Direct characterization of ion implanted nanopore pyrolytic graphite coatings for molten salt nuclear reactors.

Nanopore pyrolytic graphite coatings (PyC, average pore size ∼64 nm) were prepared on graphite to inhibit liquid fluoride salt and Xe135 penetration. The samples were irradiated with 7 MeV Xe26+ to a total peak dose of 0.1, 0.5, 2.5 and 5.0 displacements per atom at room temperature to study the irradiation resistance of the PyC. The effect of irradiation on the properties of the graphite was evaluated. With the increase of irradiation dose, the surface morphology of the coatings tends to be smoother. At the total peak dose of 2.5 dpa, peeling and spalling on the surface of the samples have been identified, indicating the surface microstructure of the graphite has been damaged by Xe26+ bombardment. Raman results indicated the increase in the degree of disorder and decrease of in-plane crystallite size with the irradiation dose, and the new PyC was more sensitive to irradiation than IG-110 graphite. The nanohardness at peak dose increased with the irradiation dose, but decreased at 2.5 dpa. The results of a hardness test also show PyC has a higher irradiation sensitivity.

[Investigation of Carbonaceous Airborne Particles by Scanning Proton Microprobe].

Carbonaceous particles are an important component of the atmospheric aerosol particles and important for global climate change, air quality and human health. The PM10 single particles from two environmental monitor locations and seven pollution emission sources were analyzed using scanning proton microprobe (SPM) techniques. The concentration of carbon in individual particles was quantitatively determined by proton non-Rutherford elastic backscattering spectrometry (EBS). The results of this investigation showed that carbonaceous particles were dominant in the pollution sources of coal and oil combustions, diesel busexhaust and automobile exhaust, while inorganic particles were dominant in the sources of steel industry, cement dust and soil dust. Carbonaceous matter was enriched in particles from the city center, while mineral matter was the main component of airborne particles in the industrial area. Elemental mapping of single aerosol particles yielded important information on the chemical reactions of aerosol particles. The micro-PIXE (particle induced X-ray emission) maps of S, Ca and Fe of individual carbonaceous particles showed that sulfuration reaction occurred between SO2and mineral particles, which increased the sulfur content of particles.

[Study on transition metals in airborne particulate matter in Shanghai city's subway].

PM10 and PM2.5 aerosol particle samples were collected at a subway station in Shanghai and their morphology, chemical composition and transition metal species were studied. The mass concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 inside the subway station were significantly higher than those measured in aboveground ambient air. The PM levels inside subway were much higher than the state control limit. The aerosol composition in the metro station was quite different from that of the aboveground urban particles. Concentrations of Fe, Mn and Cr were higher than the averages of aboveground urban air particles by factors of 8, 2, and 2, respectively, showing a substantial enrichment in subway. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis showed that the subway particles had flat surfaces in combination with parallel scratches and sharp edges and looked like metal sheets or flakes. Furthermore, analysis of the atomic composition of typical subway particles by energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) spectroscopy showed that oxygen and iron dominated the mass of the particles. The X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy results showed that a fraction (> 26%) of the total iron in the PM10 was in the form of pure Fe, while in the street particles Fe(III) was shown to be a significant fraction of the total iron. The work demonstrated that the underground subway stations in Shanghai were an important microenvironment for exposure to transition metal aerosol for the people taking subway train for commuting every day and those who work in the subway stations, and the metal particle exposure for people in the subway station should not be ignored.