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At least 649 records · Page 36

Cobalt Dissolution from Metal Oxides and Battery Cathode Materials with Acetic Acid-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents

Recovery of critical metals with alternative solvents beyond those in traditional pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy is needed in consideration of environmental challenges and the growing demand for metals in energy technologies. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as sustainable alternatives for solvometallurgy in metal separation and recovery. In this study, DESs based on hydrogen bond acceptors (HBAs) including choline chloride (ChCl), acetylcholine chloride (AChCl), and betaine (Bet) were investigated for their effectiveness when paired with acetic acid (AA) as the hydrogen bond donor (HBD) for the dissolution of cobalt from cobalt oxide (CoO), lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO 2 ), and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LNMC). Based on the spectroscopic analysis of the metal dissolution and coordination, Bet:AA was found to provide the highest solubility for CoO (0.33 M) in the form of an octahedral complex. On the other hand, ChCl:AA solvent was more effective at dissolving LiCoO 2 with 0.04 M Co 2+ corresponding to 17% dissolution efficiency and LNMC with 0.06 M Co 2+ corresponding to 72% dissolution efficiency at 50 °C, compared to Bet:AA (9% for LiCoO 2 and 31% for LNMC). Although the solubilities of LiCoO 2 and LNMC have not significantly improved in ChCl:AA, this difference in effectiveness between the solvents clearly reveals the role of the HBA in solubilization. The coordination synergy between the chloride and the –OH moiety facilitates the breakdown of the LiCoO 2 driven by the alteration of the solvent polarity. Cobalt in these solutions was found dominantly as a tetrahedral [CoCl 4 ] 2– complex. A chemical separation of cobalt oxalate from a mixed-metal oxide system based on Co, Fe, and Ni was also demonstrated, confirming the potential of these solvents for practical metal recovery.

Cobalt separation↗

Anion photoelectron spectroscopic and relativistic coupled-cluster studies of uranyl dichloride anion, UO 2 Cl 2 –

A joint relativistic coupled-cluster and experimental photoelectron (PE) spectroscopic study of the uranyl dichloride anion, UO 2 Cl 2 – , is reported. Sophisticated electronic-structure calculations predict the photodetachment of UO 2 Cl 2 – to involve a U 5f electron and to be followed by significant geometry relaxation. Therefore, the adiabatic electron affinity (EA a ) of the uranyl dichloride neutral molecule, UO 2 Cl 2 , and the vertical detachment energy (VDE) of its anion, UO 2 Cl 2 – , provide valuable information about its uranium 5f orbital energies. The EA a value was computed to be 3.15 eV. The VDE value was calculated to be 3.55 eV by augmenting the computed EA a with a shift derived from a Franck–Condon simulation using coupled-cluster potential energy surfaces. Here, the VDE, which corresponds to the highest intensity peak in the PE spectrum, was measured to be 3.69 ± 0.20 eV, in good agreement with the computed value. The origin transition in the PE spectrum, whose electron binding energy corresponds to the EA a , was assigned to the feature at 3.2 ± 0.20 eV, consistent with the computed EA a .

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Electronic energy loss and ion velocity correlation effects in track production in swift-ion-irradiated LiNbO3: A quantitative assessment between structural damage morphology and energy deposition

The primary motivation for studying how irradiation modifies the structures and properties of solid materials involves the understanding of undesirable phenomena, including irradiation-induced degradation of components in nuclear reactors and space exploration, and beneficial applications, including material performance tailoring through ion beam modification and defect engineering. In this work, the formation mechanism of latent tracks with different damage morphologies in LiNbO 3 crystals under 0.09–6.17 MeV/u ion irradiation with an electronic energy loss from 2.6–13.2 keV/nm is analyzed by experimental characterizations and numerical calculations. Irradiation-induced damage is preliminarily evaluated via the prism coupling technique to analyze the correlation between the dark-mode spectra and energy loss profiles of irradiated regions. Under the irradiation conditions of different ion velocities and electronic energy losses, different damage morphologies, from individual spherical defects to discontinuous and continuous tracks, are experimentally characterized. During ion penetration process, the ion velocity determines the spatiotemporal distribution of deposited irradiation energy induced by electronic energy loss, meaning that the two essential factors including electronic energy loss and ion velocity co-affect the track damage. The inelastic thermal spike model is used to numerically calculate the spatiotemporal evolutions of energy deposition and the corresponding atomic temperature under different irradiation conditions, and a quantitative relationship is proposed by comparison with corresponding experimentally observed track damage morphologies. Additionally, the obtained quantitative relationship between irradiation conditions and track damage provides deep insight and guidance for understanding the damage behavior of crystal materials in extreme radiation environments and selecting irradiation parameters, including ion species and energies, for ion beam technique application in atomic-level defect manipulation, material modification, and micro/nanofabrication.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Diffusion of small anti-Schottky clusters in UO 2

The aggregation of irradiation-induced defect clusters in UO 2 leads to the formation of dislocation loops and cavities which contribute swelling and ultimately produce deleterious effects on the fuel. Despite their fundamental role in fuel evolution, the kinetics of these defect clusters are not currently well understood. In this work, we investigate the diffusive behavior of interstitial clusters via Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. In this work, our investigation considers a range of defect cluster sizes, each composed of N UO 2 units or anti-Schottky defects. We report a complex cluster size - mobility relation; increasing cluster size corresponds to an increase in mobility up until a critical size (N=4) where diffusivity reaches a maximum, after which the trend reverts and further increasing size corresponds to a decrease in mobility. The rapid migration observed correlates well with the very low barriers reported in a few historic experimental studies. Further analysis of the cluster shape and orientation reveals a strong structural preference for near-planar configurations oriented normal to the $\langle$100$\rangle$ direction. Rotational energy barriers are found to be similar in both magnitude and trend to the observed diffusion barriers. Lastly, connections are drawn to the behavior of large defect clusters including the formation of (1/3) $\langle$111$\rangle$ Frank dislocation loops.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of free surfaces on localized plastic deformation in single-crystal nickel containing helium bubbles and radiation-induced self-interstitial atom clusters

This paper presents molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of plastic deformation in single-crystal Ni models containing internal distributions of helium (He) bubbles and self-interstitial atom (SIA) clusters corresponding to experimental characterization of ex-service Inconel X-750 components. Here, we simulate single crystals with and without free surfaces at room temperature and 588K, the latter temperature corresponding to the Inconel X-750 service conditions. Both models are deformed under multiple slip to a maximum deviatoric strain of ~10 %. A dislocation slip band forms in the model without free surfaces, but not in the model with free surfaces. However, the latter exhibits nano-twin nucleation from surfaces. Helium (He) bubbles that overlap with a slip band or a nano-twinned region deform more severely than other bubbles in the model. Nevertheless, the bubbles do not link up and do not form configurations that resemble incipient cracks.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Synchrotron micro-computed tomography analysis of neutron-irradiated U-Mo fuel

The three-dimensional (3D) microstructure of neutron-irradiated uranium-10 wt.% molybdenum (U-10Mo) fuel with a burn-up of 9.8 × 10 21 fissions/cm 3 was characterized using a novel, multi-modal synchrotron micro-computed tomography approach combining propagation-based phase-contrast enhanced and absorption contrast techniques. The porosity development, porosity interconnectedness, swelling, composition, local thickness of the zirconium (Zr) diffusion barrier, and the influence of the fuel–cladding interaction on the local composition and pore morphology, were uniquely determined in 3D. Two cuboids were produced using a focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope at the Zr diffusion barrier–fuel interface and in the bulk fuel. The bulk fuel sample swelled by 53.3 [+9.7/−3.1]%, while the fuel near the Zr–fuel interface swelled by 63.3 [+14.7/−7.2]%. The average local thickness of the Zr diffusion barrier decreased by 53 %, compared to the expected pre-irradiated thickness. Four pore morphology regions were identified initiating parallel to the fuel–Zr interaction region: (1) an interaction layer of suppressed porosity, (2) a layer of elongated and interconnected porosity, (3) a transition zone of low porosity, and (4) a layer of unoriented porosity representative of the bulk fuel behavior. The increase in porosity near the diffusion barrier corresponded to a higher U concentration compared to that in the bulk fuel. The interconnected porosity in the fuel near the diffusion barrier was extensive and oriented parallel to the diffusion barrier, while the bulk fuel had more compact and isolated pore networks. The interaction layer, despite having suppressed porosity, was nearly 100 wt.% U. Porosity suppression at the diffusion barrier corresponds to the expected reduction in radiation-driven diffusion of Xe at the interface despite the anticipated increase in fission product nucleation originating from a higher U concentration. In conclusion, the novel 3D insights of the porosity, swelling, and compositional variations characterized herein can improve the fidelity of fuel performance codes for proliferation-resistant fuels for research and test reactors.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Spatially Resolved Top-Down Proteomics of Tissue Sections Based on a Microfluidic Nanodroplet Sample Preparation Platform

Conventional proteomics measures the averaged signal from mixed cell populations or bulk tissues, leading to the dilution of significant changes in subpopulations of cells that might serve as important biomarkers. Recent developments in bottom-up proteomics have enabled spatial mapping of cellular heterogeneity in tissue microenvironments. However, bottom-up proteomics cannot precisely infer the abundance changes of intact proteins, which are presented as proteoforms. Herein, we described a spatially resolved top-down proteomics (TDP) platform for proteoform identification and quantification directly on thin tissue sections. The spatial TDP platform consisted of a nanoPOTS (nanodroplet Processing in One pot for Trace Samples)-based sample preparation system and an LCM (laser capture microdissection)-based cell isolation system. We improved the nanoPOTS sample preparation by adding benzonase in the extraction buffer to enhance the coverage of nucleus proteins. Using ~200 cultured cells as model samples, the improved approach increased proteoform identifications from 493 to 700; newly identified proteoforms primarily corresponded to nuclear proteins. To demonstrate the spatial TDP platform in tissue samples, we analyzed LCM-isolated tissue voxels from rat brain cortex and hypothalamus regions. We quantified 426 proteoforms by combining identifications from TopPIC and TDPortal with the quantitation from ProMex. Several proteoforms corresponding to the same gene exhibited mixed abundance profiles between two tissue regions, suggesting potential PTM-specific spatial distributions. The spatial TDP workflow has prospects for biomarker discovery at proteoform level from small tissue sections.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Optical spectroscopy of molten fluorides: Methods, electronic and vibrational data, structural interpretation, and relevance to radiative heat transfer

In this study, to help address the need for predicting radiative heat transfer (RHT) behavior of molten salts, we conducted a comprehensive review of methods and data from optical spectroscopic measurements on molten fluoride salts. Transmittance, reflectance, and trans-reflectance experimental methods are discussed, along with the corresponding data reduction methodology and the limitations of each technique. Optical spectroscopy is a convenient indirect probe for changes in structural parameters with temperature and composition. Electronic and vibrational absorption data for transition-metal, lanthanide, and actinide solutes and vibrational absorption data for alkali and alkaline earth fluoride solvents are compiled, and the corresponding structural interpretation is discussed and compared with other experimental and theoretical work. We find that solvent and solute vibrational absorption can be significant in the mid-infrared, resulting in near-infrared edges of significance to RHT. Extrapolation and averaging of existing edge data leads to estimated gray absorption coefficient values at 700 °C of 546 m —1 for FLiBe and 276 m —1 for FLiNaK, both within the range of 1 – 6000 m —1 identified to be of engineering relevance for radiative heat transfer analysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A chiral alkali metal capped Ni 4 cubane complex: Synthesis, structure, magnetic and catalytic bromination studies

A new chiral NaO 2 Ni 4 O 2 N 2 cluster has been developed with a distorted capped cubane-type structure. The structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The tetradentate Schiff-base ligand was synthesized by the condensation of o-vanillin and $\textit{D}$-(-)–threo-2-amino-1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3-propanediol. X-ray structure reveals that the complex possesses a Ni 4 cubane cluster where sodium ion is anchored on the face of the cubane structure. Continuous shape measurement studies revealed that all the Ni centres are in distorted octahedral geometry and sodium ion adopts the spherical square pyramidal geometry. Further structural exploration reveals that the complex shows local distortions of the coordination geometries at each metal site, and these distortions govern the magnetic anisotropy associated with each Ni II ion. For the present case, an elongation ($d_{str}$ > 0) of the octahedral coordination sphere results in a local easy-plane anisotropy, with a positive $D_{Ni(II)}$ parameter. Temperature dependant magnetization measurements showed a predominant ferromagnetic interaction amongst the four Ni centres. This complex is also catalytically active towards bromination of aromatic phenolic compounds. Initial catalytic activity was verified with the conversion of phenol red to bromophenol blue. Different phenolic substances show good conversion to their corresponding bromo derivatives. The complex showed good catalytic activity towards bromination of aromatic phenolic compounds, offering up to 99% conversion with 100% selectively to their corresponding bromo derivatives.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Characterization of precipitation in gradient Inconel 718 superalloy

Inconel 718 (IN718) superalloy is a well-established material for the application of aircraft engine and power generator due to its excellent performance at high temperatures. The outstanding mechanical properties of IN718 are largely determined by the precipitates. Here, we investigated the precipitation behaviors and the corresponding mechanical properties of the heat-treated gradient IN718 alloy. The microscopy studies reveal that high-density hexagonal η phase with chemistry of Ni 3 (Al,Ti,Nb) formed in the nanograined IN718 alloy after annealing at 700 °C. Additionally, the compressive stress introduced during severe plastic deformation may have prohibited the formation of γ” phase while accelerated the precipitation of γ’ phase, consequently favoring the precipitation of η phase. The corresponding evolution of mechanical behavior of gradient IN718 alloy is investigated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Concentric core-shell tracks and spectroscopic properties of SrTiO 3 under intense electronic excitation

A deeper understanding of the intrinsic link between the irradiation-induced microstructures and the corresponding spectroscopic properties is becoming increasingly attractive for the research fields of materials science, physics, and information technology. In this work, the structural damage response, spectroscopic features, and associated physical mechanisms of SrTiO 3 single crystals under swift heavy ion irradiation were comparatively analyzed using a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. Corresponding to 0.11–5.00 MeV/u ion irradiation with electronic energy loss ranging from 4.0 to 29.3 keV/nm, the inelastic thermal spike calculations combined with molecular dynamics simulations are compared with the experimental observations, revealing the track fine structures (individual spherical defects with a disordered region, and discontinuous and continuous tracks consisting of an amorphous core and a disordered outer shell) and demonstrating the dominant effects of the deposition energy and lattice temperature on track damage formation and evolution; thus, two essential thresholds for defect formation of ~0.60 eV/atom and amorphous region formation of ~1.81 eV/atom were identified to better describe the concentric core-shell track structure. The enhanced nanohillock formation in the surface region is attributed to the combined action of kinetic and potential energy depositions, and the fluence dependence in regulating the hillock dimensions is also presented. The measured refractive index profiles along different crystal axes further indicate the anisotropy of irradiation-induced lattice expansion. With increasing ion fluence and damage level, the intrinsic bandgap gradually decreased, and the concentration of additional radiative recombination centers (1.81 eV, 2.31 eV, and 2.42 eV) accordingly increased in the SrTiO 3 crystal, providing the possibility of regulating related defects to achieve tunable/selective photon emission for more critical technological applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Measurements of electron transport in liquid and gas Xenon using a laser-driven photocathode

Measurements of electron drift properties in liquid and gaseous xenon are reported. The electrons are generated by the photoelectric effect in a semitransparent gold photocathode driven in transmission mode with a pulsed ultraviolet laser. The charges drift and diffuse in a small chamber at various electric fields and a fixed drift distance of 2.0 cm. At an electric field of 0.5 kV/cm, the measured drift velocities and corresponding temperature coefficients respectively are 1.97 ± 0.04 mm/µs and (-0.69 ± 0.05)%/K for liquid xenon, and 1.42 ± 0.03 mm/µs and (+0.11 ± 0.01)%/K for gaseous xenon at 1.5 bar. In addition, we measure longitudinal diffusion coefficients of 25.7±4.6 cm2/s and 149±23 cm2/s, for liquid and gas, respectively. The quantum efficiency of the gold photocathode is studied at the photon energy of 4.73 eV in liquid and gaseous xenon, and vacuum. These charge transport properties and the behavior of photocathodes in a xenon environment are important in designing and calibrating future large scale noble liquid detectors.

Njoya, Oumarou↗

Evaluation of HPK n + - p planar pixel sensors for the CMS Phase-2 upgrade

To cope with the challenging environment of the planned high luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), scheduled to start operation in 2029, CMS will replace its entire tracking system. The requirements for the tracker are largely determined by the long operation time of 10 years with an instantaneous peak luminosity of up to 7.5 × 10 34 cm –2 s –1 in the ultimate performance scenario. Depending on the radial distance from the interaction point, the silicon sensors will receive a particle fluence corresponding to a non-ionizing energy loss of up to $\Phi_{\text {eq}}$ = 3.5 × 10 16 cm –2 . Here this paper focuses on planar pixel sensor design and qualification up to a fluence of $\Phi_{\text {eq}}$ = 1.4 × 10 16 cm –2 . For the development of appropriate planar pixel sensors an R&D program was initiated, which includes $n^+ -p$ sensors on 150 mm (6”) wafers with an active thickness of 150 μm with pixel sizes of 100 × 25 μm 2 and 50 × 50 μm 2 manufactured by Hamamatsu. Single chip modules with ROC4Sens and RD53A readout chips were made. Irradiation with protons and neutrons, as well was an extensive test beam campaign at DESY were carried out. This paper presents the investigation of various assemblies mainly with ROC4Sens readout chips. It demonstrates that multiple designs fulfill the requirements in terms of breakdown voltage, leakage current and efficiency. The single point resolution for 50 × 50 μm 2 pixels is measured as 4.0 μm for non-irradiated samples, and 6.3 μm after irradiation to $\Phi_{\text {eq}}$ = 7.2 × 10 15 cm –2 .

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

ECCE unpolarized TMD measurements

For this work, we performed feasibility studies for various measurements that are related to unpolarized TMD distribution and fragmentation functions for the ECCE detector proposal. The processes studied include semi-inclusive Deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) where single hadrons (pions and kaons) were detected in addition to the scattered DIS lepton. The single hadron cross sections and multiplicities were extracted as a function of the DIS variables x and Q 2 , as well as the semi-inclusive variables z, which corresponds to the momentum fraction the detected hadron carries relative to the struck parton and P T , which corresponds to the transverse momentum of the detected hadron relative to the virtual photon. The expected statistical precision of such measurements is extrapolated to accumulated luminosities of 10 fb –1 and potential systematic uncertainties are approximated given the deviations between true and reconstructed yields. The expected uncertainties are then used to obtain the expected impact on the related TMD distribution and fragmentation functions. We find that the ECCE detector proposal fulfills the physics requirements on these channels as detailed in the EIC Yellow Report.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Assessing fuel cycle design options for advanced microreactors

Microreactor (MR) technology have recently gained traction due to their reduced construction cost compared to traditional large reactors. Their small physical geometry results in increased neutron leakage and deteriorated neutron economy which limits the achievable burnup of MR fuel. Refueling strategy currently discussed in MR design community is the battery-like refueling which is involve replacing the entire reactor core at the end of their operational cycle. Here, this paper investigates partial core refueling as means to increase MR fuel burnup and improve fuel cycle economy as a result. Two fuel cycle design strategies have been successful. These are the partial core refueling and partial core refueling combined with assembly rotation. Both strategies have been tested to operate a heatpipe-cooled MR referred to as the eVinci-like core for 72 Effective Full Power Months (EFPMs). The partial core refueling showed to reduce the refueling requirements by 18% compared to the battery-like refueling strategy. This corresponds to 10.5% reduction in the Net Present Value (NPV) of fuel cost over the 72 EFPMs of operation. The partial core refueling combined with rotation case reduces the refueling requirements by 29% (corresponding to 14.5% reduction in NPV of fuel cost) compared to the battery-like refueling strategy.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

UV/IR symmetries of the S -matrix and RG flow

The low energy S-matrix which describes non-relativistic scattering arising from finite-range forces has UV/IR symmetries that are hidden in the corresponding effective field theory (EFT) action. Furthermore, it is shown that the S-matrix symmetries are manifest as geometric symmetries of the RG flow of coupling constants in the EFT action in both three and two spatial dimensions. An example is given demonstrating that UV/IR symmetry breaking in the S-matrix implies strong constraints on the RG flow of the coefficients of the corresponding symmetry-breaking operators in the EFT.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Bound states and electromagnetic radiation of relativistically rotating cylindrical wells

Here, we compute the effect of rigid rotation on the non-relativistic bound states. The energy levels of the bound states increase with the angular velocity of rotation until at certain value of the angular velocity they are completely pushed out into the continuum which corresponds to dissociation of the bound states. When the angular velocity exceeds the critical value at which the ground state disappears into the continuum, no bound state is possible. This effect should have important consequences for the phenomenology of the quark-gluon plasma. One of the ways to study it experimentally is to observe the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a rotating bound state. We compute the corresponding intensity of electromagnetic radiation and show that it strongly depends on the angular velocity of rotation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Machine learning based rate optimization under geologic uncertainty

We propose a novel approach for rate optimization during a waterflood under geologic uncertainty in reservoir properties such as permeability and porosity. The traditional approach typically involves several runs of the forward simulator. This may not scale well when the optimization is to be performed at the full field-level and over multiple geologic realizations. A machine-learning (ML) based approach which is quick and scalable for rate optimization over multiple geologic realizations is proposed instead. The training data for the model is generated by running the forward simulator with randomly assigned well rates using multiple geologic realizations. A reduced order representation of the permeability heterogeneity in each of the realizations is derived using a grid connectivity transformation (GCT). This step involves finding basis functions corresponding to the different modal frequencies of the grid connectivity represented by the grid Laplacian. The projection of the heterogeneous property field along these basis functions gives the basis coefficients that form the reduced order representation. Subsequently, for each training datapoint, streamlines are traced and the minimum time of flight (TOF) representing the tracer breakthrough time at each producer is recorded. The basis coefficients and well rates are fed to a machine learning model as input and the minimum TOF at the producers forms the output of the model. This trained model can then be used along with an optimizer for computing the optimal injection rates to maximize the injection sweep efficiency. This corresponds to minimizing the variance in the minimum TOF within each well group. Different architectures of neural network are tested using 5-fold cross validation to decide the best ML model to compute the streamline time of flight. The trained model is used to perform well rate optimization over multiple realizations of geology by using a risk tolerance penalty. The optimal well rates thus obtained are compared with two cases: a) equal well rates assigned to all injectors and producers and b) well rates obtained by optimizing over a single realization without considering the uncertainty in geology. The optimal well rates are seen to offer better oil recovery and sweep efficiency than both cases.

02 PETROLEUM↗