A potentiometric sensor is being developed at the Idaho National Laboratory for real-time remote surveillance of actinides during electrorefining of spent nuclear fuel. During electrorefining, fuel in metallic form is oxidized at the anode while refined uranium metal is reduced at the cathode in a high temperature electrochemical cell containing LiCl-KCl-UCl3 electrolyte. Actinides present in the fuel chemically react with UCl3 and form stable metal chlorides that accumulate in the electrolyte. This sensor will be used for process control and safeguarding of activities in the electrorefiner by monitoring the concentrations of actinides in the electrolyte. The work presented focuses on developing a solid-state cation conducting ceramic sensor for detecting varying concentrations of trivalent actinide metal cations in eutectic LiCl-KCl molten salt. To understand the basic mechanisms for actinide sensor applications in molten salts, gadolinium was used as a surrogate for actinides. The ß?-Al2O3 was selected as the solid-state electrolyte for sensor fabrication based on cationic conductivity and other factors. In the present work Gd3+-ß?-Al2O3 was prepared by ion exchange reactions between trivalent Gd3+ from GdCl3 and K+-, Na+-, and Sr2+-ß?-Al2O3 precursors. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for characterization of Gd3+-ß?-Al2O3 samples. Microfocus X-ray Diffraction (μ-XRD) was used in conjunction with SEM energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to identify phase content and elemental composition. The Gd3+-ß?-Al2O3 materials were tested for mechanical and chemical stability by exposing them to molten LiCl-KCl based salts. The effect of annealing on the exchanged material was studied to determine improvements in material integrity post ion exchange. The stability of the ß?-Al2O3 phase after annealing was verified by μ-XRD. Preliminary sensor tests with different assembly designs will also be presented.

Electrorefining of spent metallic nuclear fuel in high temperature molten salt systems is a core technology in pyroprocessing, which in turn plays a critical role in the development of advanced fuel cycle technologies. In electrorefining, spent nuclear fuel is treated electrochemically in order to effect separations between uranium, noble metals, and active metals, which include the transuranics. The accumulation of active metals in a lithium chloride-potassium chloride (LiCl-KCl) eutectic molten salt electrolyte occurs at the expense of the UCl3-oxidant concentration in the electrolyte, which must be periodically replenished. Our interests lie with the accumulation of active metals in the molten salt electrolyte. The real-time monitoring of actinide concentrations in the molten salt electrolyte is highly desirable for controlling electrochemical operations and assuring materials control and accountancy. However, real-time monitoring is not possible with current methods for sampling and chemical analysis. A new solid-state electrochemical sensor is being developed for real-time monitoring of actinide ion concentrations in a molten salt electrorefiner. The ultimate function of the sensor is to monitor plutonium concentrations during electrorefining operations, but in this work gadolinium was employed as a surrogate material for plutonium. In a parametric study, polycrystalline sodium beta double-prime alumina (Na-ß?-alumina) discs and tubes were subject to vapor-phase exchange with gadolinium ions (Gd3+) using a gadolinium chloride salt (GdCl3) as a precursor to produce gadolinium beta double-prime alumina (Gd-ß?-alumina) samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and microstructural analysis were performed on the ion-exchanged discs to determine the relationship between ion exchange and Gd3+ ion conductivity. The ion-exchanged tubes were configured as potentiometric sensors in order to monitor real-time Gd3+ ion concentrations in mixtures of gadolinium chloride (GdCl3) in LiCl-KCl eutectic molten salts through measurement of the potential difference between a reference and working electrode.

This graduate-level text and reference work is unique among the soil literature. It deals with the interdisciplinary fields of soil pollution and remediation. It starts off with a thorough and comprehensible introduction to the relevant fundamentals of mineralogy, chemistry, and soil properties. Readers are thus well prepared to understand the biochemical aspects of soil remediation then presented. The book’s holistic approach and narrative style are complemented by numerous and detailed illustrations. Soil pollution is an asset not only to graduate students and instructors, but also to professionals from the environmental and agricultural sciences, as it provides an integrated overview of previously separately treated material.

Flow analysis is an automatic, precise and fast way to perform analytical tests. Flow instruments are used for clinical and pharmaceutical analyses, quality control of industrial products, monitoring of environmental pollution and many other fields. The book presents the latest methodological, technical and instrumental achievements in flow analysis. It shows new possibilities for the miniaturization and full mechanization of flow systems, together with examples of their interesting application. The proposed solutions contribute to reducing the amount of used reagents and waste, as well as increasing the safety of working with hazardous reagents, resulting in modern devices operating in accordance with the principles of green chemistry. A number of innovative methods of processing and measuring analytical samples have also been described. The book very well reflects the current state of flow analysis and development directions.

The book "Technology in Forensic Science" provides an integrated approach by reviewing the usage of modern forensic tools as well as the methods for interpretation of the results. Starting with best practices on sample taking, the book then reviews analytical methods such as high-resolution microscopy and chromatography, biometric approaches, and advanced sensor technology as well as emerging technologies such as nanotechnology and taggant technology. It concludes with an outlook to emerging methods such as AI-based approaches to forensic investigations.

Excellent teaching and resource material . . . it is concise, coherently structured, and easy to read . . . highly recommended for students, engineers, and researchers in all related fields." -Corrosion on the First Edition of Fundamentals of Electrochemical Deposition From computer hardware to automobiles, medical diagnostics to aerospace, electrochemical deposition plays a crucial role in an array of key industries. Fundamentals of Electrochemical Deposition, Second Edition is a comprehensive introduction to one of today's most exciting and rapidly evolving fields of practical knowledge. The most authoritative introduction to the field so far, the book presents detailed coverage of the full range of electrochemical deposition processes and technologies, including: * Metal-solution interphase * Charge transfer across an interphase * Formation of an equilibrium electrode potential * Nucleation and growth of thin films * Kinetics and mechanisms of electrodeposition * Electroless deposition * In situ characterization of deposition processes * Structure and properties of deposits * Multilayered and composite thin films * Interdiffusion in thin film * Applications in the semiconductor industry and the field of medicine This new edition updates the prior edition to address the new developments in the science and its applications, with new chapters on innovative applications of electrochemical deposition in semiconductor technology, magnetism and microelectronics, and medical instrumentation. Added coverage includes such topics as binding energy, nanoclusters, atomic force, and scanning tunneling microscopy.Example problems at the end of chapters and other features clarify and improve understanding of the material. Written by an author team with extensive experience in both industry and academe, this reference and text provides a well-rounded introduction to the field for students, as well as a means for professional chemists, engineers, and technicians to expand and sharpen their skills in using the technology.