https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Institut Laue-Langevin Today's computers store information using only two values: 0 and 1. But as electronic devices become smaller and reach their limits, scientists are searching for new ways to pack more information into the same space. One idea is to use magnetism. In some materials, atoms behave like tiny magnets that can arrange themselves in different patterns. If each pattern represents a different value, one memory element could store more than just two possibilities. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ferrotoroidic-material-magnetic-states.html Condensed Matter Tue, 19 May 2026 17:20:04 EDT news698424301 Proteins are essential molecules in living systems. They move, interact and organize themselves to carry out a wide range of functions, from helping cells communicate to forming structures inside the cell. In many cases, proteins do not remain isolated, but instead spontaneously group together, forming assemblies made of many individual molecules. This process, known as self-assembly, is driven by interactions between the proteins themselves. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-room-neutron-proteins-crowded-environments.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:50:01 EDT news696178682 Some solid materials can cool down or heat up when pressure is applied or released. This behavior enables cooling and heating technologies that do not rely on climate-damaging refrigerant gases. In practice, however, a major obstacle remains: many materials behave differently during heating and cooling, which makes their response difficult to use reliably in real devices. In a study published in the journal Communications Materials, researchers investigate a solid material known for its exceptionally large cooling/heating response (thermal response) under pressure and ask a simple question: can this response be made more reliable? They show that a very small change in composition leads to a clear improvement and use neutron experiments to explain why this improvement occurs. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cooling-gases-molecular-solid-state.html Condensed Matter Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:50:02 EST news691423501 In everyday life, we typically encounter water in one of three familiar states—solid, liquid or gas. But there are in fact many more phases, some of which—predicted to exist at high temperature and pressure—are so strange they're referred to as exotic. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-experimental-exotic-phase-plastic-ice.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:00:25 EST news658486459 Multiferroic materials, in which electric and magnetic properties are combined in promising ways, will be the heart of new solutions for data storage, data transmission, and quantum computers. Meanwhile, understanding the origin of such properties at a fundamental level is key for developing applications, and neutrons are the ideal probe. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-neutron-uncovers-spiral-magnetic-layered.html Condensed Matter Thu, 06 Feb 2025 16:05:09 EST news658080303 Foams are an essential component of many different drinks and foods: from a frothy head of beer to coffee crema, bread and ice cream. Despite their ubiquity, little is actually known or understood about these highly complex systems. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-pea-based-cappuccino-characteristics-foam.html Soft Matter Tue, 04 Feb 2025 10:18:07 EST news657886679 A study now published in Nature Communications brings remarkable insights into the enigmatic behavior of supercritical fluids, a hybrid state of matter occupying a unique space between liquids and gases, and arising in domains that go from the pharmaceutical industry to planetary science. The obtained results are at the limit of current experimental possibilities and could only be obtained in a high flux neutron source such as the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). https://phys.org/news/2024-05-secrets-supercritical-fluids-insights-hybrid.html General Physics Wed, 22 May 2024 12:25:03 EDT news635599501 Lithium-ion batteries presently are the ubiquitous source of electrical energy in mobile devices, and the key technology for e-mobility and energy storage. Massive interdisciplinary research efforts are underway both to develop practical alternatives that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly, and to develop batteries that are safer, more performing, and longer-lasting—particularly for applications demanding high capacity and very dense energy storage. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-05-critical-deformations-li-ion-batteries.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 14 May 2024 17:30:03 EDT news634926601 For years, scientists have been intrigued by how molecules move across surfaces. The process is critical to numerous applications, including catalysis and the manufacturing of nanoscale devices. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-molecular-moon-lander-insight-motion.html Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:27:58 EDT news632064475 Nanoparticles of less than 100 nanometres in size are used to engineer new materials and nanotechnologies across a variety of sectors. Their small size means these particles have a very high surface area to volume ratio and their properties depend strongly on their size, shape and bound molecules. This offers engineers greater flexibility when designing materials that can be used in our everyday lives. Nanoparticles are found in sunblock creams and cosmetics as well as inside our bodies, as drug delivery vehicles and as contrast agents for pharmaceuticals. Gold nanoparticles are proving to be a next-generation tool in nanoengineering as an effective catalyst at such small dimensions. However, nanomaterials also pose a potential risk, as their interactions with living matter and the environment are not fully understood—meaning that they might not perform as expected, for instance in the human body. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-scientists-explore-unknown-behaviour-gold.html Nanomaterials Tue, 23 Apr 2019 08:49:52 EDT news475228184 Researchers have long studied magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), aquatic microbes that have the ability to orientate themselves to magnetic fields. This unusual behaviour makes them a subject of interest for improving our understanding of biomagnetism, and potentially harnessing their abilities for future technologies, such as medical nanorobots. Neutrons have been used to explore the characteristics of this magnetism by probing the specialised parts of the cells that are involved. https://phys.org/news/2018-12-insights-magnetic-bacteria-medical-nanorobots.html Nanophysics Tue, 11 Dec 2018 10:00:05 EST news463742712 The membranes that surround our cells contain a large number of proteins. Membrane proteins are therefore a crucial class of macromolecules in living systems. They play key roles, such as providing transport gateways into and out of the cell, facilitating signalling between cells, as well as being involved in enzyme catalysis. These functional roles make them particularly important as drug targets, with the majority of current therapeutics targeting membrane proteins. https://phys.org/news/2018-10-approach-membrane-proteins.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 08 Oct 2018 08:54:13 EDT news458207650 The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood born virus that causes liver disease and cancer, with more than 300,000 people dying each year and 71 million people living with a chronic infection worldwide . While antiviral medicines are currently used, there is no vaccination currently available and side effects can results in a wrong diagnosis. https://phys.org/news/2018-01-neutrons-reveal-hidden-secrets-hepatitis.html Biochemistry Tue, 16 Jan 2018 08:25:39 EST news435313516 Iron-based superconductors contain layers of iron and a pnictogen – such as arsenic or phosphorus – or a chalcogen, like oxygen or selenium. Previously dismissed as weak candidates for superconductivity, iron-based superconductors took the science community by surprise when it was discovered that the new iron arsenide family had very high transition temperatures. Since then these high-temperature superconductors have become a hot topic of research, with neutrons and muons playing an essential role in investigating their unusual properties, in order to help quantum physics develop a theory behind high-temperature superconductive materials. https://phys.org/news/2017-12-ill-d20-neutron-yields-important.html Superconductivity Wed, 13 Dec 2017 09:17:35 EST news432379045 Materials containing multiple metal elements are important for various applications as the combination of different metal cations provides new or enhanced properties, which cannot be obtained through the use of just one metal. A recent study involving neutron diffraction experiments has enabled the development of a new general strategy to produce complex materials with metal cation arrangements that can be virtually controlled on demand for desired applications; a result that will be of great importance in various fields. https://phys.org/news/2017-12-neutron-diffraction-materials-comprising-multiple.html Materials Science Fri, 08 Dec 2017 10:30:01 EST news431949828 Gas clathrate hydrates are ice-like solids, in which gas molecules or atoms are trapped inside crystalline frameworks formed by water molecules. They have attracted considerable attention over the last decade for their potential as a geo-organic fuel resource, as they naturally form in large quantities within marine sediments and below continental permafrost. Exchanging the guest gases in existing methane hydrate deposits with CO2 has also been recently indicated as a promising two-in-one approach of energy recovery and concomitant carbon dioxide mitigation. https://phys.org/news/2017-11-neutrons-reveal-fast-methane-diffusion.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 30 Nov 2017 09:15:39 EST news431255726 Proteins are the nano-machines that Nature uses to perform most of the processes critical for the metabolism in cells. One of the key goals of life and physical sciences revolves around understanding the structural and dynamic properties of the native, transition, intermediate, and denatured states of proteins. The denaturation transition – defined as the transition of proteins from their specific native functional state to the unfolded inoperative state – is of particular interest, as it is defining the boundaries of stability and functionality of the phase diagram of proteins. https://phys.org/news/2017-11-elastic-incoherent-neutron-ill-lindemann.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Nov 2017 09:13:54 EST news431169225 Chiral magnetism attracts a great amount of attention since the observation of chiral skyrmion lattices in the reference system MnSi. These chiral skyrmions have dimensions significantly larger than the lattice constant, are topologically protected, and may have applications in spintronics and novel devices for information storage. In systems like MnSi the non-trivial behavior emerges from a relativistic effect, the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interaction, that twists the magnetic moments with respect to each other. https://phys.org/news/2017-10-magnetic-field-chiral.html General Physics Tue, 31 Oct 2017 10:19:29 EDT news428663958 The engineering of thermal conductivity in semiconducting materials is a central issue in the development of modern nano- and microtechnologies. Low thermal conductivity is important in materials used in technology products, as it provides thermal insulation and thus reduction of heat transfer, ensuring the products do not overheat. https://phys.org/news/2017-09-neutrons-picture-thermal-complex-materials.html Materials Science Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:19:34 EDT news424340367 Press-hardened boron steel is an ultra high-strength steel used across a variety of industries, with a particularly important application in the automotive industry. A large proportion of car manufacturers use boron steel for structural components and anti-intrusion systems in automobiles, as it provides high strength and weight-saving potential, allowing for stronger yet lighter cars, with increased passenger safety. https://phys.org/news/2017-07-neutrons-optimised-crash-tolerant-automotives.html Materials Science Fri, 07 Jul 2017 08:17:40 EDT news418634251 In modern physics of the past century, understanding the electronic properties and interactions between electrons inside matter has been a major challenge. Electrons are responsible for the chemical link between atoms and almost all factors that characterise a piece of matter, such as colour, heat transport, conductivity and magnetism. An elementary property of electrons is the spin, and the combination of electronic spins on the atomic level can induce a magnetic moment on certain atoms, which constitute the material. These moments can add up to macroscopic magnetic forces. https://phys.org/news/2017-05-application-three-axis-energy-spectroscopy-quantum.html Quantum Physics Mon, 01 May 2017 09:13:56 EDT news412848821 Graphene is known as the world's thinnest material due to its 2-D structure, in which each sheet is only one carbon atom thick, allowing each atom to engage in a chemical reaction from two sides. Graphene flakes can have a very large proportion of edge atoms, all of which have a particular chemical reactivity. In addition, chemically active voids created by missing atoms are a surface defect of graphene sheets. These structural defects and edges play a vital role in carbon chemistry and physics, as they alter the chemical reactivity of graphene. In fact, chemical reactions have repeatedly been shown to be favoured at these defect sites. https://phys.org/news/2017-02-neutrons-reveal-quantum-tunnelling-graphene.html Nanomaterials Fri, 03 Feb 2017 08:54:07 EST news405334404 AAA+ ATPases are a large family of ubiquitous enzymes with multiple tasks, including the remodelling of the cellular proteome, i.e. the ensemble of proteins in a biological cell. A subfamily, so-called unfoldases, recognize, unfold, and address misfolded or dysfunctional proteins towards proteolytic complexes which eliminate these potentially toxic proteins in order to assure a healthy, functional state of the cellular proteome. Given the intrinsic flexibility of ATPases and the transient character of the interaction with their protein substrates, it is challenging in structural biology to follow the conformational changes of these enzyme-substrate complexes during the active unfolding process. https://phys.org/news/2017-01-glimpse-enzymes-job.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 31 Jan 2017 08:01:05 EST news405072058 The drying process is a critical final stage in various manufacturing processes – it influences the quality of many a product and has many industrial applications, particularly in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Freeze drying (lyophilization) is a drying method where the solvent is frozen prior to drying and is then sublimed. In addition to providing an extended shelf-life, successful freeze-drying should yield a product that has a short reconstitution time with acceptable potency levels. The process should be reproducible with well defined temperature, pH and time parameters for each step. Visual and functional characteristics of the dried product are also important for many applications. https://phys.org/news/2016-11-neutrons-acoustic-levitation-clues.html Materials Science Mon, 21 Nov 2016 09:07:34 EST news398941635 Nuclear reactions are among the most important processes that drive our Universe. In our Sun nuclear fusion provides the energy for the sun to radiate. In more violent cosmic events neutron capture reactions are at the origin of the creation of the heavy chemical elements. On Earth, nuclear fission provides the energy in nuclear reactors and neutron induced transmutation processes hold the promise of a viable route to nuclear waste treatment. It is thus only understandable that scientists continuously strive to achieve a better understanding of what is going on inside nuclei. Given that nuclei are complex systems composed of many strongly interacting elementary particles this is a formidable task requiring excellent experimental data. A method of choice for the investigation of nuclear structure is the observation of highly energetic electromagnetic gamma radiation emitted in the course of nuclear reactions. https://phys.org/news/2016-09-intriguing-interplay-single-particle-exotic-nucleus.html Condensed Matter Mon, 12 Sep 2016 08:47:11 EDT news392888815 Novel devices capable of rapidly and reliably switching magnetic states by acting on the electronic charge state are predicted to be of prime importance for tomorrow's data storage. Their realization will depend on the availability of materials that possess coupled ferromagnetic and ferroelectric order. Ferromagnetic order relies on the parallel alignment of magnetic moments created by the spin of the electrons. Ferroelectric order arises when ensembles of charges of opposite sign are displaced with respect to each other thus creating electric polarization. Coupled multiferroicity is observed when the alignment of the magnetic moments induces the charge separation and vice versa. https://phys.org/news/2016-06-oxyhalidesa-class-high-tc-multiferroic-materials.html Condensed Matter Tue, 21 Jun 2016 08:00:01 EDT news385713632 On Earth, water is abundant substance, the cycle of evaporation - condensation - solidification (steam transitions - liquid - solid) falls within everyday experience. The physical properties of water and its phase diagram are, however, much more complex than they appear with these familiar characteristics. https://phys.org/news/2016-06-coexisting-phases-two-dimensional.html Materials Science Fri, 17 Jun 2016 09:06:58 EDT news385373210 HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has become one of the world's most serious health and development challenges. Currently, there are approximately 36.9 million people living with HIV and tens of millions of people have died of AIDS-related causes since the beginning of the epidemic in 1981.1 HIV not only affects the health of individuals, it impacts households, communities, and the development and economic growth of nations – there is still no cure. https://phys.org/news/2016-05-neutron-crystallography-reveals-hiv-proteasedrug.html Biochemistry Tue, 10 May 2016 08:09:04 EDT news382086532 When a material undergoes a phase transition from a disordered to an ordered state, its properties change and these changes are observed via macroscopic observables such as specific heat capacity measurements. https://phys.org/news/2016-04-hidden-uncovered-liquid-gd3ga5o12.html General Physics Wed, 06 Apr 2016 10:04:41 EDT news379155874 The e-neutrons.org platform aims at developing the neutron community by training new scientists at a time when more non-neutron experts want to use the technique. It is therefore a very timely initiative, also because ever more teaching and training material is available on the web and neutrons must be present in this context. Modern, internet-based tools, in addition, allow a particularly rich teaching and training environment. https://phys.org/news/2016-03-neutron-e-learning-platform-online.html General Physics Mon, 14 Mar 2016 09:45:41 EDT news377167534