  Nanoscale structure determination belongs to one of the crucial tasks in
materials science. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is a highly valuable
tool to investigate nanostructures. Here, we explore the possibility of a
compact SANS instrument to be installed at an individual accelerator based
pulsed low-flux source, and discuss applications in structural
characterization, education, and training. Monte Carlo simulations of a
realistic setup demonstrate the feasibility of such an instrument, with an
ideal measurement taking about 7 hours. The anticipated length-scale
measurement range is 0.5 nm to 50 nm. The minimalistic design results in an
easy to operate, low maintenance instrument, independent of the schedules of
large-scale facilities. Size, cost, and maintenance are comparable to
laboratory small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) instruments, which makes SANS
affordable for individual research teams at universities and provides unique
chances for education and training. The proposed setup creates the opportunity
to measure ultraslow structural changes, at a fraction of the cost of existing
SANS instruments, hence enables weekly or monthly repetition rates. The concept
can be expanded to an entire suite of instruments, including wide-angle neutron
scattering (WANS) and diffraction, neutron reflectometry (NR), neutron
radiography, grating interferometry (GI), and prompt gamma activation analysis
(PGAA).
