Time resolved small angle x-ray scattering reactivity studies on coals, asphaltenes, and polymers.

The objective of this study is to examine changes in the structures of coals, asphaltenes, and polymers in situ with small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) during thermal treatments. We have built a SAXS instrument at the Basic Energy Sciences Synchrotrons Radiation Center at the Advanced Photon Source that allows us to obtain scattering data on very small samples and in the millisecond time domain. The Argonne Premium Coal samples, petroleum derived asphaltenes, and polymers with functionality to model fossil fuels were used in this study. The information that can be derived from these experiments includes: changes in fractal dimensionality, surface topology, and size and type of porosity. The information is correlated with other methods on the same samples