News

The SHARPER instrument at the ILL came online during the second 2024 reactor cycle, which run for 16 May to 9 June. SHARPER is a time-focusing time-of-flight spectrometer designed for quasi-elastic and inelastic scattering built and operated at the ILL by the Léon Brillouin Laboratory (Saclay, France) as a CRG (Collaborating Research Group) instrument.

The replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy is a key requirement to achieve climate neutrality in Europe by 2050. Energy storage systems are a crucial technology for this global energy transition due to the intermittent nature of renewables. A recent publication – describing a biomimetic energy storage system inspired by the structure of naturally-occurring methane hydrate – highlights the unique contribution of neutrons to help tackle this societal challenge and advance towards a sustainable future.

From drug delivery to the development of responsive materials, self-assembled supramolecular structures have many applications. Understanding their organisation and reaction to external parameters is key. In a new study, researchers explore the effect of high pressures taking full advantage of ILL’s leadership in this domain.

An agreement has just been signed between the ILL and the ESS for ILL to manufacture the detector for the CSPEC instrument at the ESS.

The PSB spotlight on “Neutrons in Biology” took place on 29 June 2024, gathering more than 50 participants from the four institutes of the EPN campus (European Photon and Neutron campus) in Grenoble.

A recently published study uses neutron and X-ray scattering to deepen our understanding of freeze-drying protein stabilisation processes, widely used in biopharmaceutical applications. The results obtained for a protein relevant for pharmaceutical applications are in stark contrast with those previously obtained for lysozyme, widely used as a model protein. This highlights the importance of protein selection in such studies.

ILL researcher Alessandro Tengattini has just been awarded a research chair at the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) to develop a five-year research project exploiting the combined neutrons and X-ray imaging capabilities of the NeXT instrument at the ILL in a series of applications on environment and sustainability studies.

The third and final meeting of the Science Strategy Working Group was held at the ILL on June 17 and 18.

A recently published study uses neutron scattering to shed light on texturisation - the black box for plant-based meat analogues - through in-situ real-time observations of the process. The challenge is increasingly relevant for the food industry as consumer concerns about sustainability, health and animal welfare rise.

Small-angle scattering experiments for liquid foam characterisation have been experiencing renewed interest in recent years, with novel developments in both measuring cells and analysis formalism. There is work to do in making sure that the foam research and innovation community, and in particular industrial partners, make full use of the new tools available. In a newly published review, Leonardo Chiappisi (ILL) highlights recent advances in the field, discusses possibilities opened up by the SANS foam cell coupled with conductivity measurements and macrophotography developed within the ILL/ESRF Partnership for Soft Condensed Matter (PSCM), and identifies open challenges that could be addressed using neutron and synchrotron radiation.

Over 100 scientists and industry experts gathered in Grenoble last week for the International Operando Battery Days (OBATT'24). The event focused on exploring  new ways to analyse battery materials using cutting-edge tools and methods, both in-lab and at Large Scale Facilities such as the ILL and ESRF. These tools will help us understand how battery materials behave during real-world use, ultimat…

Today we welcomed Prof. Martina Hirayama, Swiss State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation for the signing of the agreement to renew Switzerland’s Scientific Membership of the ILL from 2024.