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Villa-Aleman E, Kwapis EH, Foley BJ, Shehee TC, Dick DD, Darvin JR, Ajo HM, Hartig KC. Laser-Induced Plasmas of Plutonium Dioxide in a Double-Walled Cell. APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY 2024; 78:412-422. [PMID: 38317274 DOI: 10.1177/00037028241226977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Plutonium research has been stifled by the significant number of administrative controls and safety procedures, space and instrumentation limitations in radiological gloveboxes, and the potential for personnel and equipment contamination. To address the limited number of spectroscopic studies in Pu-bearing compounds in the current scientific literature, this work presents the use of double-walled cells (DWCs) in "clean" buildings/laboratories as an alternative to research in radiological gloveboxes. This study reports the first laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) experiments of a PuO2 pellet contained within a DWC, where the formation of elemental (atomic and ionic) species as well as the evolution from elemental to molecular products (PuxOy) was measured. Raman spectroscopy was also used to characterize the surface of the ablated pellet and the particulates deposited on the window of the inner cell. The full width half-maximum of the T2g band enabled us to obtain an estimate of the temperature at the pellet surface after the ablation pulse and the particulates based on the crystal lattice disorder. Particulates deposited on the window of the DWC during laser ablation were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, where molten irregular particulates and spheroids were observed. This exciting research conducted in a DWC describes our initial attempts to incorporate LIBS in the arsenal of spectroscopic tools for nuclear forensics applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily H Kwapis
- Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Flordia, USA
| | - Bryan J Foley
- Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
| | - Thomas C Shehee
- Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
| | - Don D Dick
- Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
| | - Jason R Darvin
- Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
| | - Henry M Ajo
- Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
| | - Kyle C Hartig
- Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Flordia, USA
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Wang P, Kong X, Qi F, Zhou J, Ding H, Peng Q. Critical pulse in multi-shot femtosecond laser ablation on metallic surfaces. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 35:215301. [PMID: 38382120 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad2bcf] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Thermal effect remains a thorny issue for femtosecond-laser surface engineering and nanostructuring on metallic targets with high pulse energies or high repetition rates, which needs to be paid adequate attentions. Herein, we have experimentally investigated the heat diffusion and accumulations during single-shot and multi-shot femtosecond laser ablation on metallic surfaces. We have for the first time observed a novel phenomenon that the thermal effect was intensified abruptly when the laser-pulse number goes over a threshold (approximately between 10 and 20 for aluminum alloy with laser fluence of 6 J cm-2), accompanied with a dramatic reduction of ablated depth and complicated plasma dynamics. Based on both optical and thermodynamic analysis, we introduced a defocusing-dominated plasma-assistant model for this abnormal thermal effect. This work explored the critical experimental parameters for femtosecond-laser surface modification and processing in micro-scale engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengjie Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071000, People's Republic of China
- Hebei Engineering Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Intelligent Operation and Maintenance of Electric Power Machinery, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangguang Kong
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071000, People's Republic of China
- Hebei Engineering Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Intelligent Operation and Maintenance of Electric Power Machinery, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, People's Republic of China
| | - Fugong Qi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071000, People's Republic of China
- Hebei Engineering Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Intelligent Operation and Maintenance of Electric Power Machinery, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiyu Zhou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071000, People's Republic of China
- Hebei Engineering Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Intelligent Operation and Maintenance of Electric Power Machinery, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, People's Republic of China
| | - Haimin Ding
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071000, People's Republic of China
- Hebei Engineering Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Intelligent Operation and Maintenance of Electric Power Machinery, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
- Guangdong Aerospace Research Academy, Guangzhou 511458, People's Republic of China
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Kwapis EH, Borrero J, Latty KS, Andrews HB, Phongikaroon SS, Hartig KC. Laser Ablation Plasmas and Spectroscopy for Nuclear Applications. APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY 2024; 78:9-55. [PMID: 38116788 DOI: 10.1177/00037028231211559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The development of measurement methodologies to detect and monitor nuclear-relevant materials remains a consistent and significant interest across the nuclear energy, nonproliferation, safeguards, and forensics communities. Optical spectroscopy of laser-produced plasmas is becoming an increasingly popular diagnostic technique to measure radiological and nuclear materials in the field without sample preparation, where current capabilities encompass the standoff, isotopically resolved and phase-identifiable (e.g., UO and UO2 ) detection of elements across the periodic table. These methods rely on the process of laser ablation (LA), where a high-powered pulsed laser is used to excite a sample (solid, liquid, or gas) into a luminous microplasma that rapidly undergoes de-excitation through the emission of electromagnetic radiation, which serves as a spectroscopic fingerprint for that sample. This review focuses on LA plasmas and spectroscopy for nuclear applications, covering topics from the wide-area environmental sampling and atmospheric sensing of radionuclides to recent implementations of multivariate machine learning methods that work to enable the real-time analysis of spectrochemical measurements with an emphasis on fundamental research and development activities over the past two decades. Background on the physical breakdown mechanisms and interactions of matter with nanosecond and ultrafast laser pulses that lead to the generation of laser-produced microplasmas is provided, followed by a description of the transient spatiotemporal plasma conditions that control the behavior of spectroscopic signatures recorded by analytical methods in atomic and molecular spectroscopy. High-temperature chemical and thermodynamic processes governing reactive LA plasmas are also examined alongside investigations into the condensation pathways of the plasma, which are believed to serve as chemical surrogates for fallout particles formed in nuclear fireballs. Laser-supported absorption waves and laser-induced shockwaves that accompany LA plasmas are also discussed, which could provide insights into atmospheric ionization phenomena from strong shocks following nuclear detonations. Furthermore, the standoff detection of trace radioactive aerosols and fission gases is reviewed in the context of monitoring atmospheric radiation plumes and off-gas streams of molten salt reactors. Finally, concluding remarks will present future outlooks on the role of LA plasma spectroscopy in the nuclear community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily H Kwapis
- Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Justin Borrero
- Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Kyle S Latty
- Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Hunter B Andrews
- Radioisotope Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Kyle C Hartig
- Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Kautz EJ, Zelenyuk A, Gwalani B, Phillips MC, Harilal SS. Gas-phase oxidation and nanoparticle formation in multi-element laser ablation plumes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:26583-26590. [DOI: 10.1039/d2cp02437c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Interaction of a multi-element laser produced plasma with air leads to formation of fractal agglomerates of nanoparticles consisting of multiple elements and their oxides.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alla Zelenyuk
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Bharat Gwalani
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Mark C. Phillips
- James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
| | - Sivanandan S. Harilal
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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Kautz EJ, Devaraj A, Senor DJ, Harilal SS. Hydrogen isotopic analysis of nuclear reactor materials using ultrafast laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 29:4936-4946. [PMID: 33726039 DOI: 10.1364/oe.412351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is a promising method for rapidly measuring hydrogen and its isotopes, critical to a wide range of disciplines (e.g. nuclear energy, hydrogen storage). However, line broadening can hinder the ability to detect finely spaced isotopic shifts. Here, the effects of varying plasma generation conditions (nanosecond versus femtosecond laser ablation) and ambient environments (argon versus helium gas) on spectral features generated from Zircaloy-4 targets with varying hydrogen isotopic compositions were studied. Time-resolved 2D spectral imaging was employed to detail the spatial distribution of species throughout plasma evolution. Results highlight that hydrogen and deuterium isotopic shifts can be measured with minimal spectral broadening in a ∼ 10 Torr helium gas environment using ultrafast laser-produced plasmas.
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