Nanostructure studied using the atomic pair distribution function

Studying the atomic structure of nanostructured materials presents a special challenge because our extensive crystallographic toolbox begins to lose its power on the nanoscale. The presumption of periodicity is a poor approximation when structural correlation lengths are limited to a few tens of nanometres or less and alternative approaches are needed. Here we give an overview of recent results where the use of the atomic pair distribution function analysis of x-ray and neutron powder diffraction has yielded useful insights in different classes of nanostructure problem.