The NIST Center for Neutron Research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has been described as “the highest performing and most used neutron facility in the United States” (White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, June 2002). An overview will be provided of the unique facilities available at the Center for research in biology, chemistry, materials science and physics. The importance of neutron techniques will be highlighted through a series of studies of zeolites and related framework materials where neutron powder diffraction, in concert with other techniques such as modeling, synchrotron diffraction and spectroscopy have allowed unusual properties to be explained through an understanding of the materials structures.
NIST, Gaithersburg, MD, USA