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Ion-irradiation resistance of the orthorhombic Ln2TiO5 (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb and Dy) series.
No full textThe response of Ln2TiO5 (where Ln is a lanthanide) compounds exposed to high-energy ions was used to test their suitability for nuclear-based applications, under two different but complementary conditions. Eight samples with nominal stoichiometry Ln2TiO5 (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb and Dy), of orthorhombic (Pnma) structure were irradiated, at various temperatures, with 1 MeV Kr2+ ions in-situ within a transmission electron microscope. In each case, the fluence was increased until a phase transition from crystalline to amorphous was observed, termed critical dose Dc.
At certain elevated temperatures, the crystallinity was maintained irrespective of fluence. The critical temperature for maintaining crystallinity, Tc, varied non-uniformly across the series. The Tc was consistently high for La, Pr, Nd and Sm2TiO5 before sequential improvement from Eu to Dy2TiO5 with Tc's dropping from 974 K to 712 K.
In addition, bulk Dy2TiO5 was irradiated with 12 MeV Au+ ions at 300 K, 723 K and 823 K and monitored via grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). At 300 K, only amorphisation is observed, with no transition to other structures, whilst at higher temperatures, specimens retained their original structure. The improved radiation tolerance of compounds containing smaller lanthanides has previously been attributed to their ability to form radiation-induced phase transitions. No such transitions were observed here.
© 2017 Elsevier B.V
A combined single crystal neutron/X-ray diffraction and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance study of the hybrid perovskites CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I, Br and Cl)
No full textThe 1H and 13C NMR spectra in methylammonium lead halide perovskites, CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I, Br and Cl) show that the CH3NH3+ units undergo dynamic reorientation, as the organic component tumbles in the perovskite cage. In addition, the differences in the anomalously long relaxation times of the protons associated with the CH3 and not the NH3 groups indicate that only the amine end of the CH3NH3+ group is interacting with the inorganic network. Using this information, we have refined some single crystal X-ray and neutron diffraction data to probe their unusual structures in more detail. Furthermore, impedance spectroscopy has been used to monitor the high-temperature phase transition of CH3NH3PbI3, which confirms a significant increase in conductivity, when it is in its high temperature and higher symmetry structural regime. The optical band-gaps of each halide perovskite were determined using UV-visible spectroscopy and are consistent with previous reports. © Royal Society of Chemistr
Accumulation of plutonium in mammalian wildlife tissues following dispersal by accidental-release tests
No full textWe examined the distribution of plutonium (Pu) in the tissues of mammalian wildlife inhabiting the relatively undisturbed, semi-arid former Taranaki weapons test site, Maralinga, Australia. The accumulation of absorbed Pu was highest in the skeleton (83% ± 6%), followed by muscle (10% ± 9%), liver (6% ± 6%), kidneys (0.6% ± 0.4%), and blood (0.2%). Pu activity concentrations in lung tissues were elevated relative to the body average. Foetal transfer was higher in the wildlife data than in previous laboratory studies. The amount of Pu in the gastrointestinal tract was highly elevated relative to that absorbed within the body, potentially increasing transfer of Pu to wildlife and human consumers that may ingest gastrointestinal tract organs. The Pu distribution in the Maralinga mammalian wildlife generally aligns with previous studies related to environmental exposure (e.g. Pu in humans from worldwide fallout), but contrasts with the partitioning models that have traditionally been used for human worker-protection purposes (approximately equal deposition in bone and liver) which appear to under-predict the skeletal accumulation in environmental exposure conditions. © 2015, Elsevier Ltd
Insights from geochemistry and diatoms to characterise a tsunami's deposit and maximum inundation limit
No full textGeochemical proxies and diatom assemblages were used in combination with grain size characteristics not only to describe the deposit left behind by the 27 February 2010, Maule tsunami at Las Cañas, Maule Region, Chile, but also to trace the maximum inundation limit of the event. The sandy deposit was laid down between 160 and 260 m inland behind an eroded sand dune and a lagoon but reached only 60% of the total tsunami inundation distance of 380 m, which was marked by organic debris, pumice clasts and wooden logs. It consisted of coarse to medium sand that thinned and fined inland. At the most seaward point, the 22 cm thick deposit exhibited a fining upward unit overlain by a couplet of coarsening–fining upward units, suggesting deposition by at least two waves, while farther inland the fining upward deposit was probably left behind by only one wave. Chemical proxies (Ca/Ti vs Sr/Ba) allow us to distinguish the deposit from the surrounding soil and indicate that it was sourced from the beach and/or dune area, with diatom assemblages confirming the marine origin of the deposit. Saltwater indicators (e.g. Cl, S) provide evidence for the maximum inundation limit beyond the extent of the sandy deposit, despite dilution and dissolution by 500 mm of rainfall in the six months since the tsunami. Marine and marine/brackish diatom assemblages decreased landward but were found up to the inundation limit and immediately beyond, suggesting the effect of diatom-bearing sea spray at the wave front or redistribution of the detrital assemblage associated with tsunami inundation due to wind. While the latter might result in a slight over-estimation of the inundation distance, they can be used in combination with chemical proxies to trace the maximum inundation distance of recent and past tsunamis, thus allowing for a better estimation of the magnitude of past events. Post-depositional processes were found to have affected the thinner sandy deposits (< 5 cm), suggesting that these are unlikely to be preserved in the geological record. This highlights the need to be able to trace the tsunami inundation limit with geochemical and/or diatom proxies without having to rely on sedimentological evidence, as it is now widely recognised that conventional approaches used by tsunami researchers have led to an under-estimation of previous events.© 2014, Elsevier B.V
An in situ study of sintering behavior and phase transformation Kinetics in NiTi using neutron diffraction
No full textThe powder sintering behavior of NiTi from an elemental powder mixture of Ni/Ti has been investigated, using an in situ neutron diffraction technique. In the sintered alloys, the overall porosity ranges from 9.2 to 15.6 pct, while the open-to-overall porosity ratio is between 8.3 and 63.7 pct and largely depends on the sintering temperature. In comparison to powder compacts sintered at 1223 K and 1373 K (950 °C and 1100 °C), the powder compact sintered at 1153 K (880 °C) shows a much smaller pore size, a higher open-to-overall porosity ratio but smaller shrinkage and a lower density. Direct evidence of eutectoid transformation in the binary Ni-Ti system during furnace cooling to ca. 890 K (617 °C) is provided by in situ neutron diffraction. The intensities of the B2-NiTi reflections decrease during the holding stage at 1373 K (1100 °C), which has been elaborated as an extinction effect according to the dynamical theory of neutron diffraction, when distorted crystallites gradually recover to perfect crystals. The analysis on the first five reflections clarifies the non-existence of any order–disorder transition in the NiTi phase from B2-to-BCC structure.Copyright © 2015, Springer Natur
Inelastic neutron scattering studies on the crystal field excitations in Superconducting NdFeAsO0.85F0.15
Get PDFInelastic neutron scattering experiments were performed on polycrystalline samples of NdFeAsO0.85F0.15 over a wide temperature range (3 K–250 K). Based on the analysis of the experimental data, a Nd3+ CF energy level scheme is proposed to give a consistent explanation about the observed CF transitions. The observed extra ground-state CF transitions could not be simply explained by the transitions between five Kramers doublets split from the Nd3+ ground state in the point symmetry. A reliable explanation would be a superposition of crystal fields due to different local symmetries around the Nd3+ ions induced by the fluorine doping.© 2015, Peng Cheng et al
A new pilot Australian tropical atmospheric research station (ATARS)
No full textBaseline reports availabe at: http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/cgbaps/baseline.shtml
Geochemical indicators of the origins and evolution of methane in groundwater: Gippsland Basin, Australia
No full textRecent expansion of shale and coal seam gas production worldwide has increased the need for geochemical studies in aquifers near gas deposits, to determine processes impacting groundwater quality and better understand the origins and behavior of dissolved hydrocarbons. We determined dissolved methane concentrations (n = 36) and δ 13C and δ 2H values (n = 31) in methane and groundwater from the 46,000-km 2 Gippsland Basin in southeast Australia. The basin contains important water supply aquifers and is a potential target for future unconventional gas development. Dissolved methane concentrations ranged from 0.0035 to 30 mg/L (median = 8.3 mg/L) and were significantly higher in the deep Lower Tertiary Aquifer (median = 19 mg/L) than the shallower Upper Tertiary Aquifer (median = 3.45 mg/L). Groundwater δ 13C DIC values ranged from -26.4 to -0.4 ‰ and were generally higher in groundwater with high methane concentrations (mean δ 13C DIC = -9.5 ‰ for samples with >3 mg/L CH 4 vs. -16.2 ‰ in all others), which is consistent with bacterial methanogenesis. Methane had δ 13C CH4 values of -97.5 to -31.8 ‰ and δ 2H CH4 values of -391 to -204 ‰ that were also consistent with bacterial methane, excluding one site with δ 13C CH4 values of -31.8 to -37.9 ‰, where methane may have been thermogenic. Methane from different regions and aquifers had distinctive stable isotope values, indicating differences in the substrate and/or methanogenesis mechanism. Methane in the Upper Tertiary Aquifer in Central Gippsland had lower δ 13C CH4 (-83.7 to -97.5 ‰) and δ 2H CH4 (-236 to -391 ‰) values than in the deeper Lower Tertiary Aquifer (δ 13C CH4 = -45.8 to -66.2 ‰ and δ 2H CH4 = -204 to -311 ‰). The particularly low δ 13C CH4 values in the former group may indicate methanogenesis at least partly through carbonate reduction. In deeper groundwater, isotopic values were more consistent with acetate fermentation. Not all methane at a given depth and location is interpreted as being necessarily produced in situ. We propose that high dissolved sulphate concentrations in combination with high methane concentrations can indicate gas resulting from contamination and/or rapid migration as opposed to in situ bacterial production or long-term migration. Isotopes of methane and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) serve as further lines of evidence to distinguish methane sources. The study demonstrates the value of isotopic characterisation of groundwater including dissolved gases in basins containing hydrocarbons. Copyright © 2016, Springer Natur
Radiocarbon age constraints for a Pleistocene–Holocene transition rock art style: The Northern Running Figures of the East Alligator River region, western Arnhem Land, Australia.
No full textIn this article we present nine radiocarbon age determinations producing a minimum age and a minimum age range for a regionally distinct rock art style known as the Northern Running Figures from Red Lily Lagoon, western Arnhem Land Australia. These radiocarbon determinations provide age constraints for both Pleistocene and early Holocene rock art in western Arnhem Land. The radiocarbon age determinations are produced from extracting calcium oxalate contained within mineral crusts associated with the rock art. Significantly this study employs a novel separation technique, designed to effectively isolate the oxalate compounds from the mineral crust sample using chemical pre-treatment, and demonstrates significant time offsets between radiocarbon age determinations for the calcium oxalates and other carbon inclusions contained within mineral crusts. © 2016, Elsevier Ltd
Structural Evolution of Metals at High Temperature: Complementary Investigations with Neutron and Synchrotron Quantum Beams
No full textIn situ neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction deliver unique and complementary insight into the microstructural evolution of metals at high temperature . Neutrons illuminate a larger bulk volume and reveal quantitative phase abundance, bulk texture, lattice parameter changes and other ensemble averaged quantities. In contrast, fine-bundled high-energy X-rays deliver reflections from a number of individual grains. For each constituting phase, their statistics and behavior in time reveal information about grain growth or refinement, subgrain formation, static and dynamic recovery and recrystallization, slip systems, twinning, etc. The complementarity between neutron and synchrotron radiation is demonstrated to study atomic order under ambient and extreme conditions. Examples are given on various metallic systems including magnesium, zirconium alloys and titanium aluminides.© Springer International Publishing AG. Part of Springer Nature