Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute, CSIC-University of Zaragoza
Pedro Antonio Alonso Sánchez

My name is Pedro Alonso Sánchez and I am a PhD student at the Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute, join research center between the CSIC and the University of Zaragoza, under the supervision of Prof Javier Campo and Dr Federico Cova. I carried out a research stay at CROSS from October 21st to December 20th, 2024, under the supervision of Dr. Kazuki Ohishi.

The main objective of the stay was to prepare and optimize an accepted operando neutron scattering experiment for battery systems using Small and Wide-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS/WANS) with the aim of studying the evolution of morphology and porosity in diatom algae used as silicon source for anodes in Li-ion batteries. The experiment was planned to be performed at the TAIKAN beamline of the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) after the stay.

During the stay, the MLF source was temporarily unavailable due to technical issues. As a result, the work, initially focused on performing SANS/WANS measurements of different battery components to optimize the cell configuration for the operando experiment, shifted towards theoretical preparatory aspects of the experiment. In particular, a solid understanding of neutron scattering techniques, especially SANS was developed. Theoretical calculations of the scattering contributions and transmission of components in different cells to evaluate the most suitable configuration for future neutron experiments was performed. Based on this analysis, optimized cells configurations, including the selection of appropriate windows and current collectors were proposed.

In addition, I acquired expertise with a SANS-adapted operando cell that was being developed by Dr. Kazuki Ohishi for sodium-ion batteries. Previously acquired SANS data studying the structural evolution of hard carbon used as electrode in sodium batteries were analyzed. This allowed me to gain useful insights into the interpretation of operando scattering results. Subsequently, preliminary electrochemical tests using the operando cell in Li-ion configuration, in order to evaluate the performance and reliability of the cell under working conditions were performed. This work contributed to assessing the applicability of the cell design for future neutron experiments.

Besides, I gained experience in the treatment and analysis of SANS data using the software tools commonly employed at MLF, which provided me with practical skills for future SANS experiments.

Finally, I had the opportunity to attend “The 8th Neutron and Muon School”, where I acquired a broad overview of neutron- and muon-based techniques for the study of energy and magnetic related materials. As part of this school, I participated in a hands-on training using the muon spin relaxation (μSR) technique on the chiral magnet MnSi, where we investigated the transition from the paramagnetic phase to the helical magnetic phase under low magnetic field conditions.

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JSNS Annual Meeting 2025(Japanese Only)

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“J-PARC Workshop2018/Deuterium Labeling Study for Neutron Science” was held on January 1, Tuesday, and 16, Wednesday, 2019 at IQBRC. On this occasion, 17 lectures including two by speakers from overseas (ANST, SNS) were given, and J-PARC tour was held. There were 44 participants.

This workshop provided a good opportunity for the researchers and technical experts of deuterium labeled materials to share the information on the current status of research both in academic and industrial areas. Especially, exchange of information with industrial world was very beneficial. We will continue the information exchange and strengthen the efforts for fulfilling the proposals and discussions made at this workshop.

Deuterium labeling is used in neutron scattering research to control scattering contrast, and therefore it is an important technology for enabling a great leap of the neutron science. This workshop was organized with the purpose of promoting international interaction and encouraging leading research activities through sharing information on the latest outcome among domestic and overseas researchers, technical experts and those from the industrial circle.

The workshop gathered diverse speakers and participants belonging to universities, research institutes and companies, and discussions were held on broad-ranging subjects from the latest research topics to the industrial issues concerning provision of deuterium materials. Various information was exchanged especially on monomers that compose polymers. This time, by gathering researchers and technical experts who had high interest in deuterated polymers, international exchange of information could be realized in this research area. Also, substantial discussions were conducted on the development of J-PARC MLF deuteration laboratory, and proposals to promote activities at J-PARC MLF were presented.

The 2nd internal workshop on deuterium labeled materials is scheduled to take place in July 2019. The detailed information will be released online. We appreciate the participation of people interested in this area of research. Also, a website for gathering and releasing information concerning deuterium labeled research which includes information on workshops is planned to be launched soon. Its information will be released online soon.

This workshop was hosted by J-PARC and co-hosted by J-PARC MLF Users Society and CROSS under the sponsorship of the Japanese Society for Process Chemistry and National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST).

The list of deuteration-related workshops hosted/co-hosted by the CROSS

• 2017.10.19-20
  J-PARC WORKSHOP Deuterated Materials Enhancing Neutron Science for Structure Function Applications
  Announcement
• 2018.7.10
  第一回重水素材料研究会（Japanese version only）
  Announcement　Report
• 2018.11.15
  Meeting on Deuterium Labeled Compound for Neutron Science
  Announcement　Report
• 2019.1.15-16
  J-PARC Workshop2018 ／ Deuterium Labeling Study for Neutron Science
  Announcement　Report

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“Meeting on Deuterium Labeled Compound for Neutron Science” was held at IQBRC on November 15, 2018. Seven presentations were made in the workshop, and among them three were given by Swedish researchers.

In the workshop, participated by scientists and technical experts belonging to diversified organizations including universities, research laboratories and companies, discussions were held ranging broadly from academic topics on deuterium labeling to relevant industrial issues.

Thus, the workshop was held successfully achieving its purpose of internationally sharing information on various research subjects by gathering the experts in deuterium labeled materials.

Some proposals to encourage development of deuterium material research including promotion of personnel exchange were presented and discussed, and as a result, strategies for the improvement of future activities were indicated.

Deuterium labeling is one of the important techniques of neutron scattering research for controlling the scattering contrast. By using this technique effectively, neutron science research at J-PARC can activate and maximize its results. This workshop was organized with the aim of promoting international exchange between J-PARC and ESS and encouraging leading research activities through discussion over research and by sharing knowledge and technique including the latest research information among scientists, technical experts and people in industry both inside and outside Japan.

The next workshop related to deuterium labeled material research “J-PARC Workshop 2018” is scheduled to take place on January 15 and 16, 2019. Discussion will be held over the cutting-edge research on deuterium labeled materials with the participation of speakers from overseas. The detailed information on this workshop will be released online. Also, a website for gathering and releasing information on deuterium labeled material research is launched soon, and the information about workshops will be posted on this site. Information on this website will also be released online soon.

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Katarina Koruza is a PhD student at Lund University (Sweden), and performing research centered on deuteration of biological macromolecules. Her research is based at Lund Protein production platform (LP3) and the Deuteration and Macromolecular Crystallisation (DEMAX) platform that supports life science and soft matter research users of European Spallation Source (ESS).

In her recent study, she focused on the development of low-cost and high-yield protein deuteration method for neutron crystallography. Katarina currently works as a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) short-term fellow at Comprehensive Research Organization for Science and Society (CROSS) and National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST).

Both labs share common scientific interest with DEMAX lab on preparation and chemical characterization of perdeuterated algal extract. Katarina will use well established methods developed at QST lab to express cancer-related protein “carbonic anhydrase IX” in perdeuterated algal-derived media. Sharing expertise and establishing a collaboration between biological deuteration lab at J-PARC and DEMAX lab is a foundation for a long term synergy and sharing of expertise in the neutron research community.

HCA IX : cancer-related human carbonic anhydrase IX.
ESS: European Spallation Source.
J-PARC: Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex.
CROSS: Comprehensive Research Organization for Science and Society.
QST: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology.
JSPS: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

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The National Deuteration Facility (NDF) of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is Australia’s national facility for isotopic labelling of molecules with the stable, non-radioactive isotope deuterium (2H) using chemical or biological (in vivo) processes, and it is the only such facility in the Asia- Pacific region. The deuterated molecules produced at the NDF are used in experiments by Australian and international researchers in the fields of structural biology, nanotechnology, energy and polymer science amongst others in order to enhance contrast, and reduce background noise when conducting structural studies using neutron scattering instruments, or using spectroscopic techniques such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Infra-Red (IR) or Mass Spectrometry (MS).

Dr Tamim Darwish is a senior research scientist and leader of the chemical deuteration team of the NDF. He obtained his PhD from the University of New South Wales in 2006 and subsequently held postdoctoral positions at the University of Sydney (2006) and the Institute of Materials Engineering at ANSTO (2007). In 2010, he was awarded an invitation fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) to build collaborations with Hokkaido University on the use of deuterated materials and sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG).

The diversity of research and potential end applications of molecular deuteration is great and growing, especially in the field of neutron science. This potential has also been recognized in Japan where scientists from the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC), Comprehensive Research Organisation for Science and Society (CROSS), Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), and Kyoto University have commenced development of biodeuteration capabilities as well as an interest in chemical deuteration techniques for structural investigations using neutron scattering. For this and under the Memorandum of Understanding between ANSTO and J-PARC, Dr Kazuhiro Akutsu, a young deuteration scientist from J-PARC and CROSS, has visited the NDF three times since the beginning of this year to learn some of the chemical deuteration techniques that are used at the NDF. More recently, Dr Darwish was invited as a plenary speaker to the J-PARC workshop 2017. The workshop was entitled “Deuterated Materials Enhancing Neutron Science for Structure Function Applications”, held at Ibaraki Quantum Research Centre, Tokai, Japan on October 19-20, 2017, and it was attended by 62 participants, including heads of institutes, neutron, NMR and industrial researchers.

Dr Akutsu and Darwish are presenting their work at the International Conference on Neutron Scattering ICNS-2017, 9-13 July 2017, Daejeon, Korea.

One of Dr Akustu’s and Darwish’s research interests is studying the structure of the electric double layer in ionic liquids (ILs) using neutron reflectometry and deuteration techniques. Low melting imidazolium salts are one of the most popular and widely used ionic liquids. Due to their low vapor pressures and thermal stability, ILs have been widely studied and employed in many applications such as synthesis and catalysis solvents, extraction solvents, electrolyte, and biopolymer solvents. However, in many case, structural analysis of IL samples is difficult because the X-ray and neutron scattering contrast between the ILs and the organic solute is not enough to allow different elements to be clearly resolved. Partial or complete deuteration of organic compounds for contrast variation in the scattering length densities of materials is one of the most effective techniques in the application of neutron scattering analysis. Therefore, deuteration is ideally suited for the structural analysis of IL samples using neutron scattering techniques. In this particular study, several kinds of deuterated 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids were synthesized at the NDF and the electric double layer structure in ILs was studied using neutron reflectivity technique at J-PARC.

Original article published in JSPSAAA Newsletter (2018), issue 2, pp. 9-12, reproduced courtesy of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science – Alumni Association in Australia.

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Beamline Team 4SEASONS (BL01)

• June 2012 [pdf, 622kb]
• August 2012 [pdf, 89kb]

Beamline Team DNA (BL02)

Beamline Team PLANET (BL11)

Beamline Team TAIKAN (BL15)

Beamline Team SHARAKU (BL17)

• June 2012 [pdf, 222kb]
• July 2012 [pdf, 111kb]
• August 2012 [pdf, 72kb]

Beamline Team SENJU (BL18)

• July 2012 [pdf, 821kb]

Beamline Team RADEN (BL22)

Technical Support Group

• August 2012 [pdf, 86kb]

The post Group Reports first appeared on CROSS 中性子科学センター.

7 February 2012

In their respective roles as Registered Institution for J-PARC and SPring-8, CROSS-Tokai and JASRI co-hosted in Tokyo the 1^st CROSS-JASRI Workshop on Monday the 16^th of January, 2012.

In this first joint workshop, attention was focused on solar battery research – an emerging and potentially vital technology in the future energy mix. More than 30 facility staff, users and experts in the field gathered to explore new ways in which neutrons and synchrotron radiation could be practically applied to the problems currently being faced in solar battery research.

The meeting opened with a presentation by Prof. Yasuhiko Fujii (Director, CROSS-Tokai) who introduced CROSS-Tokai and described its role at J-PARC. Prof. Yoshio Ohshita (Toyota Technological Institute) then spoke about the remarkable recent progress in solar battery technology being made in China and Korea, and the need to reduce cost in order for the technology to be economically viable: in particular, the need to reduce the cost of the silicon component of solar batteries and how unit cost of power generation could be decreased by increasing the electrical conversion efficiency in the batteries.

Mr Kyoutaro Nakamura (Deputy Director, Solar Systems Development Division, Sharp Corp.) brought a valuable industry perspective to the discussion pointing out the factors that currently prevent the wider roll-out of solar batteries: high cost, low efficiency and limited materials.

From a facility standpoint, Dr Noboru Yoshida (CROSS-Tokai) spoke about neutron reflectivity and its ability to determine such material properties as surface roughness and Dr Ichiro Hirosawa (Industrial Utilization Promotion Section, SPring-8) described the recent increase in the number of organic thin-film research proposals and opportunities for the complementary use of neutrons and synchrotron radiation.

The presentations prompted numerous questions and sparked a lively exchange of ideas between the workshop participants that continued well beyond the allotted time. CROSS and JASRI look forward to hosting similar joint workshops on Industry-relevant themes in the future.

More information

• CROSS-Tokai to Co-host the 1^st CROSS-JASRI Workshop
• Image Gallery

The post 1^st CROSS-JASRI Workshop – New Opportunities for Neutrons and SR in Solar Battery R&D – first appeared on CROSS 中性子科学センター.

Hosted by the Japanese Society for Neutron Science (JSNS) and the Asia-Oceania Neutron Scattering Association (AONSA), the 1^st Asia-Oceania Conference on Neutron Scattering (AOCNS) was held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center (Epochal Tsukuba) during the period 20-24 November, 2011.

CROSS-Tokai was an active participant as co-sponsor and co-organizer of this important event that attracted more than 500 neutron scattering researchers from across the Asia-Oceania region and beyond. The profile of CROSS-Tokai was further raised by the involvement of team members in the scientific program and as support staff for the conference.

Scenes of the conference poster hall

The CROSS-Tokai exhibitor’s booth in the conference poster hall was the focus of publicity activities. The booth was continuously manned by expert staff and a variety of informational and promotional material was on display and distributed to conference participants.

CROSS-Tokai staff speak to conference participants at the exhibitor’s booth

In one of the week’s highlights, Deputy Head of CROSS-Tokai’s Neutron R&D Division, Dr Ryou-ichi Kajimoto, was awarded jointly with the MLF Research Group, the JSNS Technical Prize in recognition of their contribution to neutron scattering science by the advancement of chopper monochromator technology.

The 1^st AOCNS was great success and worthy beginning for CROSS-Tokai on the international stage of neutron scattering science.

To find out more about the 1^st AOCNS and the involvement of CROSS-Tokai there, please contact…

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