What happens to the molecular structure of foods during processing? How do fats break down in the body? What happens when drugs interact with cell membranes?
These are just some of the questions that can now be answered thanks to the first two neutron-beam instruments of their kind to in Australia being licensed to conduct official scientific experiments by the nuclear regulator ARPANSA.
These are just some of the questions that can now be answered thanks to the first two neutron-beam instruments of their kind to in Australia being licensed to conduct official scientific experiments by the nuclear regulator ARPANSA.
Built along side ANSTO’s2 OPAL research reactor, the two instruments - Quokka and Platypus - are designed to look at structures larger than atoms, such as molecules, which are found in organic materials like human tissue, food and industrial polymers. This is done by slowing down the neutrons produced in the reactor by cooling them to around -250 degrees Celsius.
Quokka and Platypus will allow Australian scientists to embark on the latest research to find out how molecules interact at the atomic level in different types of organic materials. Importantly they will be able to do this at home in Australia, instead of having to travel overseas to conduct their research, which has important implications for food science, medicine, earth sciences, and the computer and manufacturing industries.
The new instruments are state-of-the-art and therefore already attract scientists from around the world to use them because of the new capabilities they offer.
Operated by ANSTO’s Bragg Institute, Quokka and Platypus join four other new neutron-beam instruments – Echidna, Wombat, Kowari, and Koala which have also received licences. There is now only one more instrument to receive its licence – Taipan, but there are other instruments under construction. All these instruments are designed to investigate a variety of materials at the atomic and molecular level.
Neutrons allow scientists to see what x-rays cannot. They look at materials from the inside out, understanding their atomic structure and how materials respond to various stimuli. As we and our surroundings are all made up of atoms, understanding how atoms and molecules move and change to improve mechanisms, drug design or manufacturing processes.
All ANSTO’s neutron-beam instruments were designed by the scientists and the building of these unique machines was an international collaboration.
Published: 03/12/2008