NESE

Setting the scene

Mineralogy Petrology Geochemistry Volcanology

Rock Physics Geomaterials Magnetism

Cryosphere Planetary Solar System Science

Energy Resources Environment

Instruments development

Energy, Resources and the Environment
Fuels and Catalysis Catalysis is involved in many processes leading to the production of fuels and in the clear-up of environmental pollutants. Nowadays, catalytic steam reforming of natural gas accounts for 85% of H2 production. Hydrogen will not replace oil before several decades so that in the meantime the efficiency of the catalytic processes in refining and in petrochemistry has still to be improved.	Neutron scattering techniques used for these studies: INS, QENS, NSE, SANS, diffraction Higher flux needed to study various catalysts • to perform parametric experiments • to study CO, SOx, NOx… • to follow proton or cationic species diffusion…	Presentation (PDF 4MB)	Hervé Jobic Institut de Recherches sur la Catalyse CNRS, 2 avenue Albert Einstein 69626 Villeurbanne, France Herve.Jobic@catalyse.cnrs.fr
Hydrogen and Hydrogen-storage materials Storage of hydrogen: a key point for the Hydrogen economy. It is possible to store hydrogen in solid matrices at a density comparable, or even greater, then liquid hydrogen. Simple metal hydrides represent one possibility. Here, hydrogen is chemically absorbed in atomic form, and the pressure mainly controls the intake and release of the gas. Palladium represents the most familiar material, but more effective hydrides do exist and are currently synthesized. Another possibility contemplates the physical adsorption of molecular hydrogen on the huge specific surface of nanoporous materials.	It is necessary to study the fundamental interaction processes of hydrogen, both at the atomic or the molecular level, with the various substances that are proposed as efficient storage materials. In this respect neutrons can play a role of paramount importance: hydrogen can be detected, and his dynamics can be effectively probed, using neutron spectroscopy. Neutron investigation of novel materials, that are considered promising for an efficient and safe storage of hydrogen, is an important research task for the near future.	Presentation (PDF 3.1MB)	Marco Zoppi C.N.R. Istituto Sistemi Complessi Sezione Territoriale di Firenze Polo Scientifico, Area CNR Via della Madonna del Piano I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy) Tel: ++39 055 522 5333 Fax: ++39 055 522 5305 marco.zoppi@isc.cnr.it
Disorder and mobility of lithium ions in NASICON phosphates for energy applications. NASICON materials are crystalline phosphates of transition metals Me and alkali atoms A (Li or Na), according to the formula AxMe2(PO4)3, which display a high mobility of the A + ion, and are thus promising materials for applications in rechargeable lithium batteries.	•High-resolution powder neutron diffraction is a powerful probe to investigate the structure of Li+ionic conductors •Fundamentali nformation on the mobility mechanisms of Li+ionsvs. T in NASICON phases. Neutron instruments HRPD- ISIS, The High Resolution Powder Diffractometer.	Presentation (PDF 1MB)	Michele Catti Department of Materials Science University of Milano Bicocca, Italy Via Cozzi 53 I-20125 Milano, Italy Phone +39 02 64485139 Fax +39 02 64485400 catti@titanium.mater.unimib.it
Swelling of Clays : In Situ Neutron Scattering experiments. Swelling clays are finely divided minerals whose structure consists of negatively charged silicate layers with cations in the interlamellar spaces that compensate the clay layers charge. The particular swelling properties of these mineral results from the hydration ability of these cations. Neutron scattering experiments appear as particularly appropriate to understand the arrangement of interlayer species thanks to the possibility of performing measurements both with H2O and D2O that differ in contrast.	Study of • Synthetic saponite clay • Compacted clays: as neutron are weakly absorbed when passing through matter, experiments on large, dense and compacted samples can be easily performed. Neutron instruments used for the experiments D16 small momentum transfer diffractometer - ILL: Institut Laue-Langevin	Presentation (PDF, 1.2MB)	Isabelle Bihannic isabelle.bihannic@ensg.inpl-nancy.fr