Imaging of neutron incoherent scattering from hydrogen in metals

Neutron incoherent scattering is a technique that may be used to determine the concentration of hydrogen within various metallic systems. By measuring the scattered neutrons using a position-sensitive detector, we can determine the amount of hydrogen as well as its location in the matrix. Using a slit or aperture in the scattering geometry, we have demonstrated the imaging of hydrogen in layers of polypropylene sandwiched between sets of titanium plates, and also in titanium standards containing known amounts of hydrogen. We have shown the ability to image hydrogen in titanium at the 100 μg/g level as a function of location. Analysis of the images shows that the scattering from the hydrogen increases linearly with its mass fraction within the titanium. We have also investigated the effects on the images of attenuation of the incident beam prior to scattering.