The properties of materials are governed by its constitution and the arrangement of these constituents over a length scale ranging from the atomic to macroscopic length scales. X-ray based scattering methods lend themselves to study these properties on the nano and mesoscale. On this scale however, the overlap of atomic arrangements, nanostructural arrangement and meso-scale complicate the acquisition of reliable insights, especially in biological materials, owing to their complexity and comparatively modest scattering contrast.

In this talk, a brief overview over the relevant methods like time-resolved small-angle scattering, energy-dispersive white beam diffraction and tensor tomography will be given and their application on biomaterials will be discussed. It is furthermore envisaged to discuss the impact of novel methods on the classical view of biomaterials, in this case the arrangement of human lamellar bone. A further example will be insights, gained on the formation of iron-oxide nanoparticles via x-ray scattering via an in-situ setup.