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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.

The global need to transition to a sustainable and clean energy future has brought hydrogen to the forefront as a promising clean energy carrier. Efficient and safe storage is a key challenge and hydrogen storage in activated carbons is a promising option. Investigating the fundamental interactions between hydrogen and nanoporous carbon at the atomic level can provide vital information for enhancing the storage efficiency of these materials. Neutron scattering is sensitive to hydrogen, thus opening the possibility for many different insights. This paper reports on a SANS (Small-Angle Neutron Scattering) study using ILL’s highly versatile neutron diffractometer D16 to investigate hydrogen and deuterium adsorption in nanoporous activated carbon cloth as a function of (micro)pore size. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of the processes involved and will influence the design of materials for efficient hydrogen storage devices working at realistic cryogenic conditions and low pressures.

Credit: Marta Salvador-Castell Scientists at Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) have helped take a key step towards understanding the development of life on Earth.The team, led by Dr Philippe Oger, a scientist from the University of Lyon – INSA Lyon, used organic molecul…

Schematic, cross-sectional view of a PEM fuel cell. Hydrogen fuel is channelled to the anode, while oxygen from air is channelled to the cathode. At the anode, hydrogen is split into protons (H+) and electrons (e-). The PEM allows the protons to cross to the cathode, while the electrons travel vi…

Credit: MPI-ILL 5.09.2016Understanding microbe adaptation to extreme environments remains a challenge of high biotechnological potential—in bioremediation and waste management, for example.Halomonas microorganisms isolated from the oceans or salt marshes, reversibl…

Vew from "acoustic levitation: a movie by Alain Filhol. ©2012, Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France" The drying process is a critical final stage in various manufacturing processes – it influences the quality of many a product and has many industrial …

Chemical structures of a PC lipid (a) and of the glycolipid DGDG (b) as representatives of two fundamentally different lipid classes found in nature: Lipids with a headgroup chemistry dominated by one large electric dipole and lipids whose headgroups comprise multiple small electric dipoles in th…