All this resulted in an intense exchange of scientific information in a field which is seen to expand along directions unexpected when the series was launched in 1989. The two main broad topics were concerned with “Structural aspects of surfaces, thin films and nanostructures” and “Soft matter and Liquids issues” but full sessions were also dedicated to magnetic thin films, imaging and dynamics with coherent beams, bio-related interfaces, state of the art instrumentation and New Facilities. Pluridisciplinarity is indeed the keyword and the classification into the listed topics has been difficult so intricate are now the implication of low dimensionality aspect in the materials properties for all disciplines in basic and applied research. The feeling was that this conference has not lost its meaning and is still in the forefront of advancing science. A rapid synthesis of the important aspects developed during the conference is given below.
Traditional areas of surface scattering are still an active field, with nanostructures playing an increasingly important role. Very precise studies are often coupled to simulations or DFT calculations which provide together a thorough understanding of surface phenomena. Among the presented topics, one can quote the investigation of surface elasticity (plenary talk), DAFS studies of quantum dots, adsorption of various kinds of molecules on surfaces, including subtle effects with C60, self-assembly combining x-ray standing waves and reflectivity, orbital ordering at surfaces...
There was also an increasing number of studies addressing (almost) real devices like tunnel junctions or rolled-up nanotubes, and a large number of real-time studies, for example of deposition or coalescence of nanoparticles.
In magnetism, impressive studies of the magnetization profile in a multilayer using resonant x-ray reflectivity were presented and the complementarity between neutrons and x-rays was emphasized in the second plenary talk, together with the role of interfaces and magnetic roughness.
Another field where x-rays and neutrons are complementary is soft matter. Here again, very precise studies, for example on ions at liquid-liquid interfaces or organics on the mercury surface were presented together with studies of systems used in real devices like “grafted-from” brushes, the use of thermoresponsive NIPAM as a barrier, diacetylene films, or titania surfaces. The use of spin-echo in friction studies or of suspended membranes between possibly asymmetric liquid compartments look promising and could lead to important results.
The field is also exciting because of all the developments which are taking place. First liquid reflectometry results from the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS-Oak Ridge) were presented as well as first results from FLASH (DESY-Hamburg) in time-resolved magnetism, and it is already expected that more results from fourth generation synchrotron sources will be presented at the next conference. Among the other developments, first results are coming using spin-echo coding for reflectivity studies, a concept which has been discussed for a while. Also in reflectivity, the use of resonant reflectivity at the carbon edge for organics was shown to be very promising. Another impressive development was that of an energy dispersive setup allowing one to record reasonable reflectivity curves in a millisecond.
Obviously, the use of coherence for lensless imaging is another very important development. Precise determinations of the strain in nanoparticles and zeolites using this technique were presented, and new ideas were extensively discussed.
The next SXNS conference, SXNS11 will be held in 2010 on Northwestern campus, Evanston, IL.
