• ANSTO is Australia’s only nuclear science and technology facility

• Home of the new OPAL reactor

• One of the world’s best nuclear research reactors

• The work we do addresses some of the key challenges of our time

• Climate change, water resource management, materials engineering & other scientific disciplines

• We have the world’s most advanced neutron scattering capabilities

• ANSTO also produces radiopharmaceuticals

• Used by hospitals, GPs and dentists daily

• In fact - if you’ve had an X-ray, you’re doctor probably used radiopharmaceuticals from ANSTO

Neutron Scattering – Inside one of the world’s best

neutron research facilities

Professor Michael JamesAugust 2010

Areas of Neutron Science

Batteries

Phase Transitions

AtomicStructure

Energy

MagneticMemory

MolecularBiology

Engineered MaterialsCell BiologyFood

ComplexFluids

Nanotechnolog

y

Research Reactor vs Power Reactor

Power: 20 MW 3000 MW

Uranium: 30 kg 100,000 kg

Temp: 60 C 100 C

Uses: Generates neutrons for Generates steam for

Radioisotopes, Si and Science Electricity

What Happens During Fission?

Speed of fission neutrons12,000,000 m/s

(speed of light: 300,000,000 m/s)

Fission neutrons are too fast to be captured by the next uranium atom.

They need to be slowed down so that the fission reaction can continue.

neutron

U-235

energy

neutrons

fissionfragments

Neutrons lose energy by colliding with heavy water (D2O) around the

core.

This generates heat.

Neutrons: Faster than a speeding bullet

Thermal Neutrons(60 C)

~2000 m/s

Cold Neutrons(-250 C)~800 m/s

~450 m/s

(Cherenkov Radiation)

From Here

To Here

Neutrons travel ~80 m in 0.04 s

X-rays scatter from the electron cloud

X-rays vs Neutrons

X-rays

X-ray scattering depends on atomic number (Z).

According to neutrons ~99.9999999% of matter is “empty space”

Scattering depends on isotopes:

1H (hydrogen: 1e-, 1p+) is different to 2H (deuterium: 1e-, 1p+, 1n)neutrons

Neutrons scatter from the nucleus

What Happens When a Neutron Hits Matter?

Mostly nothing!!!

Allows us to study materials under extreme environments:

Temperature -271 C to 1600 C

Pressure: Up to 10,000 atm

Magnetic Field: 12 Tesla

Sometimes, it scatters…

This is what we measure in neutron scattering

experiments.

It can be adsorbed.

(neutron radiography)

Neutron Instruments

Platypus

Wombat

Kowari

Koala

Quokka

Echidna Taipan

Kookaburra Pelican

Sika

BilbyDingo Emu

Polarization Spectrometer

Pelican

ReflectometerPlatypus

Residual StressKowari

High Speed Diffractometer

Wombat

Small Angle Scattering

Quokka

Quasi-LaueDiffractometer

Koala

Three Axis SpectrometersNeutron Scattering

Instruments at OPAL

High ResolutionDiffractometer

Echidna

TaipanSika

USANSKookaburra

RadiographyDingo

BackscatteringEmu

Bilby

NANOSTRUCTURES

ATOMICSTRUCTURES

New Energy TechnologiesCorrelating Properties with Atomic Structure

(Neutron Powder Diffraction)

Battery Materials

Hydrogen Storage

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Gives the location of light elements in the presence of heavy metal atoms.

Monitoring of atomic structure during device application.

5min/run

60hrs

20 115

Discharged

Charged

In-situ Diffraction of Li-ion Battery Cycling

Non-Destructive Testing of Engineered Materials(Stress determination to improve the reliability of critical components)

Non-destructive mapping of mechanical stresses.

Welds, joints, hardening, quenching…Metals, alloys and composites…

From the production line or after use.

When pipelines get stressed…

Neutrons and Nanotechnology

Materials used in countless industrial preparations are based on molecular nano-

composites

Surfactants

Conducting Polymers

Stabilised Polymer Emulsions

Liquid CrystalsBiomolecularInteractions

Nanoscale Thin Films(Neutron Reflectometry)

Data in modern digital devices is stored on

nanoscale magnetic thin films

Neutrons can probe both structure and magnetism

Study of diseases such as cholera, Alzheimer’s, and pneumonia are

possible using artificial cell membranes

Vapour given off from explosives can switch-off light-generating molecules called

dendrimers

Any Questions?