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Inter

Inter is a high-flux neutron reflectometer designed for studying the air/water interface. By probing molecular structures at interfaces, reflectometry enables research in diverse fields, including antibody adsorption, biological membranes, polymer films, surfactant formulations, friction modifiers, antimicrobials, colloids, liquid crystals and electrochemistry.

The Inter instrument at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source
Neutron reflectometry
Instrument dashboard

Instrument scientists

Team member

Arwel Hughes

Instrument scientist
Maximilian Skoda at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.

Maximilian Skoda

Instrument scientist
Oleksandr Tomchuk at the PolRef instrument at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.

Oleksandr Tomchuk

Instrument scientist

Technical information

The Inter reflectometer is a high-intensity, time-of-flight instrument designed for probing surfaces and interfaces. It uses a horizontal sample geometry, ideal for studies of liquid surfaces, thin films, and multilayered structures. Inter operates with a neutron wavelength band of 1.5 – 16 Å and offers incident angles between 0.3 – 3°, covering a wide range of momentum transfer values. The instrument supports diverse sample environments, such as temperature-controlled cells and flow setups, and is well-suited for experiments in materials science, biophysics and soft matter research.

Related resources

Sample environment

Software

  • Ada – data download
  • Mantid – data reduction
  • RasCAL – data fitting
  • RAT – data analysis

Instrument highlights

Our facility supports a broad research programme that generates impact on a national and global scale. Browse through some of the recent research conducted using the Inter beamline.
A white-coated ISIS scientist stnad to one side of the image, looking into a fume cupboard full of scientific equipment
Mapping the properties of a novel range of cationic surfactants
mAbs underwent a reversible change in orientation when the pH was changed, moving between 'flat-on' and 'tilted' positions.
Using pH to control antibody orientation for improved drug delivery
Lung diagram highlighting where VEA interacts with pulmonary surfactant membranes, as studied through advanced neutron scattering techniques.
Revealing the molecular origins of E-cigarette/Vaping-Associated Lung Injury
Two men holding trophies in front of an ISIS banner
2025 Economic Impact Award: Professor Pete Dowding from Infineum
Image is taken from the paper. Homing peptides (in red) bound to a breast cancer cell line (nuclei stained in blue). ​​
Can cancer targeted drug delivery be adapted to pregnancy?
Schematic of the self organisation of surfactant aerosol emissions leading to climate and health impact.
How cooking emissions from olive oil could provide valuable insight for development of models for the air we breathe
A leaf showing disease
Understanding how plant diseases do their damage
​​Visual overview of the tribometer. (a) Diagonal view of the tribometer in the lowered position. (b) A schematic of the roller and substrate at the centre of the tribometer. The red and blue arrows depict the approximate paths for the neutron and X-ray beams respectively.
Infineum commissions new sample environment to study engine oil components
toothpaste on tooth brush
Designing toothpastes that are kinder to gums
Soap dispenser
ISIS beamlines help Unilever develop biodegradable products
Washing machine with laundry inside
Examining the lifetime of Laundry Detergent Pods

Recent publications

View all publications

Instrument reference

All publications and datasets based on experiments using Inter should cite that the data is collected by DOI: 10.5286/isis.instrument.3773. Experiment DOIs follow the format 10.5286/ISIS.E.RBXXXXXXX, where XXXXXXX is the 7-digit experiment (RB) number and these can be viewed via the Data Gateway.

Team member