Tasso Springer Fellowship Program

The “Tasso Springer Fellowship Program” is named after the outstanding neutron scientist Prof. Dr. Tasso Springer*. His career in neutron scattering began at the FRM in Garching before he was appointed Director at the Kernforschungsanlage Jülich, now Forschungszentrum Jülich.

As chairman of the scientific advisory board, he massively supported the realization of the new research neutron source FRM II in Garching from Jülich. From 1977 to 1982 he was Director of the Institute Laue-Langevin in Grenoble. Thus the name “Tasso Springer” stands for the historically grown connection between Jülich, Garching and Grenoble in the field of research with neutrons, the cornerstone of the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science.

The program's main aim as a PhD fellowship is to educate the next generation of outstanding neutron science researchers.

_{*deceased, 2017}

Below is a short description of current Tasso Springer projects for 2026.

(For download as pdf)

Project 1: Polymer membranes for energy devices (JCNS-1)

Tasks: Synthesizing polymers (polyethylene oxides, polystyrenes) to develop polymer electrolytes for Li-battery andfuel cell applications. The structure of the membranes will be characterized by neutron- and X-ray scattering.

Project 2: Temperature jump experiments on soft matter and biological materials (JCNS-1)

Tasks: Develop sample environments for NIR-laser induced temperature jumps to study the kinetics of liquid-liquid phase transitions using X-ray and neutron scattering.

Project 3: Combined X-ray and neutron single-crystal high-pressure diffraction in diamond anvil cells (JCNS-2)

Tasks: Neutron and X-ray single crystal diffraction at high pressures and low temperatures, usage of diamond anvil cells,optimization of experimental setups, magnetic measurements in clamp cells, crystal and magnetic structure determination of magnetocaloric Mn5Si3 and Mn5Ge3 at high pressures/low temperatures.

Project 4: Experimental and numerical investigation of the heat flow generated by magnetic nanoparticles inside a solvent for medical therapy (JCNS-2)

Tasks: AC susceptibility measurements to elucidate influence of particle surface coatings and solvent properties on heattransfer coefficients, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and X-ray scattering (SAXS) to monitor nanoparticle aggregation under field exposure, in-situ temperature monitoring using crystal lattice-sensitive probes and thermally responsive molecular markers, theoretical modeling and numerical simulation, holistic understanding of heat flow in magnetic nanoparticles for enhanced therapeutic outcomes in hyperthermia.

Project 5: Interfacial structure of citrate on magnetite and its hydration state (JCNS-3)

Tasks: Preparation of planar single crystalline magnetite surfaces with techniques like MBE or sputtering and their characterization with e.g. AFM, REM, XRR; (polarized) neutron reflectometry experiments of citrate-coveredmagnetite surface to determine the extent of the citrate layer and composition as a function of relative humidity.

Project 6: Dynamics of water and ligand molecules on nanoparticle surfaces via neutron spectroscopy (JCNS-3)

Tasks: Physicochemical characterization of ligand-stabilized nanoparticle powders, including e.g. TGA, IR, BET/vapor sorption, XRD, and their synthesis; quasielastic neutron scattering experiments to access the activation energies, relaxation times and geometry of motion of ligand and water molecules