Neutron and X-ray scattering experiments provide valuable insights into the nanoscopic properties of matter, a scale that is also accessible through Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. If the simulations reproduce the experiments, they can give greater insight into the material properties on the nanoscopic scale than traditional data analysis methods.
However, existing MD forcefields are...
$A_2B_2O_7$ oxides gathered considerable attention due to many complex and exotic (ground) states observed or theoretically predicted, e.g., spin liquid, spin ice, topological insulator or Weyl semimetal [1,2]. Geometrical frustration of magnetic moments, responsible for these states, is defined very well in $A_2Ir_2O_7$ iridates (with A being the rare earth) since they crystallize in the...
As silicon/graphite (SiG) composites are more commonly used as the anode active material in commercial Li-ion batteries,1 the importance of investigations of the (de-)lithiation behavior of the blended anodes grows. In this study, the charge redistribution between graphite and silicon was investigated in graphite-NMC 622 and SiG (~20 wt.-% Si) – NMC 622 bilayer pouch cells using in situ and...
A persistent challenge for the inelastic neutron scattering technique has been the low scattering cross-section of neutrons, necessitating large sample sizes compared to other techniques. Focusing the neutron beam is a viable technique to increase the flux reaching the sample, but previous techniques suffer from limitations to beam size and quality or an excessively close distance to the...
Neutron supermirrors are multilayer structures of varying bilayer thickness with the purpose of extending the critical angle of the coating, increasing the neutron flux reaching the neutron instruments. The sputtered layers of the supermirrors are mostly made of nickel and titanium due to their excellent scattering contrast. Depolarization effects due to the ferromagnetism of nickel are...
The prediction of material behavior following non-proportional load paths is still a major challenge in forming technology. In-situ synchrotron experiments are used to investigate the material behavior of a microalloyed and a dual-phase steel after different pre-strain levels and directional changes. It is shown that the material behavior is strongly dependent on the pre-forming level and the...
Recent developments in event driven camera systems allow the construction of a new type of scintillator-based event mode imaging devices. This type of detector records data for individual neutron interactions in a scintillator screen. By analyzing each event individually, improvements in temporal and spatial resolution as well as noise supression are possible. At the same time, it has the same...
Quantum materials have been playing a crucial role in the development of next-generation technologies and devices, including quantum computers. Such materials are usually prepared under laboratory conditions. However, some naturally occurring minerals have also been found to feature complex magnetic ground states, such as Henmilite [1] or Herbertsmithite [5,6]. They possess spin ½ Cu ions,...
The mission of the APEX-LD (A Positron-Electron eXperiment - Levitated Dipole) trap is to provide a compact (~10-liter) volume of closed dipole magnetic field lines, to be used for the confinement and study of low-temperature, long-lived e+e- pair plasmas. The requirements for this application posed a number of challenges for experiment design and engineering. (These included, e.g., the need...
High-precision measurements of angular correlations in free neutron beta-decay address a number of questions which are at the forefront of particle physics. PERC (Proton Electron Radiation Channel) is the new generation beta-decay experiment. Its aim is to measure correlation coefficients with high accuracy (10-4) and the experiment is currently under construction at the TUM FRM II/MLZ.
In...
Ferromagnetic metals are commonly used as high performance magnetic core materials. Especially for application in transformers, grain oriented (GO) silicon steels stand out due to their uniaxial magnetic properties, which are founded in their strongly textured crystal structure. Since most techniques for investigating magnetic properties integrate over large sample volumes (magnetization and...
The analysis workflow of Prompt gamma activation analysis at the BNC’s PGAA and NIPS-NORMA facilities, at the MLZ FRM II PGAA station, and many other centers worldwide relied on the use of the Hypermet-PC gamma spectrometry software and the ProSpeRo concentration calculation Excel macro. This evaluation procedure was established in the late nineties and was compatible with the computing...
With increasing share of energy generation from renewables, intermittent electrical energy storage is gaining significance. Sodium-ion batteries (SIB) are currently developed and commercialized as cost-effective complementary technology to today’s Lithium-ion batteries (LIB). For SIBs, P2-type layered oxides are considered amongst the most attractive cathode active materials.
In this work,...
Thermogels are an exciting class of stimuli-responsive materials with many promising applications ranging from the medical field to additive manufacturing. The mechanical properties in the gel state strongly depend on the architecture of the polymer [1].
Here we address an ABC triblock terpolymer and a BABC tetrablock terpolymer consisting of the hydrophilic oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl...
Waterborne latex films, obtained from the dispersion of latex particles are of particular interest due to the non-content of volatile organic compounds (VOC), often mandatory under environmental legislation [1]. However, abrupt water penetration inside the films restricting their lifespan and deteriorating the shining of the coating. In order to prepare efficient and solvent-free coatings with...
The La1-xPrxCrO3 compounds with x = 0.8, 0.85, and 0.87 exhibit the intriguing negative magnetization (NM) state below the compensation temperature, TCOMP. While only positive magnetization is found for x = 0.9 compound below its magnetic ordering temperature. An anomalous dc magnetization behavior is observed for these compounds. A maximum dc magnetization is found for x = 0.8 compound, after...
Ionic assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes with each other or surfactants is a highly versatile way for constructing complexly structured colloidal systems in aqueous solution. Due to the richness of available polyelectrolytes and surfactants one can create here a multitude of structures dissolved in aqueous solution. Such complexes are interesting systems for selective...
Pyrochlore antiferromagnets (AFM) Gd2T2O7 (T: tetravalent metal elements) are prototypical materials for realizing classical spin liquid states. However, all of them have been observed to show long-range magnetic order [1-3]. Previous specific heat data of Gd2Hf2O7 show a tiny sharp peak on the top of a large broad maximum indicating a long-range AFM order [4]. However, our sample does not...
The gradual ferromagnetic spin reorientation in the hcp phase of cobalt between 230 °C and 330 °C reported for a Co single crystal [1] suggests that this phase cannot have a hexagonal symmetry [2,3]. This hypothesis is verified positively by synchrotron radiation diffraction (MSPD@ALBA) and neutron diffraction (SPODI@MLZ and D2B@ILL) on the powder of cobalt [3]. The analysis of diffraction...
We present neutron scattering data on the hexagonal rare-earth diboride ErB$_2$. ErB$_2$ orders magnetically below T$_c$ = 14 K, where the magnetocrystalline anisotropy shows strong easy-plane characteristics, as established from measurements of the specific heat, ac susceptibility, magnetisation and electrical transport.
In order to investigate the magnetic structure we performed...
Gram(-) bacteria are pathogenic microorganisms whose outer membrane of the external envelope is composed of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), consisting of three structural domains: lipid A, the core oligosaccharide, and the O antigen. They are endotoxins responsible for many infections induced by bacterial pathogens, so represent a suitable target for selective detection. This can be achieved...
Non-lamellar lipid aqueous phases, such as reverse cubic or hexagonal phases, have increasingly been used to entrap biomolecules. We here discuss encapsulation of two key types of enzymes of different sizes, namely Aspartic protease (34 KDa), Beta-galactosidase (460 KDa) as well as heme proteins of importance for e.g. food iron supply. Although the curvature of the lipid aqueous interfaces in...
In the field of continuous low energy particle beams, Faraday cup detectors have been traditionally considered a way of precisely assessing the particle flux, given a few minutes of integration time and assuming no spatial resolution is required. Two years ago we presented a novel Faraday cup design, pursuing the aim is of providing fast and position-sensitive measurements. We will present now...
Structurally complex materials provide many different possible trapping sites for positrons. Especially, positron lifetime spectra of samples with µm and sub-µm sized grains must be carefully analysed, as positron trapping and annihilation in grain boundaries plays an increasingly important role and cannot be neglected anymore, even when other defect types are in the primary focus. To properly...
The increasing progress in developing next generation thin-film solar cells for space is shifting the focus of research towards practical implementation issues. Among the different types of next generation solar cells, in particular perovskite solar cells are gaining an increasing attention for space use. Meanwhile, first perovskite materials and devices have been tested in space. In contrast...
Polycrystalline CoNiCr-based alloys show promising properties for future high temperature applications due to their potential to achieve a high y'-volume fraction while retaining a significant processing range. The growing importance on emission reduction through innovative propulsion technologies, such as hydrogen-based aviation fuels or water-enhanced turbofans, requires research into how...
Magnetic skyrmions are topologically stabilized spin configurations on the nanoscale which makes them promising for next-generation information storage technologies and computing. [1,2] In magnetic multilayers, they can be stabilized at room temperature [3]. Skyrmions emerge due to an interplay between several magnetic contributions. Among them the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction...
Human civilization is expected to face a huge challenge in the form of climate change in this century. One of the factors affecting this change is the use of fossil fuels, which have to be supplanted by so-called ’renewable energy sources’. Hydrogen is one of many possibilities for this energy storage, but a potent solution for storing the hydrogen is still being explored [1].
In this...
Smart copolymer microgels based on acrylamides are promising for several applications [1,2] Therefore these systems are intensely studied in recent years. If microgels are made with (photo-)crosslinkable comonomers (secondary crosslinkers), they can be deposited in thin layers and subsequently be cross-linked by irradiation [3,4]. Upon cross-linking freestanding membranes are obtained, which...
European Cultural Heritage (CH) is a crucial resource favoring social inclusion, job creation, and promoting resilience of our society against the emerging issues of the 21th century. Works of art interacting with the environment are prone to aging and decay. Soiling is a prime factor in the degradation of surfaces, chemical and mechanical degradation are often associated to soiling and lead...
The structural coexistence of dual rigid and mobile sublattices in superionic Argyrodites yields ultralow lattice thermal conductivity along with decent electrical and ionic conductivities and therefore attracts intense interest for batteries, fuel cells, and thermoelectric applications. However, a comprehensive understanding of their underlying lattice and diffusive dynamics in terms of the...
The study of geometrically frustrated systems with antiferromagnetically ordered spins on a two-dimensional lattice has recently gained considerable attention for their exotic quantum magnetic properties. In order to explore effects related to quantum magnetism we recently focused our attention to Na2BaMn(PO4)2. So far previous works on the isostructural Na2BaCo(PO4)2, a Co spin-1/2 compound...
Lithium metal is considered as one of the most promising anode candidates for high-energy batteries [1]. However, safety concerns induced by the formation of Li dendrites and the high reactivity at the electrode/electrolyte, resulting in a continuous electrolyte decomposition hinder the practical application [2]. It is anticipated that the use of non-flammable inorganic solid-state...
Hole doped transition metal oxides have been extensively investigated due to their many active degrees of freedom such as charge, spin, and orbital ordering. An interesting alternative to metal substitution in nickelates, e.g., RE2-xSrxNiO4, is achieved by oxygen doping, yielding RE2NiO4+d. The extra oxygen atoms have been evidenced to be mobile down to ambient temperature, adding an extra...
V-based oxides are attracting much interest as promising next-generation electrodes due to the vast resources in the Earth's crust, their unique open structures for fast diffusion with outstanding electrochemical properties and various oxidation redox couples. A recent review has debated if they “will become the future choice for ion-metal batteries”.[1] H2V3O8 allows reversible two-electron...
Increased attention to sodium-containing materials during the last years is caused by the rapid development of sodium-ion batteries (NIBs), which are considered as a potential successor for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Especially layered sodium oxides with transition metals have gained large interest due to their potential applicability as cathode materials. Similar to LiCoO2 in LIBs, NaCoO2...
Macromolecules in biological systems in vivo are in the cell's crowded environment, which can modify biological function through changes in the structural conformation with respect to diluted conditions. The structural characterization in crowded media is challenging given the high concentration and the intrinsic complexity in these samples. To address the topological effects, we use model...
Investigating nuclear structure parameters is a crucial in low-energy nuclear physics. The comprehension of gamma transitions, level schemes, nuclear level density, and radiative strength functions is necessary for both fundamental and applied research. To this end, the two-step gamma cascades method, involving the detection of gamma coincidences subsequent to neutron capture, specifically the...
Neutrons are a unique probe for non-destructive structural studies of energy materials, especially for the development of highly dense hydrogen stores. Thus, nano-porous materials have attracted great attention for gas storage, while the storage capacity still remains challenging. Here a magnesium borohydride framework with small pores was investigated and a unique partially negatively-charged...
Antimony selenide (Sb$_2$Se$_3$) is photovoltaic material with an optimal bandgap and a high optical absorption coefficient comprising of earth abundant elements. Solar cell power conversion efficiencies initially increased markedly but more recently the rate of increase has slowed. There is a large open circuit voltage consistent with the presence of detrimental concentrations of point...
Developing efficient, sustainable thermoelectric (TE) devices to harness waste heat is challenging due to the reliance on rare elements in conventional materials. Recently, conducting polymers, particularly Poly(3,4-methylenedioxy thiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) blends, have shown promising TE performance improvements [1]. However, PEDOT has limitations, such as sensitivity to...
In aqueous solution, amphiphilic block copolymers consisting of a short permanently hydrophobic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and a long thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) block self-assemble into spherical core-shell micelles. At atmospheric pressure, the micellar shell of PMMA-b-PNIPAM strongly dehydrates and shrinks above the cloud point Tcp of PNIPAM. However,...
As space technologies and space missions develop rapidly, the demand for solar cells dedicated to space applications is increasing. Space solar cells face more critical challenges than before. Higher gravimetric Power Density and better radiation resistance are the primary keys. This project aims to investigate the degradation of organic solar cells in the space environment. Based on previous...
Our group operates and/or develops in-situ 3He polarizers/analyzers for the following instruments: MARIA, KWS1, KWS2, TOPAS, POLI (2x), DREAM (ESS), and TREX (ESS). We are also active in developing polarized neutron beam components and testing. We will present a summary of the status and performance of the various devices.
Perovskite Quantum Dot Solar Cells (PQDSC) are very promising in contributing to the renewable energy mix of the future. Perovskite Quantum Dot Layers are used as active layer within solar cells due to the quantum confinement which occurs at crystales size below the Bohr radius.[1] Therefore they provide high power conversion efficiencies, high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), a narrow...
Strongly correlated electron systems (SCES) summarizes phenomena, which cannot be reconciled with the theory of the free electron gas. Instead, significant interactions between electrons are integral to understand these phenomena, mostly at very low temperatures when the impact of thermal fluctuations is low. On the atomic scale, properties like, e.g. spin orbit coupling, reduced magnetic...
Organic-inorganic halide perovskites have gained a huge interest in the scientific community owing to their favorable optoelectronic properties combined with their ease of production and abundance of raw materials. [1] In many cases, polycrystalline thin films are used for which thin film crystallinity and morphology are key factors affecting the perovskite’s properties. Various methods have...
Magnetic dipole traps have demonstrated good confinement properties for both non-neutral and quasi-neutral plasmas, making this a highly suitable type of trap for the creation and study of low-temperature, long-lived electron-positron pair plasmas. To generate such a plasma, the APEX (A Positron-Electron eXperiment) Collaboration is planning to inject positrons (supplied by the reactor-based...
Ordered magnetic hybrid thin films composed of a diblock copolymer (DBC) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are interesting due to the mixing of properties from the organic and inorganic precursors. The unique attributes of these hybrid films make them attractive for use in applications ranging from magnetic sensors to magnetic data storage devices. In this study, thin DBC films of...
The last pandemic highlighted the importance of understanding the interaction between external sources and eukaryotic membranes. Membrane models have been widely studied, but our knowledge of the interaction between them and external sources is far from fully understood. This gap limits the ability to achieve the next level of selectivity, efficiency, and targeting. Target of respiratory...
Plasmonic nanostructures have attracted extensive research interest due to their enhanced light-matter interactions. Plasmonic induced surface plasmon resonance properties enable strong, size- and shape-dependent light absorption and scattering, as well as near-field amplification. Hybrid nanostructures containing self-assembled gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) embedded in a solid matrix of PbS...
Magnetic systems are a fertile ground for the design of novel quantum and topologically non-trivial states characterized by exotic excitations. Examples include spin chain and square-lattice low-dimensional antiferromagnets, quantum spin liquid candidates, spin-ice compounds, and unusual spin textures. Key features of the ground state and finite-temperature behavior of such magnetic systems...
Metal insulation technology is one of the solutions employed to enhance the quench stability of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) coils. This approach offers several advantages for quench stability. Metal substrate facilitates the detection of quenches by allowing electrical voltage signals to be easily measured across the substrate. This feature is crucial for promptly identifying...
Cellulose, a well-known natural biopolymer, possesses numerous advantages such as cost-effectiveness, renewability, ease of processing, and biodegradability [1]. Due to these inherent merits, cellulose has emerged as a promising bio-based substrate capable of synergistically combining with conductive materials (e.g., metals or carbon-based materials) for diverse applications including sensors,...
Metal oxide interfaces, especially nanostructured titania, play a key role in various energy applications. Achieving controlled morphology at different scales is critical for optimal performance. Nanostructured titania with a high surface-to-volume ratio improves device efficiency. Industrial methods such as spray coating are effective, but often involve unsustainable organic solvents. To...
STRESS-SPEC is the dedicated diffractometer for materials science applications at MLZ. It offers high thermal neutron flux and is mainly used for fast residual strain and texture (bulk, local or gradient) measurements [1, 2]. Recent upgrades include a new detector system developed in-house, a new fully automatic slit system for gauge volume definition of the monochromatic beam, and a quenching...
Biotemplating is an effective method of nanostructuring hybrid
inorganic-organic materials. This approach allows the tuning of material properties like porosity or domain sizes. Therefore, parameters like
the electronic conductivity can be adjusted for different applications.
In this work, differently structured Titania thin films are investigated
for application in thermoelectric...
In this presentation, we will give an overview of the current status of the powder diffractometer SPODI, its performance in user service together with future perspectives. In particular, an overview on the research areas and outcome in user service will be provided.
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) based microgels are interesting colloidal systems to probe cooperative phenomena such as structural ordering, crystal nucleation, glass formation, etc. They can be packed to effective volume fractions(eff) beyond the hard-sphere close-packing (cp) and their average interparticle distance, as can be smaller than the particle diameter, d[1]. Here, we report the...
The RESEDA instrument, situated at the FRM II facility, operates as a resonant spin-echo spectrometer utilizing the MIEZE (Modulated Intensity with Zero Effort) technique in a longitudinal geometry. While RESEDA offers access to a broad range of energy scales, its optimal resolution for momentum-transfer vectors is primarily concentrated at small scattering angles. Recent advancements have...
It is crucial to suppress the non-radiation recombination in the hole-blocking layer (HBL) and at the interface between the HBL and active layer for performance improvement. Herein, TiOx layers are deposited onto a SnO2 layer via sputter deposition at room temperature, forming a bilayer HBL. The structure evolution of TiOx during sputter deposition is investigated via in situ grazing-incidence...
The third generation β-solidifying TNM alloys with (α2+γ) lamellar microstructures have been considered excellent candidates for modern turbine blades due to their low density, high specific strength and stiffness, excellent creep resistance, and good corrosion resistance. It has been proved that orienting the γ lamellae to the direction of the load can significantly increase the mechanical...
Properties of Gd3+ rare earth ion incorporated MgFe2-xGdxO4 (0 =< x =< 0.16) ceramics prepared from powders using combustion technique with DL- alanine fuel are investigated. Re-arrangement of cations in the unit cell due to Gd3+ substitution for Fe3+ in MgFe2O4, and the consequent effects on the electrical and magnetic properties are discussed. Improvements in electrical resistivity with...
The small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) diffractometer KWS-2, operated by the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum in Garching, is equipped with an in-line size exclusion chromatography (SEC) followed by the multi-angle light scattering (MALS) machine. The established SEC-SANS-MALS setup facilitates the in-situ fractionation of the sample solution, the...
We propose to implement a new modulation technique at NREX adding time resolution to polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR). The new technique is based on intensity modulation by a radio-frequency (RF) spin flipper, and shares some basic concepts with the MIEZE spin-echo technique. The aim is to resolve the kinetics of the nuclear and magnetic scattering length densities in periodic processes...
We propose to significantly increase the efficiency of TRSIP for high-resolution spectroscopy and Larmor diffraction. Through optimized beam geometry and development of a spin-echo multi-detector, gain factors of 5-50 in counting time are possible. Shorter spin-echo units in combination with new radio-frequency (RF) spin-flippers will provide a larger flux on the sample. The proposed spin-echo...
Robots and cobots (collaborative robots) were designed to change manufacturing and production processes at factories. Typical application of an industrial robot would be to replace a human on repetitive tasks, which involve endurance, speed, and precision. Industrial robots usually operate in environments isolated from human contact. Instead, cobots are designed to provide human robot...
QtiSAS [1, 2] is an open-source cross-platform software designed for the graphical visualization, reduction, analysis, and fit of data. At Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) it is designed particularly to work on data produced by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instruments, however it could also be an alternative to proprietary scientific software like Origin or Igor...
The author will present the actual status of the work at the MEPHISTO beamline. The installation of the neutron guide shielding in the reactor building is progressing and the cooling plant await its compressor housing construction.
Milk and dairy products are common food systems. One of their important constituents is casein micelles (CM) (~10-100 nm) that form extended aggregates, and further develop into a network by the process of gelation. A key structural parameter is the fractal dimension (Df) of this network[1-3]. Scattering and rheology have been explored in the past to access the relevant length scales and Df of...
The high-intensity reflectometer MARIA of JCNS is installed at the neutron guide hall of the FRM II reactor in Garching and it is a state of the art reflectometer at a constant flux reactor. It gives the opportunity to investigate specular reflectivity curves in a broad dynamic range including off-specular scattering and GISANS measurements. The availability of a polarised neutron beam and the...
Hydrogel films made from responsive polymers are able to switch between a swollen (extended polymer chains) and a contracted film state (coiled polymer chains) in response to slight changes in their surroundings. In recent studies, we demonstrated the versatility of a multi-responsive diblock copolymer, containing a zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine) and a nonionic poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)...
Hydrogen is one of innovative fuels which storage is a challenge so far. One of options is hydrogen storage in complex-hydride systems, where it is chemically bonded unless a sufficient heating is applied. Main virtues of a hydrogen storage system are: storage capacity, safety of use, reversibility, fast reaction rate and a moderate operation temperature. Amide-hydride mixtures, where...
Single chain nanoparticles are soft nano-objects made from individual polymer chains crosslinked intramolecularly. Due to the internal random crosslinking between functional groups of the same chain, a sparse conformation is usually achieved which displays many common structural features with intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Lately, there has been great interest in expanding SCNPs to...
The PERC facility is currently under construction at the FRM II in Garching, Germany. It will serve as an intense and clean source of electrons and protons from neutron beta decay for precision studies. It aims to improve the measurements of the properties of weak interaction by one order of magnitude and to search for new physics via new effective couplings.
PERC's central component is a 12...
Ordered porous gold/titanium dioxide (Au/TiO2) hybrid nanostructured films are specifically interesting in large-scale applications using localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In this work, we investigate the optical response of sputter-deposited Au/TiO2 nanohybrid thin films with a focus on the plasmonic response and application as...
Located at the SR10 at the FRM II, NECTAR is a versatile instrument and designed for the non-destructive inspection of various objects by means of fission neutron radiography and tomography. Compared to the Z-dependency of X-ray and gamma imaging, fission neutrons have the strong advantage of often providing similar contrast for heavy and light materials. Only few facilities around the world...
Modulation of intensity with zero effort (MIEZE) is a neutron spectroscopy technique with high energy resolution, closely related to the established neutron spin echo (NSE) method. The essential feature of MIEZE is an intensity modulated neutron beam with a focal point (echo point) several meters downstream the sample.
Successful employment of the MIEZE technique requires careful preparation...
Three-axes spectrometers (TAS) are considered one of the most flexible and versatile instruments for inelastic neutron scattering measuring fundamental excitations (phonons, magnons, and crystalline electric field) in materials with sub-meV energy resolution. However, the limitation of a three-axes spectrometer usually comes from the restriction of a point-by-point measurement strategy in the...
HEiDi is a versatile single crystal diffractometer using unpolarized thermal and hot neutrons to provide users worldwide with high quality structure data. The applications range from studies on various magnetic compounds [Maity2021, Dutta2023, Zobkalo2023] and new battery materials [Redhammer2021] to complex framework structures [Lotti2023].
Heidi’s high neutron flux allows both studies up...
Superalloys are key materials of our modern society. They are not only used in harsh environments of power plants for energy conversion but also in aerospace or marine applications, as they combine excellent mechanical properties at high homologous temperatures with very good oxidation and corrosion resistance. To further improve the efficiency of engines, advanced superalloys with improved...
Neutron single crystal diffraction provides an experimental method for the direct location of hydrogen and deuterium atoms in biological macromolecules. At the FRM II neutron source the neutron single crystal diffractometer BIODIFF, a joint project of the Forschungszentrum Jülich and the FRM II, is mainly dedicated to the structure determination of enzymes. Typical scientific questions address...
Kagome magnet RMn6Sn6, [R=Gd-Er] are extensively studied in search of nontrivial magnetic and topological states [1,2]. The strong magnetic coupling in between the metal ion Mn in pristine Kagome bilayers and the rare earth R in triangular lattice framework generates the complex magnetic phases which are favorable for correlated topological states [3,4]. Here in this work, the pressure...
Mesoporous transition metal oxide has attracted a lot of interest due to its excellent properties. Block copolymers with sol-gel is one of the popular approaches to fabricate mesoporous transition metal oxides. In this work, titania thin films are synthesized with the sol-gel method templated by a diblock copolymer. A similar morphology transition, from worm-shaped mesopores to ordered...
The lithium garnet Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is a leading solid state electrolyte candidate for an All-solid-state battery (ASSB) containing Li as anode because of its high ionic conductivity, high toughness and wide electrochemical stability. Undoped LLZO exists in two polymorphic phases; a low conductivity tetragonal phase and a high conductivity cubic phase. Dopants in LLZO play a critical role...
The Data Evaluation Group DEVA at MLZ is a team of scientists with many years of experience in selected neutron and X-ray methods. DEVA was established in 2022 with the goal of guiding and actively supporting the user community, with a focus on new users. This includes data analysis and data reduction, assistance in extracting further knowledge from the acquired data, and support in the...
Within the DAPHNE4NFDI project the MLZ is enganged in establishing a datacalougue to foster FAIR access to the data produced at the MLZ.
We will give an overview over the technical aspects of the implementation of such a catalogue at MLZ.
KWS-3 is a very small angle neutron scattering diffractometer operated by JCNS at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) in Garching, Germany. The principle of this instrument is one-to-one imaging of an entrance aperture onto a 2D position sensitive detector by neutron reflection from a double-focusing toroidal mirror. In current state, KWS-3 is covering Q-range between 3·10-5 and 2·10-2 Å-1 and...
Binders play an important role in multi-component electrodes for rechargeable batteries, which suffer from poor electronic and ionic conductivity. Binder-free electrodes provide another way to resolve problems, where sophisticated structure construction is required. A new concept of electrode processing alternative to binder-containing and binder-free electrodes was established. A...
Hydrated proteins undergo a dynamical transition (DT) at Td ≈ 200 K. The transition is associated with the activation of protein dynamics on the ps-ns time scale, suitably detected by Elastic Incoherent Neutron Scattering (EINS). The DT has been also observed in other biomolecules and is deemed necessary for biological functionality. Surprisingly, a DT has been recently found in a...
Over the past several years, the Sample Environmental group at Julich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at MLZ has made remarkable progress in updating and maintenance of the old cryogenic equipment and introducing the new ones. In addition to the tradition Orange-type wet cryostats, several cryogen-free closed cycle cryostats are in use. MLZ offers a wide range of dry and wet magnets with...
High-precision measurements of angular correlations in neutron beta decay address a number of questions which are at the forefront of particle physics. For a new generation of beta decay experiments, like the PERC (Proton Electron Decay Channel) experiment currently under construction in Munich, frequency-based beta spectroscopy methods using the cyclotron radiation emitted by electrons in a...
In addition to state-of-the-art neutron scattering instrumentation, sample environment is another important pillar to attract the user community.
On this occasion, new devices and developments will be presented such as closed cycle refrigerators with temperature extension up to 1.5K, development of high-pressure equipment for SANS, progress in automatic sample exchange systems and the new...
A low-energy monoenergetic positron beam can be used to implant positrons near the surface of materials. In polymers and in particular in porous materials positrons can form positronium (Ps). Even at greater implantation depths Ps can diffuse back to the surface and be emitted if the material has an open porous structure, i.e., the pores create a path to the outside. Therefore, we can...
BornAgain [1,2] is an open-source software package to model and fit SAS, GISAS, off-specular scattering, and reflectometry. It was designed to fully reproduce the functionality of the standard software IsGisaxs [3], allow for hierarchical sample models of arbitrary complexity, and support neutron polarization and magnetic scattering. It can be used either through a graphical user interface or...
Inelastic neutron scattering is very useful experimental method used across all scientific fields. It is mainly used for uncovering the dynamics and excitations in single crystals. Although very powerful method inelastic neutron scattering suffers from low flux scattered from sample. This can be improved by increasing volume of sample.
Traditionally, experimental physicist are coaligning...
The “Stress and TExture CAlculator” (Steca) is a data reduction software tool. It is used to support the analysis of the data from x-ray material diffractometers and neutron strain scanner STRESS-SPEC.
In particular, peak positions, widths and intensities are extracted from the 2D detector data of the instruments. The extracted data can be saved within a Steca project file or exported into...
Tuning hydrostatic pressure up to moderate (P < 1000 bar) pressure values can be crucial for understanding structure-property interplay in different disciplines, including: protein treatment in food processing, biophysics of deep-sea, processing of baroplastic polymers, polymer coating technologies for artificial joints. To the best of our knowledge, the role of pressure and thermodynamic...
The Automatic Laue Sample Aligner (ALSA) uses a robotic arm (Mecademic Meca500 [1]), computer vision [2], and air suction to manipulate small crystal samples.
While controlling the robot arm, operating with the absolute reference frame of the robot would be quite confusing for the end user. Therefore, taking inspiration from Entangle [3] implementation, we have written a control driver using...
The salt effect of KCl on D2O hydration and subsequent thermoresponsive behavior of diblock copolymer (DBC) thin films, which feature a short zwitterionic poly(4-((3-methacrylamidopropyl) dimethylammonio) butane-1-sulfonate)) (PSBP) block and a long nonionic thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PNIPMAM) block, is studied by in situ spectral reflectance (SR) and time-of-flight...
Polarized neutron diffraction is a powerful tool for studying condensed matter physics and to probe the spin and orbital properties of unpaired electrons. POLI is a polarized neutron single crystal diffractometer built on the hot neutron source at MLZ. Currently three standard setups are implemented on POLI: 1) zero-field spherical neutron polarimetry using CRYOPAD; 2) polarized neutron...
Poly(2-oxazoline)s are biocompatible polymers featuring high copolymerization versatility and low in-vivo immunogenicity [1]. Thus, the system has potential in biomedical applications. While linear poly(2-oxazoline) homo- and block copolymers have been amply studied, studies on molecular brushes from poly(2-oxazoline)s are still scarce [2, 3]. In the present study, we investigate molecular...
Lithium has a high specific capacity of 3860 mAh g−1 and a low electrochemical potential (-3.04 V), promising a high energy density lithium metal battery (LMB). However, the growth of lithium dendrites during charging and discharging would penetrate the separators in LMBs, which leads to short circuit. To inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites, we focus on optimizing the SEI layer through...
All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSLIBs) have received extensive attention as one of the most promising power sources for flexible and wearable electronics, mainly because of their high flexibility, high energy density and reliable safety. However, the practical application of ASSLBs has been hindered by the poor interfacial stability and inferior ionic conductivity. Solid polymer...
The integration of sample environment (SE) equipment in a beam line experiment is a complex challenge both in the physical world and in the digital world. Different experiment control software offer different interfaces for the connection of SE equipment. Therefore, it is time-consuming to integrate new SE or to share SE equipment between facilities. To tackle this problem, the International...
Stimuli-responsive diblock copolymers (DBCPs) have gathered considerable interest for uptake, delivery and release processes due to their property tunability upon exposure to external stimuli, such as temperature and light. In this study, DBCPs comprising PNIPAM as the thermoresponsive block and azopyrazole (AzPy) functionalized PNDMAM as the photo-responsive block are expected to feature dual...
In the rapidly evolving landscape of experimental research, the integration of advanced technologies has conducted in a new era of precision and efficiency. Robotic systems, supported by artificial intelligence, have become important tools for conducting experiments with high levels of control and accuracy. Among these rapid developments, the closed-loop approach stands out as a paradigm...
Our work focuses on the development of an Automatic Laue Sample Aligner (ALSA) that allows to increase
the sample size for neutron experiments, by fully automating the co-alignment process [1].
However, the sample manipulation, which utilizes a precise robotic arm (Mecademic Meca500 [2]),
requires also advanced use of computer vision (CV). This poster presents our integration of general...
