2023 R&D 100 Award for Additively Manufactured Thermally Conductive Collimators for Neutron Instrumentation

Researchers from ORNL and PolarOnyx, Inc., have developed 2D and 3D collimators and parts using aluminum-boron carbide matrix composite-based manufacturing. Collimators are essential components for neutron and x-ray experiments as they reduce background so that only neutrons and x-rays scattered from a sample are measured. The metal matrix composite, or MMC, additive combines the large neutron absorption cross-section and hardness of boron carbide with the high thermal conductivity of aluminum to provide robust, low-noise neutron scattering measurements.

These complex collimators offer significant improvements over traditionally manufactured collimators with unprecedented neutron scattering test performance, and the MMC additive manufacturing technique allows for reduced maintenance costs and production times.

DOE Office of Science provided funding for this research.

Development was co-led by ORNL’s Matthew Stone, Jeff Bunn, Andrew May and PolarOnyx’s Jian Liu and Shuang Bai. Alexander Kolesnikov and Victor Fanelli from ORNL contributed to the development.