Key steps forward in the implementation of the ILL Science Strategy: the Neutron Battery Hub and the Applied Science Instrument group 2
15 Apr 2026
At the start of the month, the ILL Neutron Battery Hub has been officially launched. The new hub is a collaborative framework at the ILL, bringing together neutron experts and battery scientists to work towards the next generation of batteries. It will address the fundamental processes to accelerate discovery in materials and technologies, develop tools and techniques, and seek to attract new partners and collaborations with industry.
A combination of neutron scattering techniques will be used to observe batteries during operation at all scales, connecting materials properties with electrochemical performances and unraveling the relationship between structure and transport mechanisms. The newly created NBHub is coordinated by Quentin Berrod (CNRS and CRG instrument scientist on SHARPER) and Sandrine Lyonnard (Research director at CEA-Irig). The NBHub kick-off meeting will take place on 19 May at the ILL.
This week, a major step was taken on the infrastructure side: the launching of the Applied Science Instrument Group. The new instrument group brings ILL neutron imaging, strain scanning and irradiation facilities within a single structure with strong links to industry. The ILL is currently expanding its installed imaging capabilities, to keep up with the high demand and potential for imaging techniques. The new group will include the imaging instruments NeXT, MoTo, PorTo and ThRILL, as well as the SALSA strain scanning instrument and the TENIS irradiation station. It will benefit from and enhance the increasingly important relationship between neutron scattering and industry as companies seek more efficient and sustainable methods to develop and manufacture materials, ensure quality control and optimise manufacturing processes.
The leader of the Applied Science Instrument Group is Markus Strobl (previously Head of the Applied Materials Group at the PSI, Switzerland, and currently vice-president of the International Society of Neutron Radiography, ISNR).