ISIS ISIS and the Industrial Strategy

ISIS and the Industrial Strategy

We undertake many activities which support the delivery of the UK Government's Industrial Strategy.

The aim of the Industrial Strategy is to boost productivity by backing businesses to create good jobs and increase the earning power of people throughout the UK with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure. ISIS Neutron and Muon source supports these priorities through its support of world-class science in universities and industry, both in the UK and internationally. The case studies below are just a few examples of this research.

Advanced Manufacturing

Cementing neutrons as an ideal method for studying water dynamics
An international research team has used neutron experiments alongside other techniques to investigate the hydrated phases inside cement that are key to its strength.
Engin-X used to investigate how hydrogen embrittlement can cause industrial steels to fail
By studying how the structure of super duplex stainless steel samples changes under stress in the presence of hydrogen, the effect of the gas on structural integrity has been examined, and a model produced to inform industrial applications.
ISIS scientist’s unique technical expertise helps start-up increase productivity
Thanks to funding from STFC’s Business and Innovations Directorate, Stephen Nneji from ISIS has been able to help Stress-Space Ltd develop software that has been critical for the company’s growth.
Letting the train take the strain
A consortium of train manufacturers, operators and standards bodies have used Engin-X to understand cracking in train wheels.
Neutron tomography of pistons at IMAT
IMAT helps to understand where and how coking occurs on engine components
Novel IMAT experiment helps Rolls-Royce Plc with crystal conundrum
A new characterisation method has been used on the IMAT beamline to determine the 3D structure of materials used in gas turbine engines.
Opening the trapdoor to a more sustainable future: Investigating gas separation with common zeolites
Researchers from the Ting Research Group, based at the University of Bristol and the Australian National University, have observed the impact of different cations and frameworks on the trapdoor behavior of zeolites for gas separation.
Optimising machining strategies for Boeing
Understanding the development and distribution of residual stresses caused by machining is key to improving machining processes.
Polymer composites: improving the environment, understanding scattering, and supporting enterprise
A new environmentally friendly material for use in neutron shielding has been tested at ISIS by the company Additive Composite Uppsala AB.
Siemens Energy use Engin-X to test a new gas turbine production method
Neutron diffraction was used to study the microstructure of samples produced using laser powder bed fusion, while they were being compressed.
Testing samples for Rolls Royce
Nickel based superalloys are a class of material designed for high-temperature applications, such as turbine blades for jet engines. During the manufacturing process single crystal turbine blades are subject to a series of heat treatments.
TWI examines the acceptability of flaws in pipelines under high plastic strain
The outcome of a study carried out by engineering consultancy TWI and ISIS has important implications for the oil, gas and nuclear industries.
Using neutrons to study the building blocks of aeroplane wings
Neutron diffraction has been used to understand how to prevent aircraft components being deformed during manufacturing.
Using SANS to study super duplex stainless steel
A study of phase separation in super duplex stainless steel could help to develop future alloys that are less susceptible to long-term thermal degradation.
Vanadium research on Larmor is awarded “most outstanding”
An investigation studying micro-alloyed steels on Larmor has been given the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining Vanadium Award for the most outstanding paper in the metallurgy and technology of vanadium and its alloys.

Biosciences and Healthcare

AstraZeneca uses Sans2D to understand potential new mRNA production method
Biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca recently developed an automated technique to generate lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery and used neutrons to investigate how it compared to standard production methods.
Designing a new drug delivery system for treating a global disease
A promising treatment for Leishmaniasis has been investigated using neutron scattering on Larmor.
Discovering how ionic liquids win the battle against bacterial cell membranes
A research team from Mumbai, India have used the IRIS beamline to reveal the physics behind the antibacterial properties of ionic liquids.
How hydrogels could turn the tide in the treatment of HIV
SANS facilities at ISIS and ILL are being used to develop HIV treatment gels.
Inelastic neutron scattering reveals the extent of active dissolution from Lucideon’s iCRT platform technology.
Lucideon, a leader in material technologies accessed inelastic neutron scattering at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source to explore and develop its drug delivery solutions and formulation development tools benefitting a range of industry sectors.
Neutrons could reveal how pesticides protect crops
Scientists have created a model of a leaf’s waxy surface, similar to those found in wheat crops, in a project supported by the agrochemical company, Syngenta.
Stuck on you – SURF reflectometer reveals adsorption qualities of a novel class of bio-therapeutics
A collaboration of scientists from the University of Manchester and MedImmune LLC have used neutron reflection at ISIS to investigate the interfacial adsorption of a monoclonal antibody at the solid/water interface.
Tea and liquorice: a recipe for sustainable detergents and toiletries?
A UK consortium including ISIS researchers have characterised the behaviour of naturally occurring surfactants, learning more about how their molecular structure influences their solution self-assembly properties.
Textbook skin cream structure is wrong
Neutrons at ISIS reveal that the microstructure of skin creams is more complex than previously thought.
Uncovering the effect of pesticides on the waxy layer of plants
A team from the University of Manchester, ISIS and Syngenta, have been using a combination of analytical techniques in order to study the efficiency of pesticides in the development of agri-sprays, which are commonly used in the agricultural industry.
Understanding how plant diseases do their damage
Neutron Reflectometry helps uncover the toxic activity of a plant pathogen.

Clean Growth

Biodiesel under high pressure
High-pressure studies of one of the main components of biodiesel, methyl stearate, have shown the different crystal structures adopted by the compound. This has implications for the use of biofuels in modern diesel engines.
Breaking the Barriers to a solar Future
Researchers at the University of Sheffield, University of Durham and ISIS in collaboration with Start-up Company Ossila are using neutron reflectometry to look the formation of plastic solar cell films.
Formulating engine lubricants for modern fuels and hardware
Lubrizol has used small angle neutron scattering at ISIS to learn more about how additives neutralise a type of acid formed in engine lubricant that is more common when biofuels are used.
Helping biomass leaf crude oil behind by decoding the diffusion of cresol in catalysts
Researchers from the University of Bath have used OSIRIS to probe the behaviour of biomass derivatives within commercial porous zeolite catalysts.
Helping make hydrogen cars a reality
Toyota, who hope to release a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 2015, have been working with ISIS scientists to address a key challenge: hydrogen loss during cycling.
Infineum commissions new sample environment to study engine oil components
Speciality chemical company Infineum has used a new neutron reflectivity setup to recreate what happens to surfactants inside an engine.
Inhibiting the growth of the world’s largest gas resource
Natural gas hydrates may be a vast untapped energy resource but they cause severe problems in oil and gas pipelines and are potent greenhouse gases. To improve our understanding of these problematic compounds methane hydrate was studied using neutrons.
ISIS and the 10 point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution
We undertake many activities which support the themes of the UK government’s recently announced environmental action plan.
ISIS-developed battery cell gets new use in neutron research
ISIS-based researchers have found new evidence to support a three-phase discharge mechanism of sodium-ion batteries.
Open University and EDF Energy collaborate to extend the life of Advanced Gas Cooler Reactors
As one of the UK’s largest energy providers, EDF Energy operate 14 Advanced Gas Cooler Reactors (AGRs) to generate low carbon electricity.
What do you do when the oil runs out? You make it!
Neutrons have been used to understand Fischer-Tropsch chemistry, an industrial process for generating gasoline and diesel from a variety of carbon sources.

Materials of the Future

Examining the lifetime of Laundry Detergent Pods
An Industrial-Academic collaboration of scientists have been using neutron reflectometry at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source to investigate surface segregation in water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol films found in common household laundry detergent pods.
Ionix Advanced Technologies - new materials for new applications
Ionix Advanced Technologies have developed a range of novel piezoelectrics that can be tailored for industrial use, based on experiments using ISIS and Diamond Light Source.
Temperature and chain length determine rate of exchange of chains between diblock copolymer nanoparticles
The speciality chemicals company Lubrizol has used neutron scattering at ISIS to investigate the rate of copolymer chain exchange in nanoparticles comprising diblock copolymers of differing chain lengths at various temperatures.
The Linde Group launches revolutionary carbon nanotube ink with help from ISIS
The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company, has launched SEERe-Ink, a revolutionary ink based on carbon nanotubes for use in flat screen TVs, touchscreens and solar cells.

Transformative Technologies

Assessing neutron-induced effects on NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units
Neutron radiation can damage graphics processing units (GPUs), so industry is interested in investigating what the effects could be.
Cobham use ChipIr to bring product to market
Cobham RAD Europe Ltd have brought a new product to market thanks to STFC’s Bridging for Innovators (B4I) programme, which enabled them to access the unique capability offered by the ChipIr beamline for cosmic radiation testing.
Ionix Advanced Technologies - new materials for new applications
Ionix Advanced Technologies have developed a range of novel piezoelectrics that can be tailored for industrial use, based on experiments using ISIS and Diamond Light Source.
Testing the resilience of electronics for the Internet of Things
Using ChipIr, researchers have studied how ultralow power system-on-chip is affected by the neutron flux in the atmosphere. This study may be helpful in future design of such devices to be more resilient to particle hits.