Monitoring of safety features,fissile material accumulation and concentration in nuclear reprocessing by active and passive neutron counting techniques

The application, the advantage and limits of neutron monitoring techniques, such as Hf-monitors, fissile material accumulation and concentration monitors are being discussed. The active neutron counting technique applied to emptied pulsed extraction columns containing Hf-sieve plates allows conclusive answers as to the position of the plates in the columns. Pu-accumulations on Hf-sieve plates in pulsed extraction columns can be estimated within a factor of two, whereby the detection limit is about equal to or less than 1 g Pu/plate. Fissile material concentration changes of 1.1 g/l can be detected in the case of²³⁵U in solution and of 0.4 Pu/l if a²³⁹Pu/²⁴⁰Pu ratio of 4 to 1 is assumed.     

Kinetic evidence of a common mechanism in the oxidations of diethyl sulfide by dichromates and halochromates of heterocyclic bases

The oxidations of diethyl sulfide by potassium dichromate, pyridinium dichromate, quinolinium dichromate, imidazolium dichromate, nicotinium dichromate, isonicotinium dichromate, pyridinium fluorochromate, quinolinium fluorochromate, imidazolium fluorochromate, pyridinium chlorochromate, quinolinium chlorochromate, and pyridinium bromochromate follow identical kinetic orders—first‐order each with respect to the chromium(VI) reagents, sulfide and hydrogen ion, and moderately inhibited by manganese(II) ion. The energy of activation varies linearly with the logarithm of frequency factor and so does the enthalpy of activation with the entropy of activation. Also, the activation free energies do not differ significantly. The dichromates and halochromates of heterocyclic bases oxidize diethyl sulfide via a common mechanism. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 35: 1–8, 2003     

Induced smectic C* phases

Induced ferroelectric S*_C phases are formed by non-chiral S_C host phases doped with chiral dipolar guest molecules. In those mixtures the spontaneous polarization P_s and the tilt angle Θ has been investigated as a function of the mole fraction x_G of the chiral dopant. In most cases the reduced polarization P₀ = P_S/ sin Θ has been found to depend linearly on x_G. The polarization power which is defined by δ_P=(∂P₀/∂x_G)ΔT is discussed in terms of the molecular structure of the chiral dopants. There are systems in which P₀(x_G) deviates positively from linearity. This behaviour can be understood by considering a local field correction to P₀. By assuming a local field of Lorentz type a theoretical relation for P₀(x_G) has been derived which explains the experimental results. The effect of a local field is considerable if the transverse dipole moment and the polarizability of the chiral dopant are large.     

Mg 2p shallow core-level and local atomic structure of i-ZnMgRE quasicrystals

We present a detailed analysis of the Mg 2p shallow core-levels measured on icosahedral single-grain ZnMgY, ZnMgHo, and ZnMgEr quasicrystals during a photoelectron microscopy study. The synchrotron radiation photoemission measurements were performed on in situ cleaved samples at a pressure of 10⁻¹⁰ mbar and at low temperature, typically 90-150 K. The Mg 2p photoemission lines are essentially broadened as compared to those of the Mg 2p spin-orbit doublet recorded on the Zn₂Mg crystalline Laves phase. The broadening is associated to the coordination shifts of the Mg 2p level due to the inequivalent magnesium sites in the quasicrystalline lattice. The coordination shifts are calculated on the basis of i-ZnMg(Ho, Y) atomic structure data, recently determined from the pair distribution function analysis. The coordination shifts obtained are up to 0.2 eV. The Mg 2p experimental spectral intensity is nicely reproduced by a superposition of coordination-shifted Mg 2p spin-orbit doublets.     

Block copolymer mediated synthesis of amphiphilic gold nanoparticles in water and an aqueous tetrahydrofuran medium: An approach for the preparation of polymer–gold nanocomposites

The synthesis of polymer‐matrix‐compatible amphiphilic gold (Au) nanoparticles with well‐defined triblock polymer poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] and diblock polymers poly(methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate], polystyrene‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate], and poly(t‐butyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] in water and in aqueous tetrahydrofuran (tetrahydrofuran/H₂O = 20:1 v/v) at room temperature is reported. All these amphiphilic block copolymers were synthesized with atom transfer radical polymerization. The variations of the position of the plasmon resonance band and the core diameter of such block copolymer functionalized Au particles with the variation of the surface functionality, solvent, and molecular weight of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts of the block copolymers were systematically studied. Different types of polymer–Au nanocomposite films [poly(methyl methacrylate)–Au, poly(t‐butyl methacrylate)–Au, polystyrene–Au, poly(vinyl alcohol)–Au, and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)–Au] were prepared through the blending of appropriate functionalized Au nanoparticles with the respective polymer matrices {e.g., blending poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate‐stabilized Au with the poly(methyl methacrylate)matrix only}. The compatibility of specific block copolymer modified Au nanoparticles with a specific homopolymer matrix was determined by a combination of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry analyses. The facile formation of polymer–Au nanocomposites with a specific block copolymer stabilized Au particle was attributed to the good compatibility of block copolymer coated Au particles with a specific polymer matrix. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1841–1854, 2006