Scattering-angle calibration in an automated small-angle light-scattering apparatus

Quantitative analysis in the small-angle light scattering technique for crystalline polymer studies is facilitated by the incorporation of charge-coupled detectors and image digitization and processing schemes which enable the intensity and angular dependence of scattered light to be measured. This task, however, can only be successfully achieved if a calibration procedure, where each pixel in the camera is related to its respective scattering angle component, is first implemented. In this article, a rapid and convenient calibration procedure that uses the diffraction pattern from a grating with a predetermined center-to-center distance is outlined.