sample preparation time for a variety of samples prepared by Langmuir monolayer transfer techniques, spin coating, sputter coating, ex situ self-assembly and more. We present results from three cell prototypes tested on vertical and horizontal reflectometers at ISIS and Institut Laue–Langevin.