I saw a method of analyzing surfactant aggregates with XRD using cast films. As I understand, this is not a small-angle X-ray diffraction, but a usual XRD. What is the method of preparing those cast films from water-surfacant solutions? Is it possible to make that on the bench in the lab ?
To prepare cast films, you don't need to observe fine points to fabricate those are considered for thin film deposition. I mean you can deposit it on glass substrate for instance on bench in Lab. Be careful the solution doesn't dispersed around the substrate. You can surround the desired area by a very simple template (e.g. made by foam). Then, leave the arrangement for couple of minutes to ensure about the stability of the dropped solution. Afterward, place it gently in oven.
Simply, put your sample on a glass plate and and compress to obtain your XRD film
By spinning or deep coating method you can obtain on a glass substrate a thin film from interested solution.
Spinning or deep coating are good methods to build very thin films on opportunely functionalised substrates (e.g. silicon wafers, glass slides, ITO glass etc.). However, if you want to fabricate a thicker film (good for XRD analysis, that is) on your benchtop, you may want to use the "doctor blade" technique - an inexpensive, useful tool.
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