Enhancement of the radiation resistance of cerium-containing fluorophosphate glasses through codoping with Sb2O3 and Bi2O3

The growing demand for radiation-resistant optical glasses for space and nuclear radiation applications has attracted significant research interest. However, radiation-resistant fluorophosphate glasses have been poorly studied. In this work, we report on the tailoring and performance of radiation-resistant fluorophosphate glasses that contained cerium through codoping with Sb₂O₃ and Bi₂O₃. The physical properties, optical properties, microstructure, and defects of fluorophosphate glasses were investigated using transmittance measurements, absorption measurements, as well as Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The results showed that the radiation resistance of all codoped fluorophosphate glasses was better than the undoped cerium-containing fluorophosphate glasses after 10–250 krad(Si) irradiation. Especially in glasses doped with Bi₂O₃, the optical density increment at 385 nm was only 0.1482 after 250 krad(Si) irradiation. The CeO₂ prevented the development of phosphate-related oxygen hole center (POHC) defects, whereas further codoping with Bi₂O₃ suppressed the formation of oxygen hole center (OHC) and POEC defects, reducing the breaking of phosphate chains caused by CeO₂. Bi³⁺ is more likely than Sb³⁺ to change the valence, affecting the transition equilibrium of intrinsic defects and reducing the concentration of defects produced by irradiation. When codoping with Sb₂O₃ and Bi₂O₃, Bi₂O₃ does not enhance radiation resistance owing to the scission effect of Sb₂O₃ on the phosphate chain, which is not conducive to the radiation resistance of glasses. This indicates that the cerium-containing fluorophosphate glasses doped with Bi₂O₃ can effectively suppress the defects caused by irradiation and improve the radiation resistance of the glasses.     

Preparation,microstructure and ion-irradiation damage behavior of Al4SiC4-added SiC ceramics

Single-phase Al₄SiC₄ powder with a low neutron absorption cross section was synthesized and mixed with SiC powder to fabricate highly densified SiC ceramics by hot pressing. The densification of SiC ceramics was greatly improved by the decomposition of Al₄SiC₄ and the formation of aluminosilicate liquid phase during the sintering process. The resulting SiC ceramics were composed of fine equiaxed grains with an average grain size of 2.0 μm and exhibited excellent mechanical properties in terms of a high flexure strength of 593 ± 55 MPa and a fracture toughness of 6.9 ± 0.2 MPa m^1/2. Furthermore, the ion-irradiation damage in SiC ceramics was investigated by irradiating with 1.2 MeV Si⁵⁺ ions at 650 °C using a fluence of 1.1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm², which corresponds to 6.3 displacements per atom (dpa). The evolution of the microstructure was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. The breaking of Si–C bonds and the segregation of C elements on the irradiated surface was revealed by XPS, whereas the formation of Si–Si and C–C homonuclear bonds within the Si–C network of SiC grains was detected by Raman spectroscopy.     

New food safety challenges of viral contamination from a global perspective: Conventional,emerging, and novel methods of viral control

Food- and waterborne viruses, such as human norovirus, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, rotaviruses, astroviruses, adenoviruses, and enteroviruses, are major contributors to all foodborne illnesses. Their small size, structure, and ability to clump and attach to inanimate surfaces make viruses challenging to reduce or eliminate, especially in the presence of inorganic or organic soils. Besides traditional wet and dry methods of disinfection using chemicals and heat, emerging physical nonthermal decontamination techniques (irradiation, ultraviolet, pulsed light, high hydrostatic pressure, cold atmospheric plasma, and pulsed electric field), novel virucidal surfaces, and bioactive compounds are examined for their potential to inactivate viruses on the surfaces of foods or food contact surfaces (tools, equipment, hands, etc.). Every disinfection technique is discussed based on its efficiency against viruses, specific advantages and disadvantages, and limitations. Structure, genomic organization, and molecular biology of different virus strains are reviewed, as they are key in determining these techniques effectiveness in controlling all or specific foodborne viruses. Selecting suitable viral decontamination techniques requires that their antiviral mechanism of action and ability to reduce virus infectivity must be taken into consideration. Furthermore, details about critical treatments parameters essential to control foodborne viruses in a food production environment are discussed, as they are also determinative in defining best disinfection and hygiene practices preventing viral infection after consuming a food product.     

Synthesis,characterization and adsorption studies of h-BN crystal for efficient removal of Cd2+ from aqueous solution

In the present study, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) was synthesized from boric acid and melamine by thermal annealing method in a nitrogen atmosphere. The pure h-BN was used as an efficient sorbent for the uptake of Cd²⁺ ions from the solution phase. The kinetics and sorption studies of metal ions onto the h-BN were carried out in batch adsorption experiments at different temperature, time, pH, sorbent dosage, and concentration of metal ions. The optimum pH for the removal of the Cd²⁺ ions was found to be pH 7. The effect of temperature showed that the process of Cd²⁺ sorption remained endothermic in the range of 298 K–328 K. The Lagergren's first and Ho's second kinetic models were tested to interpret the adsorption kinetic data, however the present data was explained well by Ho's model for kinetics. The thermodynamic perameters ΔG, ΔS and ΔH were determined using the available adsorption data at different temperatures. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized product were also characterized before and after adsorption by different analytical techniques like FT-IR, TGA, XRD and Point of Zero Charge (PZC). The morphology of the surface was analyzed with the help of Scanning Electron Microscopy. The h-BN proved to be an efficient adsorbent for the uptake of the Cd²⁺ ions from aqueous media.     

Ion Exchange of Selected Group II Metals and Lead by Crystalline Silicotitanate and Competition for Cs Exchange Sites

ABSTRACT

A series of batch contact tests were conducted to evaluate the exchange behavior of Ba, Ca, Pb, and Sr onto crystalline silicotitanate (CST) in support of an expedited Cs removal and pretreatment system at the Hanford site. Binary Na/M²⁺ and ternary Na/Cs/M²⁺ isotherms were generated to understand selectivity, capacity, and competitive impact of each analyte on Cs uptake from a simple 1 M NaOH/4.6 M NaNO₃ simulant. Analyte loading from a 0.1 M NaOH/5.5 M NaNO₃ simulant was assessed to determine the effect of hydroxide concentration on binary Na/M²⁺ isotherms. Results from binary and ternary isotherms indicated that Group II metals Ca, Sr, and Ba (and Pb) do not impact CST performance toward Cs removal at concentrations expected in Hanford tank-waste supernate.     

Evaluation of a Novel Plasmid for Simultaneous Gene Electrotransfer-Mediated Silencing of CD105 and CD146 in Combination with Irradiation

Targeting tumor vasculature through specific endothelial cell markers represents a promising approach for cancer treatment. Here our aim was to construct an antibiotic resistance gene-free plasmid encoding shRNAs to simultaneously target two endothelial cell markers, CD105 and CD146, and to test its functionality and therapeutic potential in vitro when delivered by gene electrotransfer (GET) and combined with irradiation (IR). Functionality of the plasmid was evaluated by determining the silencing of the targeted genes using qRT-PCR. Antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effects were determined by the cytotoxicity assay tube formation assay and wound healing assay in murine endothelial cells 2H-11. The functionality of the plasmid construct was also evaluated in malignant melanoma tumor cell line B16F10. Additionally, potential activation of immune response was measured by induction of DNA sensor STING and proinflammatory cytokines by qRT-PCR in endothelial cells 2H-11. We demonstrated that the plasmid construction was successful and can efficiently silence the expression of the two targeted genes. As a consequence of silencing, reduced migration rate and angiogenic potential was confirmed in 2H-11 endothelial cells. Furthermore, induction of DNA sensor STING and proinflammatory cytokines were determined, which could add to the therapeutic effectiveness when used in vivo. To conclude, we successfully constructed a novel plasmid DNA with two shRNAs, which holds a great promise for further in vivo testing.     

Irradiation-induced large bubble formation and grain growth in super nano-grained ceramic

In this work, 0.5TRPO•0.5Gd₂Zr₂O₇ ceramic with an average grain size of only ∼15 nm was prepared by a high pressure (5 GPa/520 °C) sintering method. Phase evolutions and microstructure changes of the as-fabricated super nano and micron-grained ceramics under a high-dose displacement damage induced by 300 keV Kr²⁺ ions were investigated. The results show that the super nano-grained ceramic has low degree of amorphization, obvious grain growth (2–3 times in grain size) and big Kr bubbles (10–68 nm) formation after irradiation. The micron-grained ceramic was severely amorphized after irradiation and many microcracks were formed parallel to its surface. The formation mechanism of Kr bubbles in the super nano-grained ceramic is on account of grain boundary diffusion and migration induced by the accumulation of the injecting Kr ions and irradiation defects. Nevertheless, microcracks formed in the micron-grained sample are caused by the accumulation of Kr atoms.     

Structural,electronic paramagnetic resonance and magnetic properties of praseodymium-doped rare earth CeO2 semiconductors

In this work, praseodymium (Pr) doped cerium oxide (CeO₂) was prepared using the microwave-assisted hydrothermal method (MAH) and the properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG-SEM), BET method, Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) and Magnetometry. The results showed that increasing the Pr-doping promotes a structural disorder due to increased oxygen vacancies. XRD confirmed a cubic structure without deleterious phases with modifications in the structure caused by alteration in the cerium oxidation state as well as changes in the crystallite size and strain obtained by Wellinson-Hall method. Raman spectroscopy shows that changing the Pr content results in samples with different defect densities at short range. FEG-SEM showed that the nanocrystals are agglomerated with small particles tend to aggregate spontaneously to decrease the surface energy. BET method showed that the Pr doping results in a gain of specific surface area. PL indicated that Pr³⁺ leads to distinct emissions; red emission associated to oxygen vacancies located near the conduction band (shallow defects), green emission associated to electron-hole recombination and orange emission associated to shallow defects and electron-hole recombination. FTIR indicated the complete process of nucleation with no other phase. UV–Vis showed the transitions between oxygen 2p, cerium 4f and praseodymium 4f states. The EPR signal shows events occurring around 344 mT. These events can be related due the presence of paramagnetic elements containing unpaired electrons, such as Ce (III), which is indicative of cerium reduction caused by Pr ions, as evidenced by Rietveld data. Regardless of the Pr concentration used in this research, the magnetic measurements show a superparamagnetic system below the blocking temperature of ~20 K and a paramagnetic system above this temperature, which indicates no significant changes in the average size of the nanoparticles. Surface area, crystallite size and the temperature are important parameters, which control the magnetic properties of such N-type semiconductors.     

In-situ preparation of cross-linked hybrid anion exchange membrane of quaternized poly (styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) covalently bonded with graphene

Introducing graphene into polymer matrix is an effective way to enhance performances of anion exchange membrane (AEM). However, utilizing the advantages of graphene by physical approach is limited due to the weak interface interaction between graphene and polymer matrix. Herein, we report an effective strategy to covalently bond graphene with polymer matrix to improve the interface interaction and further to improve the properties of AEM. A series of cross-linked quaternized graphene-based hybrid AEM were fabricated by covalently bonding poly (vinylbenzyl chloride) grafted graphene (GN-g-PVBC) copolymer with chloromethyl functionalized poly (styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) (SIBS) through the cross-linker (N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,6-hexanediamine) by in-situ synthetic approach. The interface interaction between graphene and QSIBS is greatly enhanced according to micromorphology characterization of the hybrid membrane. The cross-linked quaternized hybrid AEM containing 0.55 wt% of GN-g-PVBC exhibits obviously improved dynamical mechanical properties (storage modulus: 418 MPa), ion conductivity (1.81 × 10² S cm^?1), methanol barrier property (5.19 × 10^?7 cm² s^?1), selectivity (3.49 × 10⁴ S s cm^?3) at 60 °C and especially a comparably excellent chemical stability to that of Nafion 115 due to the enhanced interface interaction between graphene and the polymer matrix.