Page 111 - ILLS Annual Report 2018

MORE THAN SIMPLY NEUTRONS
106-107
DEUTERATION LABORATORY D-LAB
The Deuteration Laboratory (D-Lab) is located and operated within the ILL’s Life Sciences Group. Its user programme uses innovative in vivo recombinant expression approaches to provide tailor-made deuterated analogues of proteins, nucleic acids and lipids for the study of structure (crystallography, SANS, fibre diffraction, reflection) and dynamics (EINS) using neutron scattering [1]. The platform is therefore of central importance to all the ILL instrument groups engaged in biological activities.
The Life Sciences Group is involved in a wide variety of externally-funded programmes, exploiting the capabilities of the PSB as well as promoting interdisciplinary structural biology. It also interacts strongly with industry. Each year the Group takes a small number of undergraduate placement students for training in many of these techniques. It is also involved in the operation of the cryo-EM capabilities being set up with the installation of Titan Krios at the ESRF, in partnership with the ESRF, IBS and EMBL.
Access to the D-Lab platform is gained through a rapid peer-review proposal system (for more information: http://www.ill.eu/instruments-support/ instruments-groups/groups/lsg/user-platforms). It is available to all ILL member countries regardless of where the neutron scattering study will be carried out. The facility
is also available to users from non-member state countries, although these users are expected to cover the costs involved.
[1] M. Haertlein, M. Moulin, J.M. Devos, V. Laux and O. Dunne, Methods Enzymol. 566 (2016) 113–57
CHEMISTRY LABORATORIES
The Soft Matter Science and Support Group (SMSS) manages the ILL chemistry laboratories together with the PSCM laboratories. The main goal is to give ILL users the ability to prepare and characterise their samples during
their neutron experiments, but also to support the in-house research conducted by instrument scientists and PhD students.
The main facilities are located in the Science Building. In addition, three sample preparation labs can be found in the guide halls ILL7 and ILL22.
The laboratories are stocked with the basic equipment, glassware, consumables and chemicals necessary
to prepare samples for a variety of different neutron experiments. More specific items of equipment, such as high-temperature furnaces, a glovebox and an enclosure for handling nano-powders, are also available. The PSCM laboratories provide various methods of sample characterisation, such as UV-Vis, FTIR and light scattering.
Further information on the Chemistry Laboratories can be found at https://www.ill.eu/fr/instruments-support/ labs-facilities/chemistry-laboratories/.
MATERIALS SCIENCE SUPPORT LABORATORY
The joint ILL-ESRF Materials Science Support Laboratory (MSSL) provides a range of support to our users, from advice on experiment proposals to assistance with sample preparation and performing the experiment. We provide equipment for tensile testing, hardness testing and microscopy as well as the fabrication of specialised sample holders. The Laboratory also works with users to optimise their experimental methodology before the start of an experiment. This can involve standardised specimen mounting, digitisation of samples or the definition of measurement macros. It is recommended that users contact us well in advance and arrive at the ILL a day or two
prior to the start of an experiment to enable these off-line preparations to be performed.
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