Science highlights
Neutrons and muons provide extraordinary insights into the microscopic structure and dynamics of matter and materials, allowing researchers to tackle challenges across many scientific domains. Browse the science highlights from LENS members to find out more.
Ideal glass detected with neutrons for the first time
It has been long debated whether the ideal glass exists. Now, a group of physicists from Spain has succeeded in...
Investigating battery performance and lifetime at IMAT
Leveraging the unique interaction of neutrons and lithium, researchers have been able to build a unique picture of what’s happening...
Ionic Liquid Bursts Open Wood Fibres In Minutes
High-grade biopolymers can be obtained from wood, which could replace fossil resources as a base material for a variety of...
Keeping it cool: an inorganic material with lowest thermal conductivity ever reported
A collaborative research team has discovered a new inorganic material with the lowest thermal conductivity ever reported.
Making the gray cells happy
Depressive disorders are among the most frequent illnesses worldwide. The causes are complex and to date only partially understood. The...
Metals with memory
When metallic objects change their shape seemingly without any external influence and only according to the will of their owners,...
Microstructure of concrete: neutron & X-ray tomography reconstruction
An international Korean-Hungarian-Polish team combined neutron and X-ray tomography and finite element calculations to relate the complex polymineral microstructure and...
Monte-Carlo calculated detector response functions to unfold radiative neutron capture spectra
A complete set of detector response functions, i.e. the gamma spectra corresponding to incremental gamma-ray energies up to 12 MeV,...
Mystery of microgels solved
Researchers at PSI and the University of Barcelona have managed to explain the strange behaviour of microgels. Their measurements using...
Nanomaterial fights back against resistant bacteria
Significant amounts of antibiotic residues and pathogens enter the environment via our wastewater. A German Italian team of researchers has...
Neutron diffraction enables wing quality to soar for Airbus
Airbus, a global leader in the aerospace sector, accessed STFC facilities and expertise to assure weld quality in welded aluminium...
Neutron reflectometry reveals SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces lipid stripping from cell membrane
Scientists at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), the Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS)...