Many of the objects that we employ everyday – the tools that we use, the clothes we wear, and the food and health products that we consume are made of soft materials with highly complex structures.
Areas of application
Cosmetics
Domestic products - detergents and foods
Multi-component lubricants
Pharmaceuticals - drug delivery
Plastics- bottles and packaging
Viscosity
Unravelling the dynamics of polymers
It is hard to imagine life without plastics. Although they are now common materials, much research still goes on into their structures and behaviour at the microscopic level.
Thanks to their ability to detect the lightest of atoms, neutrons are particularly suitable for observing the subtlest of mechanisms in highly complex substances.
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What makes tomato ketchup flow?
Neutrons reveal for the first time the microscopic structural changes during shear-thinning of thick complex liquids.
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Industrial fibers
Since the invention of nylon, industrial fibers have invaded technology and our daily lives.To understand and improve these materials, it is important to know their atomic structure, i.e. the way these chains organise and interact.
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The secret of a good red wine
Most of us enjoy a full-bodied wine, but what are the physical and chemical processes that contribute to our appreciation?
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The
selection of highlights hereafter - extracted from the
ILL annual reports - give a flavour of what can be achieved with neutrons in the field.
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