News

The EU-funded project EU-CONVERSION aims to supply European research reactors with safe, low-enriched uranium fuels - for their conversion and long-term operation, and to secure the supply of medical radioisotopes. The project kick-off meeting has now taken place at the Bavarian representation to the EU in Brussels.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used to treat a large variety of diseases. In order to allow patients to inject these therapeutic molecules autonomously, it is crucial to understand the origin of and to control their viscosity. An international team of researchers used an interdisciplinary approach to understand how molecular interactions and motions influence the viscosity of different mAbs. The study has now been published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.

Foams are highly complex systems, and an essential component of many different drinks and foods. Collaboration between the ILL and Aarhus University has connected unique capabilities to investigate foam with critically relevant food science challenges, bringing a greener food future a step closer.

Members of COFREND (Confédération Française pour les Essais Non Destructifs) were at the ILL for a visit focused on our imaging instrument NeXT (Neutron and X-ray Tomography). This group of professionals in the field of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) had the opportunity to tour the ILL's experimental facilities and get insights into the powerful complementarity of neutron and X-ray techniques when applied to industrial research.

The recently published European strategy clearly recommends the exploitation of ILL well beyond 2033 – due to its scientific relevance, competitiveness in nuclear (and particle) physics, and capability for producing radioisotopes for research and cancer treatment.

On the occasion of the meeting in Grenoble of the users of the two largest European research infrastructures dedicated to neutrons, the ILL invited the general public to attend a conference in French at Minatec, entitled "La science des neutrons au service de notre avenir" (Neutron science supporting our future).

As we near the end of the year, it is an appropriate time to look back at accomplishments. In particular, 2024 provides the opportunity to look back to the start of neutron interferometry 50 years ago – the development of this neutron technique is captured eloquently in an article by Wolfgang Treimer, professor at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences, published in September in Physik Journal, the official journal of the German Physical Society (in German).

The lipid membranes surrounding human cells are known to be asymmetric in terms of their molecular composition. The localisation of cholesterol within these membranes has, however, been difficult to pinpoint until recently. Using neutron scattering and selective deuteration, researchers were able to tackle this challenge and to provide deep insights into the complexity of biological membranes. This knowledge can help design articificial membranes for drug delivery and facilitate the handling of demanding proteins.

Future progress will be defined by the development of new and innovative next-generation materials. Despite the magnitude of the endeavour, breakthroughs will depend on understanding at the smallest scale: fundamentally, the properties of a material depend on its structure. A recent study highlights the unique insights that can be provided by world-leading neutron expertise, instruments and technology at the ILL.

The ILL-ESS User Meeting 2024 brought together experts, researchers, and users from across the globe to celebrate collaboration and scientific progress.

The completion of the ILL Endurance upgrade programme was officially celebrated yesterday, 27 November 2024, in the presence of representatives of the ILL Associate Countries – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – and of several ILL Scientific Member Countries, European neutron facilities and key partner institutions.

How neutron studies of exotic materials can pave the way towards quantum computers