Neutron instrument VSANS will move to Penn State University, USA
The VSANS instrument (here in the neutron hall at BER II) will move to Penn State University. © A. Kubatzki/HZB
At the end of 2019, the Berlin neutron source BER II was shut down as scheduled. To ensure that the high-quality instruments can continue to be used for research, they are moving to suitable neutron sources in Germany and abroad. Now, another move has been agreed upon: The Very Small Angle Scattering Instrument (VSANS) will find a new home at the Breazeale Research Reactor at Penn State University, USA, in spring 2022.
At Penn State University, the Radiation Science & Engineering Center (RSEC) operates the Breazeale reactor, which produces neutrons for research. An expansion is now planned there to accommodate the new, very large VSANS instrument.
VSANS stands for Very Small-Angle Neutron Scattering, i.e. the scattering of neutrons at very small scattering angles. This method enables insights into colloidal systems and soft matter, but also into glasses, biomimetic structural proteins, microemulsions, flexible electronics and many other questions, from physics to biology.
"Our goal is that our excellent instruments will continue to be available for research and innovation after BER II is shut down. We are therefore very pleased that the VSANS is being reinstalled at the Breazeale reactor", says Roland Steitz, HZB. This means that the HZB experts have now found a new location for almost all neutron instruments.
"The Breazeale reactor at the Penn State RSEC will be the only university research reactor with a SANS facility in the United States," says Kenan Ünlü, director of the RSEC and professor of nuclear engineering.
- Prashanth Menezes awarded prestigious VAIBHAV Fellowship by Government of IndiaThe Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has announced the recipients of the Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship, a flagship initiative aimed at fostering collaboration between the Indian STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) diaspora and leading research institutions in India. Among the 2025 awardees is Dr. Prashanth W. Menezes, Head of the Department of Materials Chemistry for Catalysis at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB).
- Porous Radical Organic framework improves lithium-sulphur batteriesA team led by Prof. Yan Lu, HZB, and Prof. Arne Thomas, Technical University of Berlin, has developed a material that enhances the capacity and stability of lithium-sulphur batteries. The material is based on polymers that form a framework with open pores (known as radical-cationic covalent organic frameworks or COFs). Catalytically accelerated reactions take place in these pores, firmly trapping polysulphides, which would shorten the battery life. Some of the experimental analyses were conducted at the BAMline at BESSY II.
- Metallic nanocatalysts: what really happens during catalysisUsing a combination of spectromicroscopy at BESSY II and microscopic analyses at DESY's NanoLab, a team has gained new insights into the chemical behaviour of nanocatalysts during catalysis. The nanoparticles consisted of a platinum core with a rhodium shell. This configuration allows a better understanding of structural changes in, for example, rhodium-platinum catalysts for emission control. The results show that under typical catalytic conditions, some of the rhodium in the shell can diffuse into the interior of the nanoparticles. However, most of it remains on the surface and oxidises. This process is strongly dependent on the surface orientation of the nanoparticle facets.