Bi-Reduced Graphene Oxide Composites for the Enhanced Capture and Cold Immobilization of Off-Gas Radioactive Iodine.

Radioactive waste management is critical for maintaining the sustainability of nuclear fuel cycles. In this study, we propose a novel bismuth-based reduced graphene oxide (Bi-rGO) composite for the immobilization of off-gas radioactive iodine. This material synthesized via a solvothermal route exhibited a low surface area (2.

Effects of Cold Sintering on the Performance of Zeolite 13X as a Consolidated Adsorbent for Cesium.

Cold sintering, a novel low-temperature consolidation technique, has shown promising results in various inorganic materials. However, the application of this technique to nanoporous materials for energy and environmental fields is not yet fully understood. This study investigates the effects of cold sintering on the relative densities, compressive strengths, chemical durabilities, crystal structures, specific surface areas, and adsorption capacities of zeolites.

Surface decontamination of protective duplex oxide layers on stainless steel waste using deep eutectic solvents.

The decontamination capabilities of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) formed from choline chloride (ChCl) and p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate (PtsA), ChCl:PtsA, under different conditions (hydrated, heated, and agitated) were tested with simulant oxidized stainless steel 304 specimens. Although the leaching rates were satisfactory under all conditions, hydrated and stirred ChCl:PtsA at 60 °C showed the fastest leaching rate of 0.1647 mg/min.

Non-volatile immobilization of iodine by the cold-sintering of iodosodalite.

A cold-sintering process at a very low temperature (300 °C) achieved stable immobilization of simulated radioiodine waste incorporated in sodalite (iodosodalite). The reported sintering temperature was much lower than conventional ceramic waste form processing temperatures (600-1100 °C) and had no effect on the stability of the loaded iodine waste. Excellent iodine retention (>93%) with relative sintered density 91% were achieved by the cold-sintering at 300 °C, respectively.

Efficient immobilization of ionic corrosion products by a silica-hydroxyapatite composite a cold sintering route.

We have successfully demonstrated a new method of radioactive waste immobilization by hosting a waste-bearing form in another waste matrix. A cold sintering route was used to consolidate a silica-incorporated hydroxyapatite (Si-HAp) composite at 200 °C by applying a uniaxial pressure of 500 MPa for a short holding time of 10 min. The higher relative sintered density of up to 98.

Immobilization of radioactive corrosion products by cold sintering of pure hydroxyapatite.

An efficient method for the consolidation of cobalt (Co(II)) adsorbed calcium hydroxyapatite was investigated to develop a simplified route for decontamination of the coolant system of nuclear power plants and direct immobilization of as-spent adsorbent. Calcium hydroxyapatite nano-powder synthesized by a wet precipitation method was used as an adsorbent and 94% Co(II) surrogate removal from simulated water was measured. The as-spent adsorbent was sintered at 200 °C, a temperature significantly lower than conventional sintering temperatures (900-1300 °C) for hydroxyapatite, under a uniaxial pressure of 500 MPa for 10 min.

High-entropy alloy strengthened by in situ formation of entropy-stabilized nano-dispersoids.

A significant increase in compressive yield strength of the AlCoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) from 979 MPa to 1759 MPa was observed upon the introduction of 3 vol.% YO. The HEAs were processed using spark plasma sintering of mechanically alloyed powders.

Synthesis of Chemically Ordered PtFe/C Intermetallic Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction with Enhanced Activity and Durability via a Removable Carbon Coating.

Recently, PtM (M = Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, etc.) intermetallic compounds have been highlighted as promising candidates for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. In general, to form those intermetallic compounds, alloy phase nanoparticles are synthesized and then heat-treated at a high temperature.

Powder Metallurgy Processing of a WTaTiVCr High-Entropy Alloy and Its Derivative Alloys for Fusion Material Applications.

The WTaTiVCr high-entropy alloy with 32at.% of tungsten (W) and its derivative alloys with 42 to 90at.% of W with in-situ TiC were prepared via the mixing of elemental W, Ta, Ti, V and Cr powders followed by spark plasma sintering for the development of reduced-activation alloys for fusion plasma-facing materials.

Enhancement of toughness and wear resistance in boron nitride nanoplatelet (BNNP) reinforced Si3N4 nanocomposites.

Ceramics have superior hardness, strength and corrosion resistance, but are also associated with poor toughness. Here, we propose the boron nitride nanoplatelet (BNNP) as a novel toughening reinforcement component to ceramics with outstanding mechanical properties and high-temperature stability. We used a planetary ball-milling process to exfoliate BNNPs in a scalable manner and functionalizes them with polystyrene sulfonate.

Enhanced Electrical Networks of Stretchable Conductors with Small Fraction of Carbon Nanotube/Graphene Hybrid Fillers.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene are known to be good conductive fillers due to their favorable electrical properties and high aspect ratios and have been investigated for application as stretchable composite conductors. A stretchable conducting nanocomposite should have a small fraction of conductive filler material to maintain stretchability. Here we demonstrate enhanced electrical networks of nanocomposites via the use of a CNT-graphene hybrid system using a small mass fraction of conductive filler.

Scalable exfoliation process for highly soluble boron nitride nanoplatelets by hydroxide-assisted ball milling.

The scalable preparation of two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is essential for practical applications. Despite intense research in this area, high-yield production of two-dimensional h-BN with large-size and high solubility remains a key challenge. In the present work, we propose a scalable exfoliation process for hydroxyl-functionalized BN nanoplatelets (OH-BNNPs) by a simple ball milling of BN powders in the presence of sodium hydroxide via the synergetic effect of chemical peeling and mechanical shear forces.