Nakhlite meteorites are igneous rocks from Mars that reacted with water ~630 million years ago while still part of the Martian bedrock, during a time that is often suggested to have been a “dry” period on Mars. However, magmatism and meteorite impacts can trigger so called hydrothermal systems with warm fluids circulating in the bedrock, […]
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Correlations between Precipitation Reactions and Electrochemical Performance of Lithium–Sulfur Batteries Studied by Operando Scattering Techniques
Li-S batteries are promoted as a highly promising energy storage solution, but the specific energy demonstrated so far (~400 W h kg‑1) is restricted by the low utilization of active materials in both lithium and sulfur electrodes. The incomplete discharge process of the sulfur electrode is associated with precipitation of insulating reaction products from polysulfide intermediates. This process, […]
Probing the solution structure of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel GLIC by small-angle neutron scattering
Membrane proteins mediate communication between the outside and inside of cells, and are common drug targets. Detailed understanding of the structure and function of these proteins enrich our basic understanding of how biology works at a molecular level, and can in the long run inform drug development. We have focused on the pentameric ligand-gated ion […]
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein removes lipids from model membranes and interferes with the capacity of high-density lipoprotein to exchange lipids
The COVID 19 pandemic had worldwide impact in 2020 and continues to do so to this day. Understanding how the SARS-CoV-2 virus interacts with the body and why it has greater impact on some areas of the population than others is of great importance. Early on, studies found the need for the presence of cholesterol […]
GISANS studies using fan shaped beams
The understanding of interfacial properties of materials as well as interfacial processes in terms of structural, morphological and compositional changes is of crucial importance in many scientific fields that include chemistry, physics, biology and engineering. Overall, surface science has advanced enormously over the last decades, which is related to the development of a series of […]
Design of Lipid-Based Nanocarriers via Cation Modulation of Ethanol-Interdigitated Lipid Membranes
The phase behavior of phospholipids dictates various membrane properties, such as permeability, shape, and stiffness. Some phospholipids exhibit a polymorphic gel phase and are capable of undergoing membrane interdigitation under specific conditions, such as in the presence of short-chain alcohols (e.g., ethanol). Ethanol-induced interdigitation of diacyl–phosphatidylcholine bilayers has been leveraged to formulate large unilamellar vesicles […]
Dual modality neutron and x-ray tomography for enhanced image analysis of the bone-implant interface
The quality of the bone tissue formed at the contact interface with a metallic implant is of utmost importance for the structural integrity of implant fixation. This quality can be assessed, e.g., based on its 3D microstructure, which is commonly visualised using x-ray tomography. However, due to large differences in interaction strength between the metal […]
Abstracts -SNSS Seminar on Neutron Spectroscopy
SNSS Seminar on Neutron Spectroscopy At SNSS we aim to strengthen our community by fostering new collaborations and showcasing the excellent science already taking place. Our ongoing seminar series focuses on the science facilitated by the first ESS beamlines, to highlight the existing strengths with the national and international communities and initiate collaborations for the […]
Neutron diffraction for residual stress management in metal 3D printing by LPBF
In metal 3D powder bed printing, a part is built on a baseplate layer-by-layer through powder deposition and selectively melting of the deposited powder layer. The localized rapid heating and cooling cycles involved inevitably result in the development of residual stresses in the already solidified bulk of the part. The residual stresses can cause in-process […]
Emergent magnetic behavior in the frustrated Yb3Ga5O12 garnet
Emergence is the phenomenon of collective behaviour that cannot predicted from considerations of the individual constituents but rather through complex interactions resulting in novel and diverse states of matter. A well-known example is the benzene ring, a loop of six carbon atoms, that can be further interconnected to create carbon nanotubes. Emergent behaviour in magnetic […]
Self assembly of magnetic nano-particles
Directed self-assembly offers an excellent route for the fabrication of nano-structured materials over large length scales. The final structure is determined by the interaction between the different building blocks, which can be, for example, steric, Coulomb or hydrophobic. From magnetic nano-particles the magnetic induction provides an additional design opportunity, with the particular advantage that the […]
Tail unsaturation affects the solubility of sugar-based surfactant forming worm-like micelles
Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules, meaning that one part is hydrophobic and the other hydrophilic. This leads to that they adsorb at interfaces and self-assembles in solution into various structures. These properties make surfactants important ingredients in several products as eg. detergents, emulsifiers and rheological modifiers. The extensive use of surfactants results in a significant environmental […]
Small Angle Neutron Scattering revels the distribution of lipidic components in Lipid based nanoparticles, and how this is affected by serum protein binding
Lipid based Nanoparticles (LNPs) constitute a potent nanotechnology used in drug and gene delivery. Indeed, the Covid19 vaccines by Pziffer and Moderna use this technology. LNP efficiency, however, is low (as determined by the protein expression capacity per loaded RNA) and efforts are continuously being made to increase their potency. For example, improving the uptake […]
H2 loading induced reversible formation of graphitic domains in carbide-derived carbons
Carbon materials are used in a wide range of applications from gas filtration to energy storage in batteries and supercapacitors. Optimization and control of carbon structures, e.g. level of graphitization, is vital for achieving peak performance of these materials for a specific application. Thus far, the structure of carbon materials was primarily determined by the […]
Interplay of NH4+ and BH4- reorientational dynamics in NH4BH4
The reorientational dynamics can be linked to the occurrence of many interesting properties, e.g. high ionic conductivities in M2BnHn and MCBn-1Hn (M = Li, Na; n = 10, 12). While most studies on reorientational dynamics have focused on compounds that contain one active species, new systems with interesting properties which exhibit dynamics on similar timescales […]
Effects of uniaxial pressure on the spin ice Ho2Ti2O7
Since the invention of the transistor and the photovoltaic cell, it has been clear that an understanding of emergent electronic and magnetic phenomena is of greatest importance for the development of modern society and sustainability. The low temperature properties of Ho2Ti2O7 has pusseled scientists for over two decades. The degenerate ground state of this material […]
Polymer composites: improving the environment, understanding scattering, and supporting enterprise
Plastic waste receives a lot of bad publicity but for some applications there are advantages for synthetic polymers over use of other materials. Recycling is often readily practicable if the component materials are known, and so the balance of benefits and end-use costs needs to be carefully evaluated. A recent study [1] came about from […]
Phase behaviour of ultrasoft spheres show stable bcc lattices
In order to rationally design new smart materials, it is pivotal to understand their phase behaviour. This means being able to predict under which conditions (e.g. temperature, pressure, concentration) such a material is a fluid, a disordered solid, or a crystal. Colloidal dispersions are suitable model systems to reproduce the behaviour of atomic systems and […]
Neutron reflection reveals how lipoproteins cannot exchange fats when both saturated fats and cholesterol are present in model membranes
We all have heard about the good and bad cholesterol and how these are affected by diet. Good cholesterol or high density lipoprotein (HDL) removes lipids from the vessels to get excreted in the liver. Bad cholesterol or low density lipoprotein (LDL) deliver lipids to the body. The truth is that both good and bad […]
How to tailor surfactant self-assembly in deep eutectic solvents using hydrotropes
While society strives towards more sustainable lifestyles, technological applications and products that use green solvents are coming up slowly. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are the epitome of green neoteric solvents. They can be synthesised using simple and cheap organic precursors (e.g. polyols, carboxylic acids, amino acids…), where the mixture of two solid compounds at the […]
Bone nanostructure studied by small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering
Bone has remarkable mechanical properties resulting in a unique ability to withstand mechanical loading. It is a hierarchically structured composite material made up primarily of type-I collagen and hydroxyapatite (HAp) mineral. The combination of these constituents and their complex structural organisation, from the molecular level to the whole organ, result in a tissue with an […]
Resolving the microscopic origin of viscoelasticity in polymers
Polymers show very interesting viscoelastic properties. They can be elastic, bridle or rigid as solids or show flow properties very similar to those of liquids, which allows Taylor design of materials with unique mechanical properties. This fact is related to the wide range of relaxation times relevant for the local dynamics of the polymer chains. […]
Quantum entanglement in low-energy neutron-proton scattering and its possible consequences
Hydrogen and compounds containing hydrogen are among the most frequently studied objects in neutron scattering. It is therefore important that the n-p scattering process is understood in detail for a correct interpretation of experimental data. The very high value for the bound proton cross section (σ = 81.9 barns) is caused by a specific feature […]
Grant for accessibility to infrastructure
The Swedish Research Council has been mandated by the Government to work towards ensuring researchers based in Sweden participate to a greater degree in the construction and development of research infrastructure, and towards making research infrastructure more accessible and more used by the business and public sectors. The Grant for Accessibility to Infrastructure is available to the […]
Effect of Formulation Method, Lipid Composition, and PEGylation on Vesicle Lamellarity: A Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Study
Liposomes are vesicles comprising a lipid membrane and aqueous core, and have found myriad applications in the biomedical field as therapeutics and in diagnostic assays. Liposome design requires careful choice of lipid composition and formulation method in order to produce populations with a defined unilamellar membrane structure. This is crucial in the development of liposome […]
Tackling antibiotic resistance using cubosomes
As a result of decades of misuse of antibiotics, the number of bacteria resistant to commercially available antibiotics is increasing worldwide and is one of the major challenges facing global health. A unique drug-delivery system has been tested in vitro to understand its effect on bacteria. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are host defense peptides present as […]
SNSS General Assembly 2020
The SNSS General Assembly was held via Zoom on the 12th of May. Presentation and minutes can be dowloaded here.
Spontaneous Formation of Cushioned Model Membranes Promoted by an Intrinsically Disordered Protein
Histatin 5 is an intrinsically disordered, multifunctional, cationic, saliva protein known to act as the first line of defense against oral candidiasis caused by Candida albicans and belongs to the family of antimicrobial peptides. The mechanism at the base of its antifungal activity is still partially unknown. For this reason, understanding the interaction between Histatin […]
Apply for funding from Vinnova: Industrial pilot projects for utilisation of large-scale infrastructures for neutron and photon based techniques
In this offer, we support project initiatives that build competence around industrial utilisation of advanced analytical techniques as those u at MAX IV and ESS. The proposals should be based on a need for at least one Swedish company and address verification regarding the suitability of the techniques to meet the need of the […]
Structure and composition of highly viscoelastic (α-CD)/anionic surfactant films investigated by neutron reflectivity
Understanding the surface rheological behavior of adsorbed films at the aqueous/air interface composed of sugars, surfactants, or complexes between them, is of great interest due to their relevance in different application areas ranging from food, medical diagnostics and oil recovery. Recently, we have found that α-cyclodextrin (α-CD)/anionic surfactant mixtures form films at the solution/air interface […]
Virtual material science platform for organic magnets
Materials databases, high throughput computing, and data mining has emerged as powerful tools for screening and rapid prototyping of functional materials. Quantum magnetic systems, with often competing ground states and phases, are a challenge for ab initio modelling. In recent work at Nordita and KTH an important step forward was taken for predictive modeling of […]
Following protein dynamics in real time during crystallization
Diffraction from protein crystals remains the central pathway to high-quality protein structure determination, but a universal approach to crystallization has not been presented. This lack is linked to the underlying fundamental complexity of protein crystallization: proteins are nonspherical, flexible macromolecules with highly anisotropic interactions. Anisotropic sticky attraction can induce amorphous aggregation, and a better understanding […]
Local structure and vibrational dynamics of proton-conducting Ba2In2O5(H2O)x
Proton-conducting oxides are materials of huge interest for a variety of applications, such as electrolytes in membrane reactors or in proton-conducting fuel cells (PCFC) operating in the intermediate temperature range, T = 200 – 500°C. A limiting factor pertaining to the performance of present-day PCFC devices is a too low proton conductivity of the electrolyte […]
Producing matchout cholesterol for neutron scattering
The great advantage of using neutron scattering within the Life Sciences is not only the greater sensitivity towards hydrogen as compared to using X-rays as probe instead, but more importantly the ability to distinguish hydrogen from its heavier isotope deuterium. This property enables highlighting different parts within a molecule or a molecular complex, and has […]
Understanding the structure of lipid sponge phase nanoparticle (L3-NPs) using small angle neutron scattering
Nonlamellar lipid liquid crystalline phases have many potential applications, such as for drug delivery, protein encapsulation or crystallization. Lipid liquid crystalline sponge phase (L3) has so far not been very much considered in these applications, in spite of apparent advantages in terms of its flexibility and capacity of forming large aqueous pores able to encapsulate […]
Tuning the alignment of nanocellulose using a magnetic field
Cellulose nanomaterials extracted from plants are very attractive due to their intrinsic optical and mechanical properties (e.g., high transparency, large elastic modulus, etc) and the potential novel applications that exploit these features. However, despite the extraordinary intrinsic properties of nanocelluloses at the nanoscopic level, the translation of the properties to the macroscopic level is not […]
Apply for funding via the new SAKURA Mobility Programme
To strengthen scientific collaboration between Sweden and Japan, the Swedish Research Council (VR) decided to fund and launch SAKURA, a new mobility programme focusing on neutron research and activities of ESS and J-PARC in particular. Personnel working at the two neutron sources as well as researchers affiliated with Swedish and Japanese universities are welcome to […]
Towards measuring surface dynamics with neutrons
Surface science has advanced enormously in recent decades, but many scientific questions are not resolved. Examples are spin wave dispersions with experiments contrasting theory or a difference in the potential defining the zero point energy of H adsorbed at Pt and Si surfaces. The surface dynamics of glass formers is under discussion as well as […]
GISANS revealed water influence on biobased thin films
Nanostructured porous thin films made from biocompatible cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) are widely used due to their attractive properties such as made from renewable resources, low density, lightweight, thermal stability, and excellent mechanical properties. These prerequisites make CNF a promising precursor for the design of bio composites and bio-inspired sensors. One crucial question is the relation […]
Polaris
The Polaris instrument at ISIS began operation as a high intensity, medium resolution powder diffractometer in the late 1980s. It quickly established a large and scientifically diverse research community, encompassing engineering, materials science, condensed matter physics, solid state chemistry and earth science. However, by the late 2000s many of the key components of the Polaris […]
Neutrons used to locate hydrogen in high entropy alloys
Lately the effect of global warming has been generally accepted and the interest of renewable resources is constantly increasing. Hydrogen would serve this purpose as an alternative fuel; however, storage is a challenging task and there is a need for new materials, with higher hydrogen capacity and lower cost. The concept of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) […]
Using inelastic neutron scattering to understand the local structure and vibrational dynamics in proton conducting oxides for sustainable energy technologies
Proton conducting oxides, and in particular acceptor doped BaZrO3, are materials of great interest because of their huge potential as electrolyte in several energy related technologies, such as hydrogen sensors, membrane reactors, steam electrolyzers, and intermediate-temperature (200 – 500 °C) solid oxide fuel cells. A key requirement for the electrolyte is a high proton conductivity […]
Interactions between Model Cell Membranes and the Neuroactive Drug Propofol
Many low molecular weight drugs, like classical surfactants, contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups. However, due to their lower molecular weight and less distinct separation into hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, the self-assembly of such drugs in aqueous solutions is less easy to describe in general terms. To gain more understanding of the interaction between such […]
How AstraZeneca can improve lipid nanoparticle formulations for gene delivery using neutron scattering
In recent year, new therapeutic modalities involving delivery of biological molecules such as RNA, peptides and oligonucleotides have shown promising results to treat diseases that are currently hard to tackle with standard small molecules approaches. As an example, last year Alnylam announced the first therapy using small interference RNA (siRNA) approved by the Federal Drug […]
Neutrons used to probe magnetism in three dimensional magnetic data storage elements
The transition from the current two-dimensional data storage and logic schemes to three-dimensional data structures could significantly improve the performance and capacity of electronic devices. Instead of simply storing and manipulating data in a two-dimensional array of elements, one can envisage stacking data bits on top of each other, thus greatly enhancing the data density. […]
Swelling of Thin Graphene Oxide Films Studied by in Situ Neutron Reflectivity
Multilayered Graphene Oxide (GO) materials such as membranes and thin films are known for their potential for selective ion permeation, nano-filtration, water desalination and gas barrier properties. Many recent studies have aimed at demonstration of selective permeation of certain ions and molecules through GO membranes. Membrane tests were demonstrated to be successful for relatively thin […]
Are you our new Webmaster?
The Swedish Neutron Scattering Society (SNSS) is searching for a webmaster/webdesigner. We are searching for a motivated student to further develop and keep the society’s webpage up to date. The student must be registered at one of the following universities: Chalmers Technical University Uppsala University KTH Linköping University Lund University Malmö University Besides further implementing […]
Travel grants for Master students available now!
We have now travel grants so that your Master students can travel and participate at neutron scattering experiments ! You find info on how to apply following by clicking here
Important information from ESS regarding the VR Grant for Accessibility to Infrastructure
The ESS is asking for draft proposals for The Swedish Research Council’s “Grant for Accessibility to Infrastructure” no later than August 10, along with draft letters of support.
The Swedish Research Council’s Grant for Accessibility to Infrastructure
The Swedish Research Council has been mandated by the Swedish Government to work towards ensuring Swedish researchers participate to a greater degree in the construction and development of research infrastructure, and towards making research infrastructure more accessible and more used by the business and public sectors. Type of call Research infrastructure support Subject area Research […]
The Swedish Government presents a national strategy for ESS
The Swedish Government just presented a national strategy with the overall objectives for the Swedish participation in and hosting of the international European Spallation Source (ESS) research facility, currently under construction outside of Lund. The government’s premise is that the ESS is a unique opportunity for Sweden as a knowledge nation, which is also strengthened […]
SNSS announces support of the Swedish Research Council’s call to register interest in future in-kind contributions to the ESS
SNSS supports the Swedish Research Council’s effort to invite universities to suggest possibilities for in-kind involvement towards ESS, and to promote increased interaction between Swedish universities as well as towards industry. For additional information please see the PDF document below or click this link (in Swedish only).
Industrial pilot projects for neutron and photon experiments in large scale research infrastructures
In this call notice, Vinnova announces their financial support for pilot projects that build expertise on industrial utilization of advanced experimental environments similar to those developed at MAX IV and ESS in Lund. The work in the project will be verified of how neutron or photo technique is suitable for meeting a company’s problems or development needs.
Job Opening: PhD student position in materials physics of energy materials
Chalmers University of Technology is looking for a PhD student to join the research group of Associate Professor Maths Karlsson at the Energy and Materials Division of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology and will also be affiliated to the Molecular Spectroscopy Group at the ISIS Pulsed Neutron & […]
Neutrons to study the interplay between aquaporins and porous silica in water treatment
Professor Martin Andersson (Chalmers) — Today, water purification typically includes a size-exclusion based filter that is specialized in removing a certain number of common water pollutants. But these filters do not remove all the pollutants present in water. So why not develop a filter that produces clean water regardless of pollutant? Guess what – nature already did.
Call to register interest in future in-kind contributions to the ESS (in Swedish)
The Swedish Research Council invites Swedish universities to send in their notice of interest for future in-kind contributions to the ESS. For more information and instructions, see the PDF document below or click this link (in Swedish only). The deadline for submitting your proposal is 20 May 2018.
Job Opening: Postdoctoral fellow in X-ray and Neutron Reflectometry – Sektor Material- og Prosessteknologi
A 2-yr postdoctoral position is available at Institute for Energy Technology (Kjeller, Norway) with suggested start at/after September 1st 2018. The fellow will work on the structural and magnetic characterization of magnetoelectric thin-film heterostructures with X-ray/neutron reflectometry and surface/interface diffraction.
The Swedish research minister, Helene Hellmark Knutsson, visit
The Swedish Minister for Higher Education and Research, Helene Hellmark Knutsson, visited the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford on March 19th 2018.
Job Opening: Postdoc in Advanced Characterization of Nano-structured Materials
The initial focus for this Postdoc position will be to investigate nano-structured energy materials with an emphasize on nano-platelets of both Na- and Li-ion battery compounds, as well as taking responsibility for such experiments as well as to co-supervise participating PhD students.
SNSS researcher Dr. Selma Maric is awarded The Camurus Lipid Research Foundation Junior Prize
The Swedish Neutron Scattering Society is proud to announce that Dr. Selma Maric, one of our very own researchers, is one of the recipients of The Camurus Lipid Research Foundation Junior Prize 2018. Since receiving her PhD in biophysics 2014 at the Niels Bohr Institute (University of Copenhagen), she has held post-doc positions at the Karolinska Institute and […]
Job Opening: Associate Professor within Soft Matter and Polymer Synthesis related to Life Sciences
A permanent position is available at the Department of Chemistry for an Associate Professor in the subject area of Soft Matter and Polymer synthesis related to Life Sciences.