DOE Science Showcase - Neutron Sources for Studying Matter

Understanding the properties of matter on the atomic scale and then using this knowledge to optimize those properties or develop new materials and functionality is a key priority of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences.  This activity supports the operation of three neutron scattering facilities, one of the most powerful tools for characterizing matter.  These facilities are the most advanced facilities of their kind in the world. Neutron scattering studies have been crucial to a detailed understanding of many materials and properties such as the structure and dynamics of new classes of high temperature superconductors, the development of higher strength magnets for more efficient generators and motors, better magnetic materials for computer hard drives, the determination of complex polymer structures and the non-destructive properties of automotive gears, brake disks, airplane wings, engines and turbine blades.

Visit the links below to learn more about DOE’s neutron sources for studying matter. 

Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Entrance Sign  
Image Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Related Research Information in DOE Databases

• In the OSTI Collections: Neutron Sources for Studying Matter, Dr. William Watson 

• DOE PAGES^Beta –  journal articles and accepted manuscripts resulting from DOE funding.

• SciTech Connect – reports from DOE science, technology and engineering programs. 

• National Library of Energy^Beta – search results from across the DOE Complex. 

• DOE R&D Accomplishments – outcomes of past DOE or predecessor research whose benefits are being realized now. 

• Science.gov – search results from U.S. federal science agencies. 

• WorldWideScience.org – search results from global science agencies 

Additional Resources

DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) 

Spallation Neutron Source, ORNL 

High Flux Isotope Reactor, ORNL 

Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences, University of Tennessee/ORNL  

Neutron Scattering Group, BNL 

Neutron and X-Ray Scattering, ANL 

Neutron Science Center, Lujan Neutron Scattering Center, LANL 

Inside Ice Under High Pressure, DOE BES 

ORNL director Thom Mason traces history of neutron scattering in journal article, ORNL 

Advancing Materials Science using Neutrons at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ScienceCinema

Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy System, INL

Energy Frontier Research Center for Materials Science of Nuclear Fuels, INL 

Neutrons and X-rays reveal structure of high-temperature liquid metal oxides, ANL 

ORNL, UT team aims to improve plant-based battery with neutrons, simulation, ORNL 

Neutron scattering measures samples too hot to hold, ORNL 

Neutrons Reveal New Electrocatalyst Family for Producing Hydrogen Fuel, ORNL 

The Role of Stripes in Superconducting Behavior, DOE BES 

Clifford Shull, Neutron Diffraction, and Neutron Scattering, DOE R&D Accomplishments 

Students Learn to Use Neutrons and X-rays at Oak Ridge and Argonne, ORNL

Neutronsources.org

 Image Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Researchers at ORNL and the University of Tennessee are studying the structure of plant-based battery materials by combining neutron experiments and supercomputer simulations.
The molecular model pictured above shows the battery anode’s composition: amorphous carbon (blue), crystalline carbon (green), and hydrogen (white.) (hi-res image)

Visit the Science Showcase Archive.