Ammonite shells are among the most frequently found macro fossils. However, other ammonite remains can be scarce and especially the supposed arm crown has never been found. The only indirect evidence of arms and tentacles so far can be found in the ammonite family Scaphitidae, because some members of this group developed hooks comparable in some aspects to belemnite and squid arm hooks. To...
In the future fusion reactors, plasma-facing components such as the divertor will play a crucial role in exhausting thermal power and managing plasma instabilities under irradiation over long-pulse operating conditions. Characterizing their internal stress distribution, both in the as-manufactured prototypes and after exposure to representative operating conditions, is essential to predict...
The neutron lifetime, $\tau_n$, is a key observable in low-energy tests of the Standard Model of Particle Physics (SM). The SM relates the neutron lifetime and the ratio of axial vector to vector coupling, $\lambda = g_\mathrm{A}/g_\mathrm{V}$, in the free neutron decay to the CKM matrix element $V_\mathrm{ud}$. A neutron-based determination of $V_\mathrm{ud}$ can contribute to a precise and...
Qualification of laser powder bed fusion is a materials problem before it is a process problem: the microstructure and the stress state of a part are created inside the build chamber, and neither is accessible to surface-based characterisation. This contribution uses diffraction as the quantitative reference in two aerospace alloy systems.
For IN718, specimens were designed to accumulate...
Dipolar interactions are present in all magnetic materials yet often neglected in bulk compounds, as they are commonly weak compared to exchange interactions. However, when the magnetic moments and their associated dipolar fields are large relative to the exchange interactions, dipolar interactions can significantly influence the spin-wave dispersion.
A promising group of compounds where...
Chemical crystallography typically covers the diffraction of X-rays or neutrons from powdered or single-crystalline materials exhibiting long-range order, with the aim of determining the crystal structure. For molecular chemistry, neutron diffraction offers several advantages over the in-house X-ray diffraction used in university laboratories: increased visibility of light atoms (especially...
Protein dynamics play a vital role in biology. Quasi elastic neutron scattering is an ideal method to access these dynamics. Normally data analysis is performed based on the assumption that the scattering spectrum is incoherent. In order to be observe the full range of protein dynamics it is necessary to perform the experiments in solution. This solution is usually a fully deuterated buffer,...
One of the most promising use cases of magnetic hyperthermia is using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for cancer therapy. In this treatment, MNPs are immersed into tumours and, by heating with external magnetic fields, typically 100-900 kHz, destroy cancer cells. For a successful application, the heating power needs to be improved by optimising the MNP structure. An ideal tool for characterising...
Machine learning (ML) tools have the potential to transform scientific research by accelerating analysis and enabling new experimental capabilities. These include real-time data analysis, informed decision-making during measurements, optimized experimental conditions and, ultimately, closed-loop experimental workflows.
We will first introduce reflectorch, an ML-based Python package...
The in vivo fate of peptide and protein drugs is governed not only by covalent structure, but also by self-assembly, intermolecular interactions and interfacial hydration. These physical states shape stability, pharmacokinetics and absorption, yet remain difficult to quantify. In this talk, I will show how small-angle scattering can reveal these hidden structural states and translate them into...
Biological function often emerges at interfaces, where composition, organization and dynamics jointly determine the behaviour of complex soft matter systems. Reproducing selected aspects of this complexity in controlled biomimetic platforms is therefore essential to disentangle the physical mechanisms governing recognition, association, remodelling and transport.
Over the years, we have...
As hydrogen represents a climate-neutral alternative to fossil fuels, hydrogen-based technology is an important subject to investigate. Prerequisite for hydrogen usage is the understanding of its transport through materials. For example, thin films with low hydrogen permeability may function as protective barrier coatings, limiting hydrogen ingress into structural materials [1]. Therefore,...
MnSi is a chiral magnet featuring a skyrmion phase in a small area of the temperature versus magnetic field phase diagram. The low-energy magnetic excitations are predicted to behave in a bizarre fashion because of the periodic magnetic structure.
In our recent ferromagnetic neutron spin-echo experiment at IN15 (ILL) we explored these low-energy excitations with a very high energy...
The qBounce experiment uses Gravity Resonance Spectroscopy (GRS) with Ultra-Cold neutrons (UCNs). The experiment is performed by H. Abele at TU Wien and mainly located at ILL in Grenoble France.
UCNs can be trapped on material surfaces by the pseudo optical potential of the material and gravity. The bound neutrons form infinitely many bound states with characteristic eigenenergies.
These...
At the FRM II a new source to produce ultra-cold neutrons (UCN) is currently under construction. This talk will give an update of the status of the project, as well as an outlook on future activities.
The transition to sustainable energy critically relies on pushing the limits of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) toward higher energy densities and faster charging capabilities. However, these demanding operational parameters, including the integration of high-capacity silicon-graphite anodes and high-current cycling, introduce structural and chemical inhomogeneities. During operation,...
In the last decades alternative manufacturing processes for alloys have moved into the focus of science and industry. One of these manufacturing processes is additive manufacturing using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), in which alloys can be printed in complex, delicate and hollow shapes and geometries. This is difficult and more time intensive for the conventional casting and forging...
Liquid-phase CO₂ hydrogenation on heterogeneous catalysts is an attractive catalytic process for CO₂ valorization, with the potential to be integrated with the direct-air-capture of CO2 in liquid amines. This process is limited by low gas solubility and interfacial reactants transport. Bimetallic CuₓAuᵧ/ZnO catalysts showed promising methanol activity in liquid water.[1] Expanding on these...
Competing interactions in quantum spin systems with geometric frustration can lead to disordered but highly correlated spin states. For decades, experimental research on antiferromagnetic (AFM) quantum kagome materials has been driven primarily by the hunt for the quantum spin liquid (QSL) ground state. The mineral herbertsmithite ZnCu$_3$(OH)$_6$Cl$_2$ stands out from this research on kagome...
Electron Microscopy (EM) is a powerful imaging technique to illuminate samples, making it particularly valuable for studying soft matter. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) enables real-space characterization to determine particle shape, size, size distribution, self-assembly, and aggregation. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) operating in Environmental mode (ESEM) allows the...
The magnetic guidance field of the NEPOMUC beamline is powered by hundrends of curent-controlled power supply units. We present out engineering solution to tackle at scale the requirements of controlling, housing and monitoring the operation of PSUs in the novel extension of the beamline.
Understanding how hydrogen interacts with individual phases is essential for assessing its effects in multiphase alloys. We combine quantitative thermal desorption spectroscopy with simultaneous neutron diffraction to directly correlate hydrogen release with phase-specific lattice changes. A transportable, neutron-compatible ultrahigh-vacuum setup was applied to hydrogen-charged and uncharged...
Alginates are non-toxic, biocompatible polysaccharides extracted from brown algae. By complexation of divalent cations in aqueous solution, they form soft hydrogels. Grafting thermoresponsive polymer side chains introduces an additional gelation pathway that not only allows using temperature as a trigger for gelation but also increases the storage modulus of the hydrogel [1].
Here, we...
Ultraviolet (UV) light-induced curing is widely used in additive manufacturing and coatings. However, the formation and heterogeneous distribution of nanostructures induced by UV-curing remain unclear, especially in submicrometer films where nanoscale precision is critical. We employ a combination of UV-curing and X-ray scattering to gain access to the nanoscale kinetics during UV-curing...
An electrochemistry laboratory is currently being established at JCNS-4 for the preparation and comprehensive characterization of semicrystalline hydrocarbon-based proton exchange membranes (PEMs) for energy conversion applications. The available facilities and experimental methods will be presented, including a hot press for membrane electrode assembly (MEA) fabrication, a tensile testing...
On the poster I show some overview on neutron scattering techniques which I find useful for medical applications and related research.
This poster should serve as a meeting point for a discussion on how to approach researchers who have not used neutrons in their career so far. It should help to address the following questions:
How to conquer new fields and create new collaborations with...
The PERC (Proton and Electron Radiation Channel) facility, located at the neutron source FRM II of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), serves as a clean source of neutron decay products (protons and electrons). PERC aims to contribute to the determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark-mixing element (V$_{ud}$), measure the correlation coefficients of free neutron decay (a, A, b,...
High-efficiency powder diffractometer ERWIN
Lead-free tin halide perovskites are promising absorber materials for next-generation photovoltaic devices, yet their charge carrier transport and optoelectronic performance are strongly influenced by lattice anharmonicity, local structural disorder, and temperature-dependent electron–phonon interactions. This research focuses on the A-site-dependent tin perovskite family ASnI3 (A = FA, MA,...
While organic electronic devices mainly use organic or organic-inorganic hybrid materials, many electrodes still rely on pure metals due to their high electrical conductivity. Thus, the polymer-metal interface is crucial for device performance. Studies have demonstrated the use of ultrathin metal electrodes for (semi)transparent organic solar cells. The interface quality influences structural...
The deployment of the positron beamline extension requires a suite of supporting control and readout technology. we present here the solutions that we have envisioned.
Modern electrical machines require magnetic cores that combine low losses with sufficient mechanical strength. In rotor laminations made from non-oriented (NO) electrical steel, conventional flux barriers provide magnetic anisotropy through local material removal but reduce mechanical stability under centrifugal loading. Local micro-embossing offers an alternative approach by introducing...
We investigated [1] lattice dynamics in LaCoO₃ using inelastic neutron and x-ray scattering over T = 2–650 K, spanning the spin-state crossover at T₁ ≈ 100 K and the insulator–metal transition at T₂ ≈ 550 K. Comparison with quasi-harmonic ab-initio lattice-dynamical calculations helps reveal anomalous softening of a ≈10-meV oxygen phonon, confined to the temperature interval T₁ ≤ T ≤ T₂ and...
POLI is a hot neutron two-axis diffractometer at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Germany [1], which uses spin-polarized neutrons for magnetic studies in particular. The instrument is used, for instance, to study complex magnetic structures, to reconstruct magnetization densities in the unit cell, and to explore phase diagrams of materials via multiparameter studies. To this end, three...
Solid-state lithium metal batteries are widely regarded as a promising pathway toward next-generation energy storage. However, their practical implementation is severely limited by poor solid–solid interfacial contact in ceramic electrolytes, leading to high interfacial resistance and discontinuous ion transport. Garnet-type Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO), despite its intrinsic stability and ionic...
POWTEX is a TOF neutron powder diffractometer at MLZ. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, 05K22PA2, 05K23PAA), it is built by RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich. Dedicated texture sample environments are contributed from the Geo Science Centre, Göttingen University. POWTEX aims for short measurement times and in situ chemical experiments,...
PUMA is characterised by a very high neutron flux as a result of the efficient use of focussing techniques. An innovative option of the spectrometer is the multianalyser/ detector system. It allows a unique and flexible type of multiplexing. Using this option, a scattering angle range of 16° can be measured simultaneously, and flexible Q-ω paths can be realised without repositioning the...
Block copolymer micelles with a positively charged shell have been proposed for the delivery of DNA, thus enabling gene therapy. In this research, the neat triblock terpolymer PDMAEMA-b-PLMA-b-POEGMA with various block lengths is studied for its micellar structure at different temperatures and pH conditions. To investigate the structural changes by the complexation of DNA, self-assembled...
$Ln$Al$X$ ($Ln$=La-Eu, $X$=Si, Ge) semimetals crystallize in a non-centrosymmetric tetragonal structure ($I$4$_1md$, Space Group no. 109) and host various emergent quantum phenomena arising from the electronic and/or magnetic topological order. Especially, CeAlGe has attracted broad interest, as it has been known to exhibit both topological order parameters [1-3]. Recently, it has been...
Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) has a hierarchical structure with crystalline lamellae embedded inside amorphous regions that eventually assemble into spherulitic superstructures. In this work, the nanoscale structural evolution of PVDF/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite films with different PANI concentrations was investigated using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS),...
Organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation photovoltaics due to their rapid efficiency improvements, low toxicity, short energy payback times, and compatibility with low-cost, solution-based fabrication methods such as slot-die printing. Their strong optical absorption, low weight, and mechanical flexibility make them particularly attractive for space...
We present the hot neutron four circle single crystal diffractometer HEiDi giving an overview of its capabilities and recent updates.
The neutron single crystal diffractometer BIODIFF, a joint project of the Forschungszentrum Jülich and the FRM II, is dedicated to the structure determination of enzymes. Typical scientific questions address the determination of protonation states of amino acid side chains in the active center, the orientation of individual water molecules essential for the catalytic mechanism and the...
TRISP is ready to start in the Osthalle. During the past year, the new 30-meter-long polarizing neutron guide was installed by the neutron optics group. The TRISP instrument with velocity selector, monochromator, and analyzer, as well as the spin echo units, were installed and tested. The guide's design helps to minimize transmission losses for thermal neutrons (1-4 Å). It has a ballistic...