In this section
Soft Matter Innovation Lab
What is Soft Matter? Soft matter encompasses materials that are easily deformed by thermal or mechanical forces, including polymers, surfactants, colloids, emulsions, biological materials, proteins, gels, and complex fluids. Our group designs, develops, maintains, and operates a wide range of sample environment equipment, enabling researchers to study these materials under controlled conditions such as temperature, pressure, magnetic fields, humidity, flow, shear, and rapid kinetic processes.
The Soft Matter team have a focus on supporting SANS and Reflectometry techniques with the large range of sample environment that the discipline requires. We help deliver high-quality neutron scattering experiments that advance understanding across areas including healthcare, energy, consumer products, food science, and advanced materials.
Equipment available includes sample changers, magnets, solid-liquid cells, rheometers, humidity control, UV spectrometry, and multi-position temperature controlled troughs for air-liquid interface experiments. Due to the wide range of Soft Matter options, it is important to discuss your experiment with your local contact and the Soft Matter team.
Team
Andy Church
Group Leader
Ella Ward
Soft Matter Mechanical Technician
Harry Oliver
Specialist Soft Matter Technician
James Dalton
Specialist Soft Matter Technician
For checking availability and details of sample environment, contact the instrument scientist assigned to your beamtime.
Sample Environment for SANS and NR (main menu)
Click on the titles below to take you to the relevant part of the page, and see the details of available sample environments relevant to small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and neutron reflectometry (NR).
1: Cells
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| Electrochemical Cell | Used with aluminium electrode insert. Standard uncoated, platinum coating available on request. User may need to bring coated electrode. Enquire with scientists/local contact for experiment. |
| Environmental Control Chambers | Chambers which allow for a whole solid liquid cell or temperature controlled stage to have a controlled environment around them. |
| User cells (UFO cells) | Three user cells. Vacuum rated x10-3. Aluminium and sapphire windows with window heaters. Heating plate allows for samples to be heated to 80°C. Water bath used to cool the body of the cell. 20 – 80°C. |
| Solid Liquid Flow Cells | Solid liquid flow cells: 7 ILL style & 3 STFC style. Allow for samples to be loaded via a HPLC pump. Temperature control via a waterbath connection. Temperature range: 20-60°C. |
| Humidity Generator | Humidity generator: One wet line and one dry line to generate desired humidity. Alternative: salts can be used inside the chamber to generate the desired humidity. Multiple gas inlets. No temperature control. |
| Gel Cells | 6 position gel cell holders which bolt to the SANS sample changers. Racks allow for manual rotation of samples. Automated temperature control via the sample changer waterbaths. Temperature range 0 – 80°C. |
2: Cryostats
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| Orange Cryostat | Can be mounted on the HTS magnet. Temperature range: 1.4 K - 300 K. Sample space: 50 mm. Aluminium tail. |
| Variox Cryostat | Can be mounted on the GMW magnet. Temperature range: 1.4 K - 300 K. Sample space: 50 mm. Aluminium tails. |
| Flow Cryostat | Has the option of a two-position sample changer as well a standard centre stick. Temperature range: 1.7 - 300 K. Sample space: 50 mm. Sapphire windows. |
| Toploading Cryostat | Sample space: 50 mm. Compatible with GMW magnet. Aluminium windows. Base temperature 3.4 K. |
3: Furnace
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| GMW Vacuum Furnace | Maximum 400°C, quartz windows, must be used with a vacuum. Can fit in a GMW 3473 magnet. |
4: Lasers
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| In-Situ DLS | Fiber Pigtailed Class 3B laser – Designed and created in collaboration with CNR group in Rome Italy. Specialised training required for operation. Wavelength: 405 – 640 nm visible spectrum. 5 specific wavelength modes: 405 nm 458 nm 514 nm 561 nm 640 nm. Constant wavelength laser. Power range 50 – 100 mW |
5: Magnets
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| GMW 5403 Magnet | Magnetic field range 0.49 T to 3.44 T depending on pole cap selection and gap. |
| GMW 3473 70 Magnet | Up to 0.7 T with pole pieces adjusted to their widest point and 3.4 T with the pole pieces at their narrowest point. Equipment that can be mounted between the pole pieces include: Toploading CCR, Variox cryostat, 10x10 sample changer, flow cryostat, furnace, sample changer. |
| Goudsmit Magnet | 1.5 T magnet. Only available on SANS2D beamline |
| HTS Magnet | HTS magnet 3 T max field. No adjustable pole pieces. 80 mm sample bore. Compatible with 600 mm sample stage, 250 mm sample stage, MLZ cryostat. |
6: Pressure
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| Thar Pressure Cell | CO2 Pressure Cell 400 Bar 150°C. The Thar pressure cell is a high pressure cell filled with CO2 for supercritical CO2 SANS experiments. |
7: Pumps
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| Syringe Pump | 5 Aladdin and 4 WPI pumps. For single or double syringe dispensing |
| HPLC Pump | 5 Jasco pumps and 2 Knauer pumps. Used in conjunction with switch valves. Can be connected to the solid liquid flow cells as well as other equipment such as user supplied cells. Flow rate 0.1 ml/min – 10ml/min. Pressure – 1 bar – 700 bar. (No pressure control). 4 lines for sample mixing. |
8: Rheometers
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| Anton Paar Rheometer | Two Anton Paar rheometers available. Temperature range: 20 – 80°C via waterbath connection. LN2 attachment for cold temperatures. Torque Range 0.5 nNm to 230 mNm. Normal Force Range 0.005 N to 50 N (with 0.5 mN resolution). Angular Velocity 10⁻⁹ rad/s to 314 rad/s (Up to 3000 min⁻¹). Angular Frequency 10⁻⁷ rad/s to 628 rad/s. |
9: Sample changer and racks
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| Stopped Flow Rack | Temperature range 20 – 80°C. Compatible cuvette size: 1mm path cuvette. Volume per shot: 300 micro litres per syringe per shot |
| Multi Axis Huber Stage Rack | Used on SANS2D for G-SANS experiments. Samples can be mounted on a rotational stage and goniometer. |
| Four Position Rotating Rack | Four position temperature controlled rotating. 360 degree sample rotation. Jogging / tumbling of samples. Temperature range 20 – 80°C. |
| Non Magnetic Rotating Rack | Non-magnetic rotating. Rotates samples 360 degrees. No option for tumbling. Holds banjo and skinny cells. Modular sample holders, max 7 at one time. Temperature control via base plate and connected waterbath. 0 – 80°C. |
| LED Banjo Holder Rack | Holds two banjo cuvettes surrounded by film heaters. Housing is lined with LED’s for sample illumination. |
| T-Jump Rack | T-jump apparatus allows for rapid sample temperature changes. One block cooled and the other is heated. Tested temperature range is 25°C to 300°C. Pneumatic temperature adjustment. Compatible with banjo cuvettes. |
| Four Position Heater Stage Rack | Used for holding up to 100 mm diameter silicon blocks. Sample positions x4. Max temperature 100°C. |
| Sample Changer Rack | 40 position cuvette sample holders. Temperature controlled via water-baths 0 °C to 80 °C. or wattload heaters. Temperature Range: 20 – 120°C. Cuvette compatibility: 1 mm path, 2 mm path skinny cuvettes. |
| Linkam Stage Rack | Linkam controlled temperature stage. Temperature range of -195°C to +350°C. The stage is roughly 25mm in diameter. Sample mass directly effects the achievable temperature range. Suitable for lightweight samples. Can support banjo cuvettes and flat samples. The stage is housed in a designed chamber which can have a vacuum inside or purged with gas. |
| QNW Sample Changer Rack | Quantum North West sample changers. 3 sets of 3 isolated sample holders. Peltier controlled temperature range of -15°C to +150°C. Fused silica windows. Suitable for Banjo Cells. |
| GMW 10x10 Rack | Sample holder which can hold 10 x 10 x 1mm samples. No temperature control. Uses a Newport motion stage to move between samples. Used with the GMW magnets. |
10: Troughs
Click the links below to see images of the relevant sample environments (opens in new tab).
Sample Environment | Description |
|---|---|
| Liquid-Air Trough | Two 5 position and one 7 position trough available. Multiple trough inserts available. Temperature control on each box. |
| Nima Langmuir Black Box Trough | For use with the Nima Langmuir troughs. Allows for temperature control from 20 – 40°C. Gas inlets for specific sample environments. |
| Nima Langmuir Troughs | 5 Langmuir troughs available. Various trough sizes for different sample sizes. Compatible with the black box for humidity and temperature control. |