1
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Singh P, Dosovitskiy G, Bekenstein Y. Bright Innovations: Review of Next-Generation Advances in Scintillator Engineering. ACS NANO 2024; 18:14029-14049. [PMID: 38781034 PMCID: PMC11155248 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c12381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
This review focuses on modern scintillators, the heart of ionizing radiation detection with applications in medical diagnostics, homeland security, research, and other areas. The conventional method to improve their characteristics, such as light output and timing properties, consists of improving in material composition and doping, etc., which are intrinsic to the material. On the contrary, we review recent advancements in cutting-edge approaches to shape scintillator characteristics via photonic and metamaterial engineering, which are extrinsic and introduce controlled inhomogeneity in the scintillator's surface or volume. The methods to be discussed include improved light out-coupling using photonic crystal (PhC) coating, dielectric architecture modification producing the Purcell effect, and meta-materials engineering based on energy sharing. These approaches help to break traditional bulk scintillators' limitations, e.g., to deal with poor light extraction efficiency from the material due to a typically large refractive index mismatch or improve timing performance compared to bulk materials. In the Outlook section, modern physical phenomena are discussed and suggested as the basis for the next generations of scintillation-based detectors and technology, followed by a brief discussion on cost-effective fabrication techniques that could be scalable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallavi Singh
- Solid
State Institute, Technion-Israel Institute
of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Georgy Dosovitskiy
- Solid
State Institute, Technion-Israel Institute
of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Yehonadav Bekenstein
- Solid
State Institute, Technion-Israel Institute
of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion-Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
- The
Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 32000 Haifa, Israel
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2
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Intercomparison exercise on difficult to measure radionuclides in spent ion exchange resin. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08687-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
AbstractA need for method validation in radiochemical analyses of decommissioning waste is a challenging task due to lack of commercial reference materials. Participation in an intercomparison exercise is one way for a laboratory to assess their performance and validate their analysis results. A three-year project within the Nordic Nuclear Safety Research (NKS) community was initiated in order to carry out intercomparison exercises on difficult to measure (DTM) radionuclides in real decommissioning waste. Both Nordic and Non-Nordic laboratories participated. This paper reports the results from the final year of the project focusing on beta- and gamma emitter (i.e., easy to measure, ETM) analysis in spent ion exchange resin. The assigned values were derived from the participants’ results according to ISO 13528 standard and the performances were assessed using z scores. The results showed generally good performances for both DTMs and ETMs.
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3
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Krajcar Bronić I, Sironić A, Barešić J. Validation of carbonization as a part of benzene synthesis for radiocarbon measurement. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2022.110721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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4
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Feng B, Steinhauser G, Zhuo W, Li Z, Yao Y, Blenke T, Zhao C, Renz F, Chen B. Development and calibration of a modifiable passive sampler for monitoring atmospheric tritiated water vapor in different environments. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 169:107505. [PMID: 36115249 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic release of tritium from nuclear facilities is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades, which may cause radiation exposure to humans through the contamination of water and food chains. It is necessary and urgent to acquire detailed information about tritium in various environments for studying its behavior and assessing the potential radiation risk. In the atmosphere, although the passive sampling technique provides a low-cost and convenient way to characterize the dynamics of tritiated water vapor (HTO), a single, simple sampler configuration makes it difficult to collect sufficient and representative samples within the expected period from different environments. In this study, we systematically studied the impacts of sampler configurations on sampling performance and proposed a modifiable sampler design by scaling sampler geometry and adjusting absorbent to achieve different monitoring demands. The samplers were subsequently deployed at five sites in China and Germany for the field calibration and the measured results exhibited a good agreement between the adsorption process obtained in sites corrected with diffusion coefficient and the one calibrated in Shanghai. This suggests the feasibility of predicting sampling performance in the field based on known data. Finally, we developed a strategy for sampler modification and selection in different environments and demonstrated that using easily obtainable environmental data, our sampler can be optimized for any area without any time-consuming preliminary experiments. This work provides a scientific basis for establishing high-resolution atmospheric HTO database and expands the conventional empirical sampler design paradigm by demonstrating the feasibility of using quantitative indices for sampler performance customization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Feng
- Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany; Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Georg Steinhauser
- Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany; TU Wien, Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry & TRIGA Center Atominstitut, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Weihai Zhuo
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhiling Li
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yupeng Yao
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Tobias Blenke
- Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Chao Zhao
- Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Franz Renz
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30167 Hannover, Germany
| | - Bo Chen
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
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5
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Effect of secondary solvent on the sample load capacity of a newly designed scintillation cocktail. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08563-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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6
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di Vacri ML, Arnquist IJ, Back HO, Bliss M, Bronikowski M, Edwards E, Hackett BR, Hoppe EW, Lyons SM, Rocco ND, Rosero R, Seifert A, Swindle A, Yeh M. Identification of background limitations to ultra-sensitive LSC counting through ICP-MS assay of LSC cocktails. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08591-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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7
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Cimino NA, Midura RJ, Belovich JM. An Improved Method for Assessing Macroscale Diffusion through Osteonal Bone. Tissue Eng Part C Methods 2022; 28:635-645. [PMID: 36094112 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tec.2022.0129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The characterization of diffusion through biological tissues has played an important role in fundamental medical research and product development. Understanding the diffusion phenomena allows for the identification of new concepts in fundamental science, evolving medical knowledge and improving future standards and protocols. To illustrate, the structure of cortical bone changes upon the onset of osteoporosis, altering the limited porous compartment through which nutrients and essential signaling molecules travel to bone cells. Estrogen hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is one of the gold standard treatments to attempt to mitigate the effects that this structural change exerts in menopausal osteoporosis patients; however, HRT effectiveness is often variable in these patients, likely due to variability in bone structure and physiology, and thus transport rates. Scientists have studied diffusion in cortical bone tissue for decades. Current methodological standards include fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and computed tomography finite element analysis. Both techniques limit areas of tissue to microscale (1-100 µm2) analysis - only examining a few osteocytes within the structure at a time - and adopt assumptions that oversimplify in vivo tissue structure and transport phenomena. As well, the range of diffusion tracers is limited by the sensitivities of the analytical equipment, typically requiring tracer concentrations in the micromolar range. Herein is described a novel device for directly assessing the diffusion coefficient of 3H-estradiol at 37°C in macroscale osteonal bone specimens (1.4 cm2) - assessing a much larger portion of the total tissue than previously reported - while using radioisotope tracers for much higher sensitivity, thus achieving physiologically relevant estradiol concentrations. The current diffusion chamber device represents a cost-effective and validated method to mitigate these shortcomings. The device provides long-term diffusion data through macroscale (greater than 1 mm2) tissue areas, presenting a more physiologically accurate way to assess cortical bone diffusion. The device can assess solute diffusion through other tissues or materials and may easily be scaled up to run multiple diffusion experiments simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Anthony Cimino
- Cleveland State University, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland, Ohio, United States;
| | - Ronald J Midura
- Lerner Research Institute, Biomedical Engineering ND20, Cleveland, Ohio, United States;
| | - Joanne M Belovich
- Cleveland State University, Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland, Ohio, United States;
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8
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Kuwata H, Tazoe H, Kranrod C, Fujiwara K, Terashima M, Matsueda M, Hirao S, Akata N. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF COMMERCIAL SCINTILLATION COCKTAILS FOR LOW-LEVEL TRITIUM COUNTING BY HIGH-CAPACITY LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTER. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY 2022; 198:1014-1018. [PMID: 36083745 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncac040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Low-background liquid scintillation counter is one of the popular measuring instruments used to investigate tritium radioactivity in environmental media. These instruments require the liquid sample and organic solvent to be mixed for tritium measurement. In the European Union, the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals regulation was established to control the use of chemical substances of very high concern. It is important to find continuously available alternative reagents. In this paper, a performance evaluation was conducted using four scintillation cocktails according to Japanese conventional procedure; although one of them, Gold Star LT2, contains nonylphenol ethoxylate, it will continue to be available for research and development. From the evaluation results it was confirmed that Gold Star LT2 would be a satisfactory alternative scintillator, which is similar performance of Ultima Gold LLT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Kuwata
- Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki University, 53 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8203, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Tazoe
- Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan
| | - Chutima Kranrod
- Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan
| | - Kenso Fujiwara
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2, Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima 963-7700, Japan
| | - Motoki Terashima
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2, Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima 963-7700, Japan
| | - Makoto Matsueda
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2, Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima 963-7700, Japan
| | - Shigekazu Hirao
- Institue of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanaigawa, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
| | - Naofumi Akata
- Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan
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9
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A study for the selection of NPE-free cocktails for LSC routine measurements. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08405-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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10
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On the determination of 36Cl and 129I in solid materials from nuclear decommissioning activities. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08327-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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11
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Abstract
AbstractCharacterisation of contaminated and activated decommissioning waste require sampling of the studied material for the analysis of different radionuclides. The volatility of 3H and 14C can lead to the loss of the analytes in sampling of solid materials since most often at least some heat is involved in the sampling technique. Especially 3H can be lost in cases when it is present as tritiated water (HTO) due to the evaporation of water even at low temperatures. Therefore, in this study, the 3H and 14C speciations are discussed. Consequently, a drilling sampling technique was developed in order to capture the released 3H and 14C in absorption solutions and measured using liquid scintillation counting. The sampling technique was tested on an activated concrete core. The collected samples were analysed for 3H and 14C (activity concentration and speciation) using a thermal oxidation technique. The results showed that a significant amount of 3H was released during sampling even though the majority of 3H was strongly bound in the activated concrete. The studied activated concrete did not contain measurable amount of 14C and therefore speciation studies were not possible.
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12
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Development of 3H, 14C, 41Ca, 55Fe, 63Ni radiochemical analysis methods in activated concrete samples. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-08073-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDevelopment of 3H, 14C, 41Ca, 55Fe and 63Ni radiochemical analysis methods were carried out independently by two laboratories using both inactivate and activated concrete samples. Two preliminary radioanalytical procedures for the non-volatile radionuclides (41Ca, 55Fe, 63Ni) and one Thermal oxidation method for the volatile radionuclides (3H, 14C) were developed. The difficulties in the method development and analysis of results are discussed.
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13
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Radium interference during radon measurements in water: comparison of one- and two-phase liquid scintillation counting. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 72:205-215. [PMID: 34587671 PMCID: PMC8576753 DOI: 10.2478/aiht-2021-72-3480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Assessment of radiation exposure to drinking, surface, and groundwater and of the associated health risks calls for accurate and precise 226Ra and 222Rn measurements. One method that fits the bill is liquid scintillation counting (LSC), which allows measurements in one-phase (homogenous) or two-phase samples. The aim of our study was to compare the measurement efficiency with both variations in Niška Banja spa water, known for its elevated 222Rn content to get a better insight into the stability and behaviour of the samples and 226Ra interference in samples spiked with 226Ra with 222Rn measurement. 226Ra interference was more evident in homogenous, one-phase and much lower in two-phase samples. However, one-phase samples offer more accurate indirect 226Ra measurements. Water-immiscible cocktails (in two-phase samples) have shown a limited capacity for receiving 222Rn generated by Ra decay from the aqueous to organic phase when 222Rn/226Ra equilibrium is reached. We have also learned that samples with naturally high 222Rn content should not be spiked with 226Ra activities higher than the ones found in native samples and that calibration of two-phase samples can be rather challenging if measurements span over longer time. Further research would require much lower 226Ra activities for spiking to provide more practical answers to questions arising from the demonstrated phenomena.
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14
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Rozas S, Herranz M, Idoeta R. Uncertainty and detection limits of 241Pu determination by liquid scintillation counting (LSC). Appl Radiat Isot 2021; 176:109906. [PMID: 34425351 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Determination of 241Pu is an essential issue for radiation protection, as it is the precursor of some nuclides with high radiotoxicity. 241Pu is a low energy beta emitter, which makes its measurement more challenging than that of Pu alpha emitters. The most widely used method for the measurement of 241Pu is liquid scintillation counting (LSC). In this method, the assessment of Pu radiochemical yield is done by measuring the sample by alpha spectrometry before being lixiviated and measured by LSC. This double measurement affects uncertainty analysis, as well as decision threshold and detection limit, considering that both components of the total yield (radiochemical and lixiviation) should be contemplated. In this paper, and for quality assurance (QA) purposes, in-depth uncertainty and detection limit formulae for the proposed method, controlling correlations and considering all the parameters involved including chemical and lixiviation yields, have been developed. A sensitivity analysis of the uncertainty budget together with an assessment of 242Pu tracer quantity to be used, ensuring a total yield of at least 50% and a relative uncertainty of the leaching yield of at most 5%, have been carried out. In addition, an analysis of the impact of the real lixiviation yield value and its uncertainty on the results has been done. As a general conclusion, and considering the values of the parameters chosen for this work (samples of 1 g measured for 24 h by LSC), the 241Pu uncertainties range from 5% to 30% depending on the activity concentration values and the detection limits range from 14 to 30 Bq kg-1, depending on yield values. The main components of the uncertainty budget are the net 241Pu and background counts obtained in the LSC measurement for low contaminated samples while this is the case for the alpha gross count rate in LSC measurement of the alpha calibration source for highly contaminated samples. In addition, an analysis of possible interference by Pu alpha emitters in the 241Pu signal and a comparison of quench standard curves of 3H and 241Pu are also performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Rozas
- Department of Energy Engineering, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao, Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013, Bilbao, Spain.
| | - M Herranz
- Department of Energy Engineering, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao, Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013, Bilbao, Spain
| | - R Idoeta
- Department of Energy Engineering, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao, Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013, Bilbao, Spain
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15
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Influence of various parameters on TDCR Cerenkov counting technique. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-07853-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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16
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Zakaria ES, Ali IM, Khalil M, El-Tantawy A, El-Saied FA. Adsorptive characteristics of some metal ions on chitosan/zirconium phosphate/silica decorated graphene oxide. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-07766-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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17
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Arun B, Viswanathan S, Subramanian V, Jose MT, Venkatraman B. Study of Triple to Double Coincidence Method for Tritium Measurements. RADIOCHEMISTRY 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1066362221020120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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18
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Joung S, Kim Y, Kim J, Park J, Jang M, Lee J, Kim CJ, Lee MS, Lim JM. Simultaneous quantitative analysis of 3H and 14C radionuclides in aqueous samples via artificial neural network with a liquid scintillation counter. Appl Radiat Isot 2021; 170:109593. [PMID: 33508750 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Liquid scintillation counters are common instruments used in the measurement of pure beta-emitting radionuclides, and while they represent a conventional radiometric technique, they are still competitive for their potential to measure multiple radionuclides simultaneously. In this work, we propose an algorithm based on an artificial neural network (ANN) for the simultaneous analysis of the beta-ray spectra of 3H and 14C in dual beta-labeled samples using a liquid scintillation counter. We achieved percentage deviations below 5.0% using the proposed algorithm in 16 out of 18 cases, with RMSDs below 1.5% in 17 out of 18 cases. The trained ANN also produced activity ratios with high accuracy even while having to deal with highly fluctuating spectra. Results demonstrate that the rapid predictions with a short measurement time from our proposed ANN method are compatible with the calculated ones from previous studies that were obtained with long measurement times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungyeop Joung
- Environment and Disaster Assessment Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.
| | - Yewon Kim
- Department of Nuclear & Quantum Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinhwan Kim
- Department of Nuclear & Quantum Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiyoung Park
- Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), 111, Daedeok-Daero 989, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Mee Jang
- Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), 111, Daedeok-Daero 989, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinhyung Lee
- Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), 111, Daedeok-Daero 989, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Joung Kim
- Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), 111, Daedeok-Daero 989, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Sun Lee
- Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), 111, Daedeok-Daero 989, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Myoung Lim
- Environmental Radioactivity Assessment Team, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), 111, Daedeok-Daero 989, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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19
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Feng B, Chen B, Zhao C, He L, Tang F, Zhuo W. Application of a liquid scintillation system with 100-ml counting vials for environmental tritium determination: Procedure optimization, performance test, and uncertainty analysis. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 225:106427. [PMID: 32980643 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
For more efficient and accurate determination of airborne tritium in the environment, the procedure optimization, performance test and uncertainty analysis of a commercially available low-background liquid scintillation counting (LSC) system with 100-ml counting vials were studied in this work. The results showed that 50 ml water sample mixed with 50 ml scintillation cocktail (Ultima Gold uLLT, PE) could achieve the optimal counting condition after a dark adaption time longer than 1440 min. The minimum detectable activity (MDA) of the 100-ml vial system was estimated to be 0.18 Bq·L-1 in a continuous counting time of 3600 min, which was approximately 3.5 times lower than that of 20-ml vial system, and its determination uncertainty was also generally lower provided the collected samples was more than 15 ml. It indicates that the LSC system with 100-ml counting vials is preferable for environmental tritium determination. However, for more accurate determination, the electrolytic enrichment is still needed for the sample with the specific activity lower than 0.4 Bq·L-1. On the other hand, considering the cost and potential environmental impact of present available cocktails, the system with 20-ml vials is recommended for determining the sample with the specific activity higher than 2 Bq·L-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Feng
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Bo Chen
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Chao Zhao
- Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Linfeng He
- Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Fangdong Tang
- Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Weihai Zhuo
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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20
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Corcho-Alvarado JA, Sahli H, Röllin S, von Gunten C, Gosteli R, Ossola J, Stauffer M. Validation of a radiochemical method for the determination of 55Fe and 63Ni in water and steel samples from decommissioning activities. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-020-07297-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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21
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Feng B, Zhao C, Chen B, Zhuo W, Liu Y, Wang L, He L, Tang F. Application of synthetic benzoic acid technology in environmental radiocarbon monitoring. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 216:106188. [PMID: 32056792 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Environmental radiocarbon (14C) monitoring is gaining importance in China due to the recent rapid development of the nuclear industry. In this study, synthetic benzoic acid samples with the fingerprint of environmental 14C were generated by using the synthesis method, and the specific activity of 14C was determined using the liquid scintillation counting (LSC) method. The ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis was performed in chemical properties test and results showed that the mean assay and yield of synthetic benzoic acid were 91.8% ± 2.4% and 84.5% ± 2.0%, respectively. Under adopted LSC counting conditions, the minimum detectable activity (MDA) of 64 Bq/kg C was achieved in our laboratory. The method's linearity was examined using a series of spiked samples, along with the 14C-free samples. The results showed a wide linear range up to 2000 Bq/kg C. Reproducible results were obtained from three batches of experiments with deviations in the intra-group and inter-group of 0.38%-3.06% and 1.24%-3.55%, respectively. Long-term evaluation of the system was found to be very stable (over 5 months storage) with the relative standard deviations of <1%. In addition, field applications in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant demonstrated that 14C data measured by our method was consistent with the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) method, suggesting the method's precision can meet the requirement of 14C monitoring near the nuclear facility. This is the first study to report the use of synthetic benzoic acid in environmental 14C monitoring, and it provides a new approach for improving the environmental 14C monitoring network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Feng
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China; Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Chao Zhao
- Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Bo Chen
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Weihai Zhuo
- Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yiwen Liu
- Institute of Biomedical Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Liangzi Wang
- Technical Center Animal Plant & Food Inspection and Quarantine, Shanghai Customs, Shanghai, 200002, China
| | - Linfeng He
- Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Fangdong Tang
- Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, Shanghai, 201203, China.
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Dianu AM, Dobrin RI. Separation and quantification of 90Sr from ion-exchange resin radioactive waste: methods and techniques of analysis. RADIOCHIM ACTA 2020. [DOI: 10.1515/ract-2019-3213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Four methods for 90Sr separation from spent ion-exchange resin samples were carried out, offering a useful methodology to achieve interferences free 90Sr fractions. The four methods consist in resin sample decomposition, pre-treatment and selective separation of 90Sr by using: (a) a single chromatographic extraction process, (b) double chromatographic extraction, (c) a single chromatographic extraction process followed in sequence by two precipitations, and (d) ion-exchange chromatography, followed by extraction chromatography and precipitation. Mineralization by microwave acid digestion and the four 90Sr separation methods thoroughly presented are available. Data processing methods (adjustable modified efficiency tracing – a new improved approach for the efficiency tracing LSC technique, non-linear regression and α-β discrimination) to obtain the activities values of α, β-γ, pure β emitters and the evaluation of chemical recovery yield of strontium were presented. A discussion about activity assessment in 90Sr purified fractions, providing a convincing argument to support the accuracy of the 90Sr separation methods, is also offered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelia Magdalena Dianu
- Radioactive Waste Treatment and Conditionig Plant, Institute for Nuclear Research, Pitesti , 1 Campului Str., Mioveni , Arges 115400 , Romania
| | - Relu Ion Dobrin
- Radiation Protection, Environmental Protection and Civil Protection, Institute for Nuclear Research, Pitesti , 1 Campului Str., Mioveni , Arges 115400 , Romania
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Feng B, Chen B, Zhuo W, Chen Q, Zhang Y, Zhang W. Seasonal and Spatial Distribution of Atmospheric Tritiated Water Vapor in Mainland China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:14175-14185. [PMID: 31747512 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b03855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
To reveal the distribution of atmospheric tritium water (HTO) vapor and provide a baseline for tritium pollution control, a subnational survey was conducted in mainland China. As the largest study on HTO vapor in China that has ever been formally reported, this study provides a macroimpression of the atmospheric HTO specific activity from March 2017 to March 2018. A total of 102 passive samplers were deployed at 34 sites in 30 provinces to determine the seasonal and spatial distributions of HTO vapor. In general, the HTO specific activity in the atmosphere ranged from lower than the minimum detectable activity (0.18 Bq·L-1) to 5.5 Bq·L-1. Spatially, the specific activity of HTO was positively correlated to the latitude and the distance to proximal coastline. Seasonally, significantly higher HTO specific activities were observed in spring and relatively lower in summer. Based on correlation analysis, the atmospheric HTO distributions were considered to be the consequence of combined factors of the stratospheric-tropospheric net mass flux, the distance from the tropopause to the ground, the fraction of air mass that originated from ocean re-evaporation and long-distance transport from high-latitude continents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Feng
- Institute of Radiation Medicine , Fudan University , Shanghai 200032 , China
| | - Bo Chen
- Institute of Radiation Medicine , Fudan University , Shanghai 200032 , China
| | - Weihai Zhuo
- Institute of Radiation Medicine , Fudan University , Shanghai 200032 , China
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics & Ion-Beam Application (MOE) , Fudan University , Shanghai 200086 , China
| | - Qianyuan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics & Ion-Beam Application (MOE) , Fudan University , Shanghai 200086 , China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Institute of Radiation Medicine , Fudan University , Shanghai 200032 , China
| | - Weiyuan Zhang
- Institute of Radiation Medicine , Fudan University , Shanghai 200032 , China
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Radioanalysis of ultra-low level radionuclides for environmental tracer studies and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06908-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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25
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Sivakumar S, Singh S, Babu KS, Banerjee D, Gopalakrishnan RK. Estimation of 14C in irradiated graphite using CO2 gasification method. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06633-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Villarroya I, Ferradal A, Bagán H, Tarancón A, García JF. Development and evaluation of a plastic scintillating resin for radioactive tin determination. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06552-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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