Next Level Analysis with Neutron Scattering

• Macromolecular structures with atomic level detail—For structural investigations of biological macromolecules such as proteins or nucleic acids at the atomic level by crystallography the key advantage of neutrons is that they allow the hydrogen atoms to be visualised.
• Solution structures of macromolecular complexes—Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) can take advantage of contrast variation by changing the isotopic composition of both the solvent and the individual macromolecular components to elucidate large, multi-component complexes at intermediate resolution.
• Biological membrane assemblies—Biological membrane structures can be studied by neutron reflectometry and SANS, where deuterium labelling allows unique information about the structure across the membrane to be obtained.
• Dynamics of biomolecules—Using neutrons, it is possible to study change in the dynamical behaviour of biological macromolecules in a time-resolved manner.

Soft Condensed Matter applications of neutrons
Soft matter systems such as colloidal solutions, emulsions and interfacial films contain a significant fraction of water and are relatively disordered in nature, so the challenge lies in characterising their structure and dynamics on the nanometre to micrometre scales. The key techniques that address these problems are SANS, reflectometry, neutron spin-echo spectroscopy and quasi-elastic and vibrational neutron spectroscopy.

• Solution and bulk phase structures—SANS technique can be used to investigate non-equilibrium structures and material responses to external stimuli. Studies require small, high intensity beams of neutrons to enable spatially-resolved measurements.
• Thin films at interfaces —Advanced thin film materials are investigated with reflectometry, and studies are becoming increasingly complex and exhibit time-dependent processes and reactions on the ms-s timescale. The ESS flux will enable experiments through bulk liquids, which strongly attenuate neutrons as well as studies of very small samples typical in advanced device materials, curved interfaces and scanning of local structures.
• Structured and patterned surfaces—To fully understand thin 2-3D structures formed at interfaces it is necessary to use SANS, grazing incidence SANS (GISANS) and off-specular reflectometry in combination. It will be possible to access buried structures at length scales below the optical diffraction limit with chemical sensitivity and better resolution than transmission X-ray or electron microscopies.
• Polymer dynamics—Many technological applications involve tailoring the dynamic properties of advanced polymer materials. These properties can be investigated by neutron spin echo (NSE) and backscattering spectrometers covering the time window 1 picosecond-100 nanoseconds.