The fundamental properties of the neutron make it a powerful tool for Earth science investigations because neutrons provide information that cannot be obtained by any other research method. This is because neutrons are magnetically sensitive, nondestructive, and sensitive to the lighter elements, such as hydrogen. They provide a unique, nondestructive method for obtaining information ranging from Ångstrom-scale atomic structures (and related motions) to micron-scale material strain, stress, and texture, and even up to meso-scale porous matrices and defects in materials and functional components. In this article, we introduce neutrons and their unique properties, neutron production and sources, and provide an overview of the different types of neutron methods applicable to the Earth sciences.

How is hydrogen distributed among minerals and how is it bonded in their crystal structures? These are important questions, because the amount of hydrogen and the bonding configuration of hydrogen in crystalline materials governs many of that material’s properties: its thermal and compressional behavior, P–T phase stability, rheology, and electrical conductivity. A reliable reconstruction of the Earth’s interior, or the prediction of mineral transformations in complex industrial processes, must account for these parameters. Neutron diffraction can locate hydrogen sites in mineral structures, reveal any static or dynamic hydrogen disorder, help define the libration regime of hydrogen, and elucidate hydrogen-bonding configurations. Thus, that most elusive element for X-ray probes is perfectly detectable using neutrons.

Neutron scattering is a powerful tool to elucidate the structure and dynamics of systems that are important to geochemists, including ion association in complex aqueous solutions, solvent-exchange reactions at mineral–water interfaces, and reaction and transport of fluids in nanoporous materials. This article focusses on three techniques: neutron diffraction, which can reveal the atomic-level structure of aqueous solutions and solids; quasi-elastic neutron scattering, which measures the diffusional dynamics at mineral–water interfaces; and small-angle neutron scattering, which can show how properties of nanoporous systems change during gas, liquid, and solute imbibition and reaction. The usefulness and applicability of the experimental results are extended by rigorous comparison to computational simulations.

Liquids, glasses, and amorphous materials are ubiquitous in the Earth sciences and are intrinsic to a plethora of geological processes, ranging from volcanic activity, deep Earth melting events, metasomatic processes, frictional melting (pseudotachylites), lighting strikes (fulgurites), impact melting (tektites), hydrothermal activity, aqueous solution geochemistry, and the formation of dense high-pressure structures. However, liquids and glassy materials lack the long-range order that characterizes crystalline materials, and studies of their structure require a different approach to that of conventional crystallography. The pair distribution function is the neutron diffraction technique used to characterize liquid and amorphous states. When combined with atomistic models, neutron diffraction techniques can determine the properties and behavior of disordered structures.

The development of sophisticated sample environments to control temperature, pressure, and magnetic field has grown in parallel with neutron source and instrumentation development. High-pressure apparatus, with high- and low-temperature capability, novel designs for diamond cells, and large volume presses are matched with next-generation neutron sources and moderator designs to provide unprecedented neutron beam brightness. Recent developments in sample environments are expanding the pressure–temperature space accessible to neutron scattering experiments. Researchers are using new capabilities and an increased understanding of the fundamentals of structural and magnetic transitions to explore new territories, including hydrogenous minerals (e.g., ices and hydrates) and magnetic structural phase diagrams.

By exploiting the penetration, attenuation, and scattering properties of neutrons, images of matter in two or three dimensions reveal information unobtainable using other probes. Despite the limitation in brilliance of neutron sources, several neutron-based imaging techniques are essential to different aspects of modern geoscience. Typical examples include the evaluation of porosity in rocks and sediments, mapping of light elements in solids, noninvasive probing of cultural heritage objects, investigations of thick engineering components, and the exploration of diffusion and percolation processes of fluids within porous matrices, organo-inorganic composites, and living organisms. Techniques under development include simultaneous neutron and X-ray tomography in heterogeneous media, Bragg-edge imaging, and the possibility of porosimetry from dark-field imaging.