News

  • New Mailing List

    We have replaced the previous mailing list, whose name was potentially confusing, with a new one. You can now send messages to liste-federation-neutrons@listes.grenoble.cnrs.fr. The management of the 2FDN will take care of moderating messages.

    Note that the SFN list is unchanged: sfn_l@ill.fr

  • Renewal of the Board of Directors of the French Federation for Materials
    The French Federation for Materials (FFM) brings together the major learned societies in the field to support research, promote innovation, and contribute to technological, environmental, and industrial transitions.The SFN is a member of the FFM and invites you to apply for the upcoming elections to the FFM Board of Directors.

    Please submit your application by September 30, including a statement of application and a brief CV, to: rene.guinebretiere@unilim.fr, laurent.cormier@cnrs.fr, pascale.launois@cnrs.fr

  • The SAXS/SANS days will be held from November 25 to 27th 2026 in Grenoble. 
  • Fast beamtime access “Neutron Night” (experiments under standard conditions on SAM and SANS-LLB): rolling call; please send a one-paragraph proposal containing the following essential information: name(s) of sample(s), chemical composition, and any potential risks to federation.neutron@neel.cnrs.fr.
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2FDN proposal deadlines: 

  • Neutron Night (SANS) : rolling call
  • CRG instruments at ILL à l’ILL : October 15, 2026 (SAM, D1B, D23, IN12, IN22, Sharper, IN13) – submission on the Phoenix portal.

ILL calls

  • ILL instruments: September 15, 2026 – submission to the ILL user club. 

Monthly scientific news

Watching an oxide reinvent itself in real time: in situ neutron diffraction reveals how activation history steers Ruddlesden–Popper oxides toward fuel-cell or catalyst behaviour

What if a material’s history mattered more than its composition? Using in situ neutron diffraction (D20, ILL) to watch a strontium-rich Ruddlesden–Popper oxide being reduced, this study shows that a single precursor can become either a high-performing fuel-cell anode or a robust methane-reforming catalyst — depending solely on how it is activated. By tracking, in real time, the oxygen that X-rays cannot see, neutrons turn this “activation engineering” into a predictable design tool.

En savoir plus…

Job vacancies

If you wish to advertise a job offer, do not hesitate to contact us, we will advertise it here. 

  • Group Leader Soft Matter position – Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)  : description and application here
  • Research Associate (m/w/d) in the field of Chemistry or a comparable discipline at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (Berlin) : description and application here
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Upcoming events

Publications of the month

Please let us know if there are any recent publications that we may have missed in our research. We will add them.

  • Resolving liquid-to-glass transitions of water under soft nanoconfinement
    Zublin, Patrick and Zunzunegui-Bru, Eva and Salvati Manni, Livia and Klapproth, Alice and Mole, Richard and Yepuri, Nageshwar Rao and Khaled, Syrine and Laurent, Guillaume Pierre and Azais, Thierry and Alfarano, Serena Rosa and Brubach, Jean-Blaise and Assenza, Salvatore and Sciortino, Francesco and Mezzenga, Raffaele
    NATURE COMMUNICATIONS

Other works of interest: 

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