Diffraction scattering computed tomography: a window into the structures of complex nanomaterials

Modern functional nanomaterials and devices are increasingly composed of multiple phases arranged in three dimensions over several length scales. Therefore there is a pressing demand for improved methods for structural characterization of such complex materials. An excellent emerging technique that addresses this problem is diffraction/scattering computed tomography (DSCT). DSCT combines the merits of diffraction and/or small angle scattering with computed tomography to allow imaging the interior of materials based on the diffraction or small angle scattering signals. This allows, e.g. , one to distinguish the distributions of polymorphs in complex mixtures. Here we review this technique and give examples of how it can shed light on modern nanoscale materials. Diffraction scattering computed tomography allows probing nanoscale materials in 3D while fully reconstructing scattering/diffraction patterns inside the sample.