Chemistry
Magnetic lubricants that stick to mechanical bearings operating in a vacuum (e.g., in space). Healthier, better tasting foods. Before industry could develop the precursors to these "wonder" products, fundamental scientific information had to be made available to enable efficient, directed research resulting in the products we enjoy today. Neutron scattering has been providing unique, basic knowledge about all sorts of microstructures in chemical products, especially oil-water mixtures such as creams and emulsions.
Neutron scattering has been the key to gathering basic knowledge about microstructures in many chemical "wonder" products.
Building stable assemblies of atoms and molecules that combine to give highly desirable properties is the goal of chemical research. Relating an existing molecular structure to its performance often suggests the route to follow in synthesizing a "designer" molecule that performs better or has completely new capabilities. Both neutron and x-ray scattering are needed to determine the structures of existing and chemically modified molecules. Structural information has aided in the development of giant molecules that link numerous atoms in products such as
Mathematical representation of the chances that different rodlike micelles will point in certain directions during flow of a complex fluid.
- Drugs
- Plastics
- Synthetic fibers for clothes
- Cosmetics
- Paints
- New materials for buildings, cars, and aircraft
- More effective shampoos and cleansers
- Better lubricants
- Healthier foods
What will happen in ten years to products made from some of the new materials? Will the constituents of a laminate, for example, separate or stay together? When exposed to weather over time, will they stick together or peel apart? "Accelerated" testing at high temperatures would simply destroy most new chemical materials. Neutron scattering can determine whether different molecules in close assembly prefer to attract or repel each other, enabling scientists to quickly predict how a new product or material combination will age.
Neutron scattering has guided the development of giant molecules that make up synthetic fibers for clothes.
Chemical and biochemical reactions depend on the ability of a reagent molecule to find the right route at the right time to reach the desired reaction site in the target-a large, lumpy, twitching molecule. Because they work naturally on the right space-time scales, neutrons serve as the ideal, nondestructive probe that can show how large molecules and their subunits move relative to each other and which type of reagent modification is likely to work the best.
The neutron scattering capabilities at ORNL provide opportunities to study very small samples, such as when a material is too new for much of it to be available, or when it takes too long and costs too much to generate a larger sample. Scientists can study organic pollutants that have been dispersed and stabilized by adsorption onto fine natural dust particles suspended in water and to follow time-dependent nanostructural development, such as when vesicles provide more effective time release of drugs. In-beam processing and sol-gel studies will help form better glasses and ceramics using less energy. Neutron scattering data will help researchers make better catalysts for synthesizing chemicals, understand why certain additives improve lubricant action and longevity, and design more efficient microemulsifiers to make low-fat foods that have a better taste and texture and a more stable shelf life.
Neutron scattering has an important role to play in future chemistry and structural studies.
