Subcriticality control elements in a reactor system with an extended plasma source of neutrons with regard for temperature

Materials have been selected for the shim rods and burnable absorbers to compensate for the excessive reactivity of the facility’s blanket part and to provide for the possibility of reactivity control in conjunction with a plasma source of neutrons. Burnable absorber is a layer of zirconium diboride (ZrB2) with a thickness of 100 μm applied to the surface of fuel compacts. Boron carbide (B4C) rods installed in the helium flow channels and used to bring the entire system into a state with keff = 0.95 have been selected as the shim rod material. Throughout its operating cycle, the facility is subcritical and is controlled using the neutron flux from the plasma source. Verified codes, WIMS-D5B (ENDF/B-VII.0) and MCU5TPU (MCUDВ50), as well as a modern system of constants were used for the calculations. The facility’s neutronic performance was simulated with regard for the changes in the inner structure and temperature of the microencapsulated fuel and fuel compact materials caused by long-term irradiation and by the migration of fission fragments and gaseous chemical compounds.

Application of PEDOT:PSS and Its Composites in Electrochemical and Electronic Chemosensors

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is a highly important and attractive conducting polymer as well as commercially available in organic electronics, including electrochemical and electronic chemosensors, due to its unique features such as excellent solution-fabrication capability and miscibility, high and controllable conductivity, excellent chemical and electrochemical stability, good optical transparency and biocompatibility. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the recent research progress of PEDOT:PSS and its composites, and the application in electrochemical and electronic sensors for detecting liquid-phase or gaseous chemical analytes, including inorganic or organic ions, pH, humidity, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ammonia (NH3), CO, CO2, NO2, and organic solvent vapors like methanol, acetone, etc. We will discuss in detail the structural, architectural and morphological optimization of PEDOT:PSS and its composites with other additives, as well as the fabrication technology of diverse sensor systems in response to a wide range of analytes in varying environments. At the end of the review will be given a perspective summary covering both the key challenges and potential solutions in the future research of PEDOT:PSS-based chemosensors, especially those in a flexible or wearable format.