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Schönenbach D, Berg F, Breckheimer M, Hagenlocher D, Schönberg P, Haas R, Amayri S, Reich T. Development, characterization, and first application of a resonant laser secondary neutral mass spectrometry setup for the research of plutonium in the context of long-term nuclear waste storage. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:3987-3997. [PMID: 33973021 PMCID: PMC8189947 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03350-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Plutonium is a major contributor to the radiotoxicity in a long-term nuclear waste repository; therefore, many studies have focused on interactions of plutonium with the technical, geotechnical, and geological barriers of a possible nuclear waste storage site. In order to gain new insights into the sorption on surfaces and diffusion of actinides through these complex heterogeneous materials, a highly sensitive method with spatial resolution is required. Resonant laser secondary neutral mass spectrometry (Laser-SNMS) uses the spatial resolution available in time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) in combination with the high selectivity, sensitivity, and low background noise of resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) and is, therefore, a promising method for the study and analysis of the geochemical behavior of plutonium in long-term nuclear waste storage. The authors present an approach with a combined setup consisting of a commercial TOF-SIMS instrument and a Ti:sapphire (Ti:Sa) laser system, as well as its optimization, characterization, and improvements compared to the original proof of concept by Erdmann et al. (2009). As a first application, the spatial distributions of plutonium and other elements on the surface of a pyrite particle and a cement thin section were measured by Laser-SNMS and TOF-SIMS, respectively. These results exemplify the potential of these techniques for the surface analysis of heterogeneous materials in the context of nuclear safety research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Schönenbach
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Felix Berg
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Markus Breckheimer
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel Hagenlocher
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Pascal Schönberg
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Raphael Haas
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Samer Amayri
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tobias Reich
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
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