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Examples + Brockhouse + Commercialization
Neutron scattering is not a 'nuclear' research activity. The laboratory needs a nuclear reactor to produce the neutrons. But neutron beams are used to investigate materials of all kinds. That research can span many fields of science: determining the strength of an aircraft component, learning the structure and behaviour of a cell membrane, or investigating the magnetic behaviour of a superconductor.
Here are some examples from the hundreds of projects carried out in NRU over the years.
Neutron Holography is a technique for visualizing atoms within materials in three dimensions. It had been proposed in theory in the middle of the last century. Scientists at Chalk River successfully conducted the first neutron holography experiment in 2000. This was a great Canadian achievement and one which attracted attention across the international science community. Neutron Holography has promising applications in the investigation of biological materials like proteins.
January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; it was NASA's 25th space shuttle mission. Sadly the craft exploded 74 seconds after launch. A piece of the booster rocket casing recovered from that shuttle was sent to the National Research Council's lab at NRU for analysis. Neutron scattering was used to examine stresses in this steel component. NRC's lab at NRU has a world class reputation in this application of neutrons. It was determined however that this component was not the cause of the accident.
An interesting property of the neutron is that it behaves like a tiny magnet. As a result, it will interact magnetically with materials. That makes the neutron an ideal tool for investigating magnetic phenomena such as superconductivity. Superconductivity is an ability of certain materials to conduct electricity with no resistance. Over several years a small team of scientists at Chalk River has been studying superconductivity. These experiments are typically conducted at temperatures close to absolute zero, and magnetic fields several hundred thousand times stronger than the earth's. A better understanding of superconductivity could have an enormous impact on the field of electronics.
An issue faced by the nuclear power industry is the degradation of welded steel used to build the internal structure of reactors. The harsh conditions within the core affect welds in ways that could weaken them over long periods of time. A nuclear industry research team undertook a project at Chalk River, using neutron scattering to investigate welds before and after they had been irradiated. NRU is currently the only place in the world equipped to undertake these studies. That project demonstrated that the welds retained their strength over time: a significant conclusion in terms of safety, energy supply and economics.
NRU is also used each year by many students seeking their PhD. or engaged in post-doctoral studies. For them, neutron scattering is providing knowledge as one part of a broader research project on a material. Recently a student used the spectrometers at NRU to investigate the way proteins attach to artificial surfaces. His award-winning work was aimed at preventing blood clots that form on artificial implants.
NRU is not a facility built as a single experiment. It is a powerful and versatile tool that is used daily in research that spans practical engineering applications through university education through cutting-edge pure science, all under one roof.
The stresses in this space shuttle component were measured in NRU