In order to investigate the interaction between radon progeny and particles, an experimental campaign was carried out in a radon chamber at the Italian National Institute of Ionizing Radiation Metrology, quantifying the amount of attached and unattached radon daughters present in air, as well as the equilibrium factor in the presence of particles generated through indoor sources. A fixed radon concentration was maintained, while particles were generated using incense sticks, mosquito coils and gas combustion. Aerosols were characterized in terms of particle concentrations and size distributions. Simultaneously, radon concentration and attached/unattached potential alpha energy concentration in the air were continuously monitored by two different devices, based on alpha spectroscopy techniques. The presence of particles was found to affect the attached fraction of radon decay products, in such a way that the particles acted as a sink for radionuclides. In terms of sources which emit large particles (e.g. incense, mosquito coils), which greatly increase particle surface area concentrations, the Equilibrium Factor was found to double with respect to the background level before particle generation sessions. On the contrary, the radon decay product dynamics were not influenced by gas combustion processes, mainly due to the small surface area of the particles emitted.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.04.051 | DOI Listing |
J Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Liquid Sunlight Alliance, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
The electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) holds enormous potential as a carbon-neutral route to the sustainable production of fuels and platform chemicals. The durability for long-term operation is currently inadequate for commercialization, however, and the underlying deactivation process remains elusive. A fundamental understanding of the degradation mechanism of electrocatalysts, which can dictate the overall device performance, is needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Mater
January 2025
Institute for Advanced Materials & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Laboratory-scale spin-coating techniques are widely employed for fabricating small-size, high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. However, achieving large-area, high-uniformity perovskite films and thus high-efficiency solar cell devices remain challenging due to the complex fluid dynamics and drying behaviors of perovskite precursor solutions during large-area fabrication processes. In this work, a high-quality, pinhole-free, large-area FAPbI perovskite film is successfully obtained via scalable blade-coating technology, assisted by a novel bidirectional Marangoni convection strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMikrochim Acta
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, 22511, AlBeheira, Egypt.
The hydrothermal synthesis is presented of copper-doped carbon dots (Cu-CDs) from citric acid, urea, and copper chloride, resulting in blue-fluorescent particles with stable emission at 438 nm when excited at 340 nm. Through comprehensive spectroscopic and microscopic characterization (FTIR, XPS, UV, and HRTEM), the Cu-CDs demonstrated remarkable stability across varying pH levels, ionic strengths, temperatures, and UV exposure. Notably, Cu-CDs exhibit ultra-sensitive and selective detection of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] ions in aqueous environments driven by fluorescence quenching.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized lipid bilayer particles released by various cellular organisms that carry an array of bioactive molecules. EVs have diagnostic potential, as they play a role in intercellular interspecies communication, and could be applied in drug delivery. In contrast to mammalian cell-derived EVs, the study of EVs from bacteria, particularly Gram-positive bacteria, received less research attention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNature
January 2025
Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.
Realizing quantum control and entanglement of particles is crucial for advancing both quantum technologies and fundamental science. Substantial developments in this domain have been achieved in a variety of systems. In this context, ultracold polar molecules offer new and unique opportunities because of their more complex internal structure associated with vibration and rotation, coupled with the existence of long-range interactions.
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