Neutron researchers work on the leading edge of physics and material sciences. From imaging systems, so fine they can define the structure of a protein molecule, to constructing better body armor, to improving energy storage, neutron research has made many advances and breakthroughs possible.
Harnessing the power of neutrons, however, requires that they are controlled, and that is challenging. A group of neutrons, produced in a neutron generator, would tend to fly in every direction at once. And because they are so small, they can penetrate walls, metal, and just about everything else, until they bounce off a particle and shoot in another direction.
Controlling neutrons requires a neutron guide, sometimes called a neutron channel. SwissNeutronics, one of the world’s leading suppliers of instruments used in neutron research, – has relied on SCHOTT BOROFLOAT glass for many years and recently made an entrance into the Chinese market, developing a neutron guide for the Institute of High Energy Physics in Dongguan, near Hong Kong.
What makes BOROFLOAT particularly suited for this highly specialized field is a combination of its physical properties.