Resurgence of a Nation’s Radiation Science Driven by Its Nuclear Industry Needs

This article describes the radiation facilities and associated sample preparation, management, and analysis equipment currently in place at the Dalton Cumbrian Facility, a facility which opened in 2011 to support the UK’s nuclear industry. Examples of measurements performed using these facilities are presented to illustrate their versatility and the breadth of research they make possible. Results are presented from research which furthers our understanding of radiation damage to polymeric materials, radiolytic yield of gaseous products in situations relevant to nuclear materials, radiation chemistry in light water reactor cooling systems, material chemistry relevant to immobilization of nuclear waste, and radiation-induced corrosion of fuel cladding elements. Applications of radiation chemistry relevant to health care are also described. Research concerning the mechanisms of radioprotection by dietary carotenoids is reported. An ongoing open-labware project to develop a suite of modular sample handling components suited to radiation research is described, as is the development of a new neutron source able to provide directional beams of neutrons.

The Reactivity of Polyethylene Microplastics in Water under Low Oxygen Conditions Using Radiation Chemistry

Polyethylene (PE) is an intensely utilized polymer, which has consequently led to it becoming a common environmental contaminant. PE and other plastic waste are known to be highly persistent in surface waters; however, chemical and physical changes do take place over time, dependent mostly on highly variable natural conditions, such as oxygen (O2) availability. Gamma radiation was used to generate reactive oxygen species, namely hydroxyl radicals, in initially aerated aqueous solutions to simulate the natural weathering of microplastics in waters where there are fluctuations and often depletions in dissolved O2. The headspace of the irradiated PE-containing solutions was probed for the formation of degradation products using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers in combination with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). The major species detected were n-dodecane, with trace levels of tridecane, 2-dodecanone, and hexadecane, which were believed to be predominately adsorbed in the PE microplastics in excess of their aqueous solubility limits. Surface characterization by Raman spectroscopy and light and dark field microscopy indicated no change in the chemical composition of the irradiated PE microplastics under low O2 to anaerobic conditions. However, morphological changes were observed, indicating radical combination reactions.

3D simulations of warm and hot Jupiter atmospheres: the role of 3D mixing in shaping CH4-to-CO conversion pathways

<p>We present results from a set of cloud-free simulations of exoplanet atmospheres using a coupled three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamics-radiation-chemistry model. We report in particular our investigation of the thermodynamic and chemical structure of the atmospheres of HAT-P-11b and WASP-17b and their comparison with the results for the atmospheres of HD 189733b and HD 209458b presented in Drummond et al. (2020). We found that the abundances of chemical species from simulations with interactive chemistry depart from their respective abundances computed at local chemical equilibrium, especially at higher latitudes. To understand this departure, we analysed the CH<sub>4</sub>-to-CO conversion pathways within the Venot et al. (2019) reduced chemical network used in our model using a chemical network analysis. We found that at steady state nine CH<sub>4</sub>-to-CO conversion pathways manifest in our 3D simulations with interactive chemistry, with different pathways dominating different parts of the atmosphere and their area of influence being determined by the vertical and horizontal advection and shifting between planets.</p>

A review of the alpha radiolysis of extractants for actinide lanthanide separation in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing

Radiation stability is one of the key properties to enable the efficient use of extractants in spent nuclear fuel with high radioactivity. The last several decades have witnessed a rapid progress in the radiation chemistry of extractants. A variety of studies and reviews pertinent to the radiation stability of extractants have been published. However, a thorough summary for the alpha radiolysis results of extractants is not available. In this review, we survey the development of alpha radiolysis of extractants for actinide lanthanide separation and compare their radiolysis behaviors induced by alpha particles and gamma rays. The discussion of alpha radiolysis of extractants is divided into three parts according to the functional groups of extractants (i.e., phosphine oxide, amide and bis-triazinyl bipyridines). Given the importance of radiation source to carry out alpha irradiation experiment, we first give a brief introduction to three practicable alpha radiation sources including alpha emitting isotopes, helium ion beam and reactor. We hope this review will provide useful information and unleash a broad palette of opportunities for researchers interested in radiation chemistry.

Start Here When Performing Radiochemical Reactions

Radiation products are present in several fields of knowledge. From the energy field, with nuclear reactors and nuclear batteries, to the medical field, with nuclear medicine and radiation therapy (brachytherapy). Although chemistry works in the same way for radioactive and non-radioactive chemicals, an extra layer of problems is present in the radiochemical counter-part. Reactions can be unpredictable due to several factors. For example, iodine-125 in deposited in a silver wire to create the core of a medical radioactive seed. This core is the sealed forming a radioactive seed that are placed inside the cancer. Several aspects can be discussed in regards to radiation chemistry. For example: are there any competing ions? Each way my reaction is going? Each reaction is more likely to occur? Those are important questions, because, in the case of iodine, a volatile product can be formed causing contamination of laboratory, equipment, personal, and environment. This chapter attempts to create a guideline on how to safely proceed when a new radioactive chemical reaction. It discusses the steps by giving practical examples. The focus is in protecting the operator and the environment. The result can be achieved safely and be reliable contribution to science and society.

Transient hypoxia in water irradiated by swift carbon ions at ultra-high dose rates: implication for FLASH carbon-ion therapy

Large doses of ionizing radiation delivered to tumors at ultra-high dose rates (i.e., in a few milliseconds) paradoxically spare the surrounding healthy tissue while preserving anti-tumor activity (compared to conventional radiotherapy delivered at much lower dose rates). This new modality is known as “FLASH radiotherapy” (FLASH-RT). Although the molecular mechanisms underlying FLASH-RT are not yet fully understood, it has been suggested that radiation delivered at high dose rates spares normal tissue via oxygen depletion followed by subsequent radioresistance of the irradiated tissue. To date, FLASH-RT has been studied using electrons, photons and protons in various basic biological experiments, pre-clinical studies, and recently in a human patient. However, the efficacy of heavy ions, such as swift carbon ions, under FLASH conditions remains unclear. Given that living cells and tissues consist mainly of water, we set out to study, from a pure radiation chemistry perspective, the effects of ultra-high dose rates on the transient yields and concentrations of radiolytic species formed in water irradiated by 300-MeV per nucleon carbon ions (LET ~ 11.6 keV/μm). This mimics irradiation in the “plateau” region of the depth-dose distribution of ions, i.e., in the “normal” tissue region in which the LET is rather low. We used Monte Carlo simulations of multiple, simultaneously interacting radiation tracks together with an “instantaneous pulse” irradiation model. Our calculations show a pronounced oxygen depletion around 0.2 μs, strongly suggesting, as with electrons, photons and protons, that irradiation with energetic carbon ions at ultra-high dose rates is suitable for FLASH-RT.

First-Principles Simulations of Biological Molecules Subjected to Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing rays cause damage to genomes, proteins, and signaling pathways that normally regulate cell activity, with harmful consequences such as accelerated aging, tumors, and cancers but also with beneficial effects in the context of radiotherapies. While the great pace of research in the twentieth century led to the identification of the molecular mechanisms for chemical lesions on the building blocks of biomacromolecules, the last two decades have brought renewed questions, for example, regarding the formation of clustered damage or the rich chemistry involving the secondary electrons produced by radiolysis. Radiation chemistry is now meeting attosecond science, providing extraordinary opportunities to unravel the very first stages of biological matter radiolysis. This review provides an overview of the recent progress made in this direction, focusing mainly on the atto- to femto- to picosecond timescales. We review promising applications of time-dependent density functional theory in this context.