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Yin JF, Amidani L, Chen J, Li M, Xue B, Lai Y, Kvashnina K, Nyman M, Yin P. Spatiotemporal Studies of Soluble Inorganic Nanostructures with X-rays and Neutrons. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202310953. [PMID: 37749062 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202310953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
This Review addresses the use of X-ray and neutron scattering as well as X-ray absorption to describe how inorganic nanostructured materials assemble, evolve, and function in solution. We first provide an overview of techniques and instrumentation (both large user facilities and benchtop). We review recent studies of soluble inorganic nanostructure assembly, covering the disciplines of materials synthesis, processes in nature, nuclear materials, and the widely applicable fundamental processes of hydrophobic interactions and ion pairing. Reviewed studies cover size regimes and length scales ranging from sub-Ångström (coordination chemistry and ion pairing) to several nanometers (molecular clusters, i.e. polyoxometalates, polyoxocations, and metal-organic polyhedra), to the mesoscale (supramolecular assembly processes). Reviewed studies predominantly exploit 1) SAXS/WAXS/SANS (small- and wide-angle X-ray or neutron scattering), 2) PDF (pair-distribution function analysis of X-ray total scattering), and 3) XANES and EXAFS (X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure, respectively). While the scattering techniques provide structural information, X-ray absorption yields the oxidation state in addition to the local coordination. Our goal for this Review is to provide information and inspiration for the inorganic/materials science communities that may benefit from elucidating the role of solution speciation in natural and synthetic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Fu Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Lucia Amidani
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF, The European Synchrotron, CS40220, 38043, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
- Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) P.O. Box 510119, 01314, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jiadong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Mu Li
- Institute of Advanced Science Facilities, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Binghui Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Yuyan Lai
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Kristina Kvashnina
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF, The European Synchrotron, CS40220, 38043, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
- Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) P.O. Box 510119, 01314, Dresden, Germany
| | - May Nyman
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97330, USA
| | - Panchao Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
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Pintea M, Mason N, Peiró-Franch A, Clark E, Samanta K, Glessi C, Schmidtke IL, Luxford T. Dissociative electron attachment to gold(I)-based compounds: 4,5-dichloro-1,3-diethyl-imidazolylidene trifluoromethyl gold(I). Front Chem 2023; 11:1028008. [PMID: 37405247 PMCID: PMC10315492 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1028008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
With the use of proton-NMR and powder XRD (XRPD) studies, the suitability of specific Au-focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) precursors has been investigated with low electron energy, structure, excited states and resonances, structural crystal modifications, flexibility, and vaporization level. 4,5-Dichloro-1,3-diethyl-imidazolylidene trifluoromethyl gold(I) is a compound that is a uniquely designed precursor to meet the needs of focused electron beam-induced deposition at the nanostructure level, which proves its capability in creating high purity structures, and its growing importance in other AuImx and AuClnB (where x and n are the number of radicals, B = CH, CH3, or Br) compounds in the radiation cancer therapy increases the efforts to design more suitable bonds in processes of SEM (scanning electron microscopy) deposition and in gas-phase studies. The investigation performed of its powder shape using the XRPD XPERT3 panalytical diffractometer based on CoKα lines shows changes to its structure with change in temperature, level of vacuum, and light; the sensitivity of this compound makes it highly interesting in particular to the radiation research. Used in FEBID, though its smaller number of C, H, and O atoms has lower levels of C contamination in the structures and on the surface, it replaces these bonds with C-Cl and C-N bonds that have lower bond-breaking energy. However, it still needs an extra purification step in the deposition process, either H2O, O2, or H jets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Pintea
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel Mason
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Peiró-Franch
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Ewan Clark
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Kushal Samanta
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Thomas Luxford
- Department of Chemistry, J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
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Kobayashi T, Fushimi T, Mizukoshi H, Motokawa R, Sasaki T. Structural Approach to Understanding the Formation of Amorphous Metal Hydroxides. Langmuir 2022; 38:14656-14665. [PMID: 36399660 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the formation of amorphous tetravalent metal hydroxides, M(OH)4, based on the structural analysis by small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) and on the electrical potential charge near the surface of M(OH)4 particles. The amorphous zirconium hydroxide solid phases that aged in NaCl and CaCl2 solutions at 25 °C exhibited a hierarchical structure consisting of primary particles of a few nanometers in size and their aggregates more than 100 nm in size. The SWAXS profiles suggested that the size of the primary particles depends on the ionic strength and electrolytes in the sample solutions. The smaller size of the primary particles observed in solutions with higher ionic strength can be explained by the thinner electrical double layer. Additionally, we focused on the ζ potentials of M(OH)4 suspensions in NaCl, NaNO3, and CaCl2 solutions. With the aid of reference systems of metal oxides, MO2, it was found that the ζ potentials were well interpreted by a traditional surface ionization and complexation model, and the size distributions of large aggregates were explained by the classical Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory with the ζ potential values. The present study suggests the formation mechanism of amorphous metal hydroxides through a combination of structural analysis and investigation of electrical potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taishi Kobayashi
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto615-8540, Japan
| | - Tomokazu Fushimi
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto615-8540, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Mizukoshi
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto615-8540, Japan
| | - Ryuhei Motokawa
- Materials Sciences Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Tokai, Naka-gun, Ibaraki319-1195, Japan
| | - Takayuki Sasaki
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto615-8540, Japan
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Virot M, Dumas T, Cot-Auriol M, Moisy P, Nikitenko SI. Synthesis and multi-scale properties of PuO 2 nanoparticles: recent advances and open questions. Nanoscale Adv 2022; 4:4938-4971. [PMID: 36504736 PMCID: PMC9680947 DOI: 10.1039/d2na00306f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Due to the increased attention given to actinide nanomaterials, the question of their structure-property relationship is on the spotlight of recent publications. Plutonium oxide (PuO2) particularly plays a central role in nuclear energetics and a comprehensive knowledge about its properties when nanosizing is of paramount interest to understand its behaviour in environmental migration schemes but also for the development of advanced nuclear energy systems underway. The element plutonium further stimulates the curiosity of scientists due to the unique physical and chemical properties it exhibits around the periodic table. PuO2 crystallizes in the fluorite structure of the face-centered cubic system for which the properties can be significantly affected when shrinking. Identifying the formation mechanism of PuO2 nanoparticles, their related atomic, electronic and crystalline structures, and their reactivity in addition to their nanoscale properties, appears to be a fascinating and challenging ongoing topic, whose recent advances are discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Virot
- ICSM, Univ Montpellier, CEA, CNRS, ENSCM Marcoule France
| | - Thomas Dumas
- CEA, DEN, DMRC, Univ Montpellier Marcoule France
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Kiefer C, Neill T, Cevirim-Papaioannou N, Schild D, Gaona X, Vitova T, Dardenne K, Rothe J, Altmaier M, Geckeis H. Interlink between solubility, structure, surface and thermodynamics in the ThO2(s, hyd)–H2O(l) system. Front Chem 2022; 10:1042709. [DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1042709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of temperature on a freshly precipitated ThO2(am, hyd) solid phase was investigated using a combination of undersaturation solubility experiments and a multi-method approach for the characterization of the solid phase. XRD and EXAFS confirm that ageing of ThO2(am, hyd) at T = 80°C promotes a significant increase of the particle size and crystallinity. TG-DTA and XPS support that the ageing process is accompanied by an important decrease in the number of hydration waters/hydroxide groups in the original amorphous Th(IV) hydrous oxide. However, while clear differences between the structure of freshly precipitated ThO2(am, hyd) and aged samples were observed, the characterization methods used in this work are unable to resolve clear differences between solid phases aged for different time periods or at different pH values. Solubility experiments conducted at T = 22°C with fresh and aged Th(IV) solid phases show a systematic decrease in the solubility of the solid phases aged at T = 80°C. In contrast to the observations gained by solid phase characterization, the ageing time and ageing pH significantly affect the solubility measured at T = 22°C. These observations can be consistently explained considering a solubility control by the outermost surface of the ThO2(s, hyd) solid, which cannot be properly probed by any of the techniques considered in this work. Solubility data are used to derive the thermodynamic properties (log *K°s,0, ΔfG°m) of the investigated solid phases, and discussed in terms of particle size using the Schindler equation. These results provide new insights on the interlink between solubility, structure, surface and thermodynamics in the ThO2(s, hyd)–H2O(l) system, with special emphasis on the transformation of the amorphous hydrous/hydroxide solid phases into the thermodynamically stable crystalline oxides.
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Affiliation(s)
- George E. Cutsail III
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Stiftstr. 34-36, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5-7, 45117 Essen, Germany
| | - Serena DeBeer
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Stiftstr. 34-36, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
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Kvashnina KO, Butorin SM. High-energy resolution X-ray spectroscopy at actinide M 4,5 and ligand K edges: what we know, what we want to know, and what we can know. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:327-342. [PMID: 34874022 PMCID: PMC8725612 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc04851a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, scientists have progressively recognized the role of electronic structures in the characterization of chemical properties for actinide containing materials. High-energy resolution X-ray spectroscopy at the actinide M4,5 edges emerged as a promising direction because this method can probe actinide properties at the atomic level through the possibility of reducing the experimental spectral width below the natural core-hole lifetime broadening. Parallel to the technical developments of the X-ray method and experimental discoveries, theoretical models, describing the observed electronic structure phenomena, have also advanced. In this feature article, we describe the latest progress in the field of high-energy resolution X-ray spectroscopy at the actinide M4,5 and ligand K edges and we show that the methods are able to (a) provide fingerprint information on the actinide oxidation state and ground state characters (b) probe 5f occupancy, non-stoichiometry, defects, and ligand/metal ratio and (c) investigate the local symmetry and effects of the crystal field. We discuss the chemical aspects of the electronic structure in terms familiar to chemists and materials scientists and conclude with a brief description of new opportunities and approaches to improve the experimental methodology and theoretical analysis for f-electron systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina O Kvashnina
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF, The European Synchrotron, CS40220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.
- Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), PO Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Sergei M Butorin
- Condensed Matter Physics of Energy Materials, X-ray Photon Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 516, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden.
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Schacherl B, Prüssmann T, Dardenne K, Hardock K, Krepper V, Rothe J, Vitova T, Geckeis H. Implementation of cryogenic tender X-ray HR-XANES spectroscopy at the ACT station of the CAT-ACT beamline at the KIT Light Source. J Synchrotron Radiat 2022; 29:80-88. [PMID: 34985425 PMCID: PMC8733978 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577521012650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The ACT experimental station of the CAT-ACT wiggler beamline at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Light Source is dedicated to the investigation of radionuclide materials with radioactivities up to 1000000 times the exemption limit by various speciation techniques applying monochromatic X-rays. In this article, the latest technological developments at the ACT station that enable high-resolution X-ray absorption near-edge structure (HR-XANES) spectroscopy for low radionuclide loading samples are highlighted - encompassing the investigation of actinide elements down to 1 p.p.m. concentration - combined with a cryogenic sample environment reducing beam-induced sample alterations. One important part of this development is a versatile gas tight plexiglass encasement ensuring that all beam paths in the five-analyzer-crystal Johann-type X-ray emission spectrometer run within He atmosphere. The setup enables the easy exchange between different experiments (conventional X-ray absorption fine structure, HR-XANES, high-energy or wide-angle X-ray scattering, tender to hard X-ray spectroscopy) and opens up the possibility for the investigation of environmental samples, such as specimens containing transuranium elements from contaminated land sites or samples from sorption and diffusion experiments to mimic the far field of a breached nuclear waste repository.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Schacherl
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Tim Prüssmann
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Kathy Dardenne
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Kirsten Hardock
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Volker Krepper
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Jörg Rothe
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Tonya Vitova
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Horst Geckeis
- Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
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Sergentu DC, Autschbach J. Covalency in Actinide(IV) Hexachlorides in Relation to Chlorine K-Edge X-ray Absorption Structure. Chem Sci 2022; 13:3194-3207. [PMID: 35414875 PMCID: PMC8926251 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc06454a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlorine K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) in actinideIV hexachlorides, [AnCl6]2− (An = Th–Pu), is calculated with relativistic multiconfiguration wavefunction theory (WFT). Of particular focus is a 3-peak feature emerging from U toward Pu, and its assignment in terms of donation bonding to the An 5f vs. 6d shells. With or without spin–orbit coupling, the calculated and previously measured XANES spectra are in excellent agreement with respect to relative peak positions, relative peak intensities, and peak assignments. Metal–ligand bonding analyses from WFT and Kohn–Sham theory (KST) predict comparable An 5f and 6d covalency from U to Np and Pu. Although some frontier molecular orbitals in the KST calculations display increasing An 5f–Cl 3p mixing from Th to Pu, because of energetic stabilization of 5f relative to the Cl 3p combinations of the matching symmetry, increasing hybridization is neither seen in the WFT natural orbitals, nor is it reflected in the calculated bond orders. The appearance of the pre-edge peaks from U to Pu and their relative intensities are rationalized simply by the energetic separation of transitions to 6d t2gversus transitions to weakly-bonded and strongly stabilized a2u, t2u and t1u orbitals with 5f character. The study highlights potential pitfalls when interpreting XANES spectra based on ground state Kohn–Sham molecular orbitals. Chlorine K-edge XANES of An(iv) hexachlorides, calculated with multiconfiguration wavefunction theory, is interpreted in terms of similar metal–ligand covalency along the An = Th–Pu series.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Dumitru-Claudiu Sergentu
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260-3000 USA
| | - Jochen Autschbach
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260-3000 USA
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Hurley DH, El-Azab A, Bryan MS, Cooper MWD, Dennett CA, Gofryk K, He L, Khafizov M, Lander GH, Manley ME, Mann JM, Marianetti CA, Rickert K, Selim FA, Tonks MR, Wharry JP. Thermal Energy Transport in Oxide Nuclear Fuel. Chem Rev 2021; 122:3711-3762. [PMID: 34919381 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To efficiently capture the energy of the nuclear bond, advanced nuclear reactor concepts seek solid fuels that must withstand unprecedented temperature and radiation extremes. In these advanced fuels, thermal energy transport under irradiation is directly related to reactor performance as well as reactor safety. The science of thermal transport in nuclear fuel is a grand challenge as a result of both computational and experimental complexities. Here we provide a comprehensive review of thermal transport research on two actinide oxides: one currently in use in commercial nuclear reactors, uranium dioxide (UO2), and one advanced fuel candidate material, thorium dioxide (ThO2). In both materials, heat is carried by lattice waves or phonons. Crystalline defects caused by fission events effectively scatter phonons and lead to a degradation in fuel performance over time. Bolstered by new computational and experimental tools, researchers are now developing the foundational work necessary to accurately model and ultimately control thermal transport in advanced nuclear fuels. We begin by reviewing research aimed at understanding thermal transport in perfect single crystals. The absence of defects enables studies that focus on the fundamental aspects of phonon transport. Next, we review research that targets defect generation and evolution. Here the focus is on ion irradiation studies used as surrogates for damage caused by fission products. We end this review with a discussion of modeling and experimental efforts directed at predicting and validating mesoscale thermal transport in the presence of irradiation defects. While efforts in these research areas have been robust, challenging work remains in developing holistic tools to capture and predict thermal energy transport across widely varying environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H Hurley
- Idaho National Laboratory, 1955 North Fremont Avenue, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415, United States
| | - Anter El-Azab
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 701 West Stadium Avenue, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Matthew S Bryan
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Michael W D Cooper
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, United States
| | - Cody A Dennett
- Idaho National Laboratory, 1955 North Fremont Avenue, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415, United States
| | - Krzysztof Gofryk
- Idaho National Laboratory, 1955 North Fremont Avenue, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415, United States
| | - Lingfeng He
- Idaho National Laboratory, 1955 North Fremont Avenue, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415, United States
| | - Marat Khafizov
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, 201 West 19th Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Gerard H Lander
- European Commission, Joint Research Center, Postfach 2340, D-76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Michael E Manley
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - J Matthew Mann
- U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensors Directorate, 2241 Avionics Circle, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Chris A Marianetti
- Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, 500 West 120th Street, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Karl Rickert
- KBR, 2601 Mission Point Boulevard, Suite 300, Dayton, Ohio 45431, United States
| | - Farida A Selim
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bowling Green State University, 705 Ridge Street, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, United States
| | - Michael R Tonks
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, 158 Rhines Hall, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Janelle P Wharry
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 701 West Stadium Avenue, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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Amidani L, Retegan M, Volkova A, Popa K, Martin PM, Kvashnina KO. Probing the Local Coordination of Hexavalent Uranium and the Splitting of 5f Orbitals Induced by Chemical Bonding. Inorg Chem 2021; 60:16286-16293. [PMID: 34677932 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c02107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We report here a detailed experimental and theoretical investigation of hexavalent uranium in various local configurations with a high-energy-resolution fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption near-edge structure at the U M4 edge. We show the pronounced sensitivity of the technique to the arrangement of atoms around the absorber and provide a detailed theoretical interpretation revealing the nature of spectral features. Calculations based on density functional theory and on crystal field multiplet theory indicate that for all local configurations analyzed, the main peak corresponds to nonbonding 5f orbitals, and the highest energy peak corresponds to antibonding 5f orbitals. Our findings agree with the accepted interpretation of uranyl spectral features and embed the latter in a broader field of view, which interprets the spectra of a large variety of U6+-containing samples on a common theoretical ground.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Amidani
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF, The European Synchrotron, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.,Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany
| | - Marius Retegan
- ESRF-The European Synchrotron, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Anna Volkova
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Karin Popa
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate, Karlsruhe 76344, Germany
| | - Philippe M Martin
- CEA, DES, ISEC, DMRC, University of Montpellier, Marcoule, 30207 Bagnols sur Cèze, France
| | - Kristina O Kvashnina
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF, The European Synchrotron, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.,Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
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Straub MD, Ouellette ET, Boreen MA, Branson JA, Ditter A, Kilcoyne ALD, Lohrey TD, Marcus MA, Paley M, Ramirez J, Shuh DK, Minasian SG, Arnold J. Thorium amidates function as single-source molecular precursors for thorium dioxide. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:4954-4957. [PMID: 33876158 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc00867f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We report the synthesis of four homoleptic thorium(iv) amidate complexes as single-source molecular precursors for thorium dioxide. Each can be sublimed at atmospheric pressure, with the substituents on the amidate ligands significantly impacting their volatility and thermal stability. These complexes decompose via alkene elimination to give ThO2 without need for a secondary oxygen source. ThO2 samples formed from pyrolysis of C-alkyl amidates were found to have higher purity and crystallinity than ThO2 samples formed from C-aryl amidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Straub
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Erik T Ouellette
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Michael A Boreen
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Jacob A Branson
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Alex Ditter
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | | | - Trevor D Lohrey
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | | | - Maria Paley
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - José Ramirez
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - David K Shuh
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | | | - John Arnold
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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Amidani L, Vaughan GBM, Plakhova TV, Romanchuk AY, Gerber E, Svetogorov R, Weiss S, Joly Y, Kalmykov SN, Kvashnina KO. The Application of HEXS and HERFD XANES for Accurate Structural Characterisation of Actinide Nanomaterials: The Case of ThO 2. Chemistry 2021; 27:252-263. [PMID: 32956492 PMCID: PMC7839789 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202003360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The structural characterisation of actinide nanoparticles (NPs) is of primary importance and hard to achieve, especially for non-homogeneous samples with NPs less than 3 nm. By combining high-energy X-ray scattering (HEXS) and high-energy-resolution fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption near-edge structure (HERFD XANES) analysis, we have characterised for the first time both the short- and medium-range order of ThO2 NPs obtained by chemical precipitation. By using this methodology, a novel insight into the structures of NPs at different stages of their formation has been achieved. The pair distribution function revealed a high concentration of ThO2 small units similar to thorium hexamer clusters mixed with 1 nm ThO2 NPs in the initial steps of formation. Drying the precipitates at around 150 °C promoted the recrystallisation of the smallest units into more thermodynamically stable ThO2 NPs. HERFD XANES analysis at the thorium M4 edge, a direct probe for f states, showed variations that we have correlated with the breakdown of the local symmetry around the thorium atoms, which most likely concerns surface atoms. Together, HEXS and HERFD XANES are a powerful methodology for investigating actinide NPs and their formation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Amidani
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRFThe European SynchrotronCS4022038043Grenoble Cedex 9France
- Institute of Resource EcologyHelmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), PO Box 51011901314DresdenGermany
| | | | | | - Anna Yu. Romanchuk
- Department of ChemistryLomonosov Moscow State University119991MoscowRussia
| | - Evgeny Gerber
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRFThe European SynchrotronCS4022038043Grenoble Cedex 9France
- Department of ChemistryLomonosov Moscow State University119991MoscowRussia
| | - Roman Svetogorov
- National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”123182MoscowRussia
| | - Stephan Weiss
- Institute of Resource EcologyHelmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), PO Box 51011901314DresdenGermany
| | - Yves Joly
- CNRS, Grenoble INPInstitut NéelUniversité Grenoble Alpes38042GrenobleFrance
| | - Stepan N. Kalmykov
- Department of ChemistryLomonosov Moscow State University119991MoscowRussia
| | - Kristina O. Kvashnina
- The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRFThe European SynchrotronCS4022038043Grenoble Cedex 9France
- Institute of Resource EcologyHelmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), PO Box 51011901314DresdenGermany
- Department of ChemistryLomonosov Moscow State University119991MoscowRussia
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