Surface water and sediments from the Jackpile mine, St. Anthony mine, Rio Paguate, Rio Moquino, and Mesita Dam areas near Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico, were analyzed for Ra and U using gamma (γ) spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, respectively. Activity ratios for Ra/U for solid samples range from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBenjamin Franklin was a preeminent proponent of the new colonial and Continental paper monetary system in 18th-century America. He established a network of printers, designing and printing money notes at the same time. Franklin recognized the necessity of paper money in breaking American dependence on the British trading system, and he helped print Continental money to finance the American War of Independence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUranium dioxide (UO), the primary fuel for commercial nuclear reactors, incorporates excess oxygen forming a series of hyperstoichiometric oxides. Thin layers of these oxides, such as UO, form readily on the fuel surface and influence its properties, performance, and potentially geologic disposal. This work reports a rapid and straightforward combustion process in solutions to prepare UO nanomaterials and thin films.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCombustion synthesis in uranyl nitrate-acetylacetone-2-methoxyethanol solutions was used to deposit thin UO films on aluminum substrates to investigate the irradiation-induced restructuring processes. Thermal analysis revealed that the combustion reactions in these solutions are initiated at ∼160 °C. The heat released during the process and the subsequent brief annealing at 400 °C allow the deposition of polycrystalline films with 5-10 nm UO grains.
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