The main purpose of such scattering experiments involving polymers is to study unique properties of the sample of interest:
# Determine the polymers "size" - radius of gyration.
# Evaluating the structural and thermo-statistical behavior of a polymer, i.e. freely-jointed chain / freely-rotating chain etc.
# Explore the distribution of the polymers in the sample - is it truly isotropic? Or does it favor certain directions on average?
# Identifying deformations in the polymer samples and quantifying them.
# Examining complex interactions of polymers in the solution - between themselves, and between them and the solution. Such interactions may arise if the polymers are charged, corresponding to ionic interactions, This would have a significant impact on the particles behavior, and will result in a significant scattering signature.
# Studying a myriad of biological substances (e.g. DNA) that are often suspended in an aqueous solution.