Ordered graphane nanoribbons synthesized via high-pressure diels-alder polymerization of 2,2'-bipyrazine

Li, F.*; Tang, X.*; Fei, Y.*; Zhang, J.*; Liu, J.*; Lang, P.*; Che, G.*; Zhao, Z.*; Zheng, Y.*; Fang, Y.*; et al.

Journal of the American Chemical Society, 147(17), p.14054 - 14059, 2025/04

https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c03116

We synthe-sized a crystalline graphane nanoribbon (GANR) via pressure-in-duced polymerization of 2,2'-bipyrazine (BPZ). By performing Rietveld refinement of in situ neutron diffraction data, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared spectra, and theoretical calculation, we found that BPZ experienced Diels-Alder polymeri-zation between the stacked aromatic rings, and formed extended boat-GANR structures with exceptional long-range order. The unreacted -C=N- groups bridge the two ends of the boat, and ready for further functionalization. The GANR has a bandgap of 2.25 eV, with booming photoelectric response (I/I =18.8). Our work highlights that the high-pressure topochemical polymeriza-tion is a promising method for the precise synthesis of graphane with specific structure and desired properties.

Quantitative evaluation of carbon dioxide emissions from the subsoils of volcanic and non-volcanic ash soils in temperate forest ecosystems

Abe, Yukiko; Nakayama, Masataka*; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Tange, Takeshi*; Sawada, Haruo*; Liang, N.*; Koarashi, Jun

Geoderma, 455, p.117221_1 - 117221_11, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117221

Subsoils (typically below a depth of 30 cm) contain more than half of global soil carbon (C) as soil organic C (SOC). However, the extent to which subsoil SOC contributes to the global C cycle and the factors that control it are unclear because quantitative evaluation of carbon dioxide (CO) emission from subsoils through direct observations is limited. This study aimed to quantify CO emission from subsoils and determine factors that control CO emission, focusing on the decomposability of soil organic matter (SOM) and the characteristics of the mineral-SOM association in soils. Therefore, a laboratory incubation experiment was conducted using surface soils (0-10 cm and 10-25 cm depth) and subsoils (30-45 cm and 45-60 cm depth) collected from four Japanese forest sites with two different soil types (volcanic ash and non-volcanic ash soils). The CO emission from the subsoils was found to be responsible for 6%-23% of total CO emission from the upper 60-cm mineral soil across all sites. Radiocarbon signatures of CO released from the subsoils indicated the decomposition of decades-old SOM in the subsoils. The correlations between CO emission rate and soil factors across both soil types suggested that the CO emission from the subsoils is mainly controlled by the amounts of SOC easily available to soil microbes and microbial biomass C, not by the amounts of reactive minerals. Given the potential active participation of subsoils in terrestrial C cycling, most of the current soil C models that ignore subsoil C cycling are likely to underestimate the response of soil C to future climate change. The quantitative and mechanistic understanding of C cycling through a huge subsoil C pool is critical to accurately evaluating the role of soil C in the global C balance.

Spontaneous magnetic field and disorder effects in BaPtAsSb with a honeycomb network

Adachi, Tadashi*; Ogawa, Taiki*; Komiyama, Yota*; Sumura, Takuya*; Saito-Tsuboi, Yuki*; Takeuchi, Takaaki*; Mano, Kohei*; Manabe, Kaoru*; Kawabata, Koki*; Imazu, Tsuyoshi*; et al.

Physical Review B, 111(10), p.L100508_1 - L100508_6, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.111.L100508

Decommissioning report for Wastewater Treatment Facility (Part 2); Chapter on contamination inspection section

Yamamoto, Keisuke; Nakagawa, Takuya; Shimojo, Hiroto; Kijima, Jun; Miura, Daiya; Onose, Yoshihiko*; Namba, Koji*; Uchida, Hiroaki*; Sakamoto, Kazuhiko*; Ono, Chika*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2024-019, 211 Pages, 2025/02

JAEA-Technology-2024-019.pdf:35.35MB

The uranium enrichment facilities at the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) were constructed sequentially to develop uranium enrichment technology with centrifugal separation method. The developed technologies were transferred to Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited until 2001. And the original purpose has been achieved. Wastewater Treatment Facility, one of the uranium enrichment facilities, was constructed in 1976 to treat radioactive liquid waste generated at the facilities, and it finished the role in 2008. In accordance with the Medium/Long-Term Management Plan of JAEA Facilities, interior equipment installed in this facility had been dismantled and removed since November 2021 to August 2023. This report summarizes the findings obtained through the work related to the contamination inspection methods cancellation the controlled area of Wastewater Treatment Facility from September 2023 to March 2024.

High-pressure polymerization of phenol toward degree-4 carbon nanothread

Yang, X.*; Che, G.*; Wang, Y.*; Zhang, P.*; Tang, X.*; Lang, P.*; Gao, D.*; Wang, X.*; Wang, Y.*; Hattori, Takanori; et al.

Nano Letters, 25(3), p.1028 - 1035, 2025/01

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c04895

Saturated sp-carbon nanothreads (CNTh) have garnered significant interest due to their predicted high Young's modulus and thermal conductivity. While the incorporation of heteroatoms into the central ring has been shown to influence the formation of CNTh and yield chemically homogeneous products, the impact of pendant groups on the polymerization process remains underexplored. In this study, we investigate the pressure-induced polymerization of phenol, revealing two phase transitions occurring below 0.5 and 4 GPa. Above 20 GPa, phenol polymerizes into degree-4 CNThs featuring hydroxyl and carbonyl groups. Hydrogen transfer of hydroxyl groups was found to hinder the formation of degree-6 nanothreads. Our findings highlight the crucial role of the hydroxyl group in halting further intracolumn polymerization and offer valuable insights for future mechanism research and nanomaterial synthesis.

Solid-state Alder-ene reaction of 1-hexene under high pressure

Xu, J.*; Lang, P.*; Liang, S.*; Zhang, J.*; Fei, Y.*; Wang, Y.*; Gao, D.*; Hattori, Takanori; Abe, Jun*; Dong, X.*; et al.

Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (Internet), p.2445 - 2451, 2025/00

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c03696

The Alder-ene reaction is a chemical reaction between an alkene with an allylic hydrogen, and it provides an efficient method to construct the C-C bond. Traditionally, this reaction requires catalysts, high temperatures, or photocatalysis. In this study, we reported a high-pressure-induced solid-state Alder-ene reaction of 1-hexene at room temperature without a catalyst. 1-Hexene crystallizes at 4.3 GPa and polymerizes at 18 GPa, forming olefins. By exploring gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we discovered that 1-hexene generates dimeric products through the Alder-ene reaction under high pressures. The in situ neutron diffraction shows that the reaction process did not obey the topochemical rule. A six-membered ring transition state including one C-H bond and two alkene bonds was evidenced by the theoretical calculation, whose energy obviously decreased when compressed to 20 GPa. Our work offers a novel and promising method to realize the Alder-ene reaction at room temperature without a catalyst, expanding the application of this important reaction.

Quantitative importance of subsoil nitrogen cycling processes in Andosols and Cambisols under temperate forests

Nakayama, Masataka; Abe, Yukiko; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Tange, Takeshi*; Sawada, Haruo*; Liang, N.*; Koarashi, Jun

Applied Soil Ecology, 201, p.105485_1 - 105485_12, 2024/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105485

Nitrogen often limits plant growth in forest ecosystems. Plants, including trees, change vertical root distribution when nutrient competition is strong within surface soil layer and take up nitrogen even from subsurface soil layers in addition to the surface soil. However, there is still limited knowledge about nitrogen cycles within deeper soil layers. In this study, we investigated the vertical profiles (0-60 cm) of the net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates at four Japanese forest sites with two different soil types (Andosols and Cambisols). The partial least square path modeling (PLS-PM) was used to determine factors affecting nitrogen-cycling processes. The net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates per unit soil weight were considerably higher in surface soil layer than in deeper soil layers in Andosols but not in Cambisols. PLS-PM analysis showed that microbial biomass and soil organic matter quantities were the main factors influencing the net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates, indicating that a similar mechanism creating the spatial variations of nitrogen-cycling processes in surface soil layer predominantly regulates the processes in subsoil layers. Moreover, it was estimated that the net nitrogen mineralization rate could be comparable at all soil types and depths when the rate was expressed per unit soil volume. Therefore, our results suggest that subsoil layers are a quantitatively important nitrogen source for plant nutrients in Andosols and Cambisols, supporting high forest productivity.

Development of a diamond anvil cell for high-pressure neutron diffraction experiments

Machida, Shinichi*; Hattori, Takanori; Nakano, Satoshi*; Sano, Asami; Funakoshi, Kenichi*; Abe, Jun*

Koatsuryoku No Kagaku To Gijutsu, 34(3), p.134 - 142, 2024/09

https://doi.org/10.4131/jshpreview.34.134

A diamond anvil cell (DAC) for high-pressure neutron diffraction experiments has been developed at the PLANET beamline, Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility, in J-PARC. The conically supported diamond anvils were used for high-pressure generation. We succeeded in obtaining the neutron data for DO ice up to 69.4 GPa. In addition, the gasket materials suitable for the neutron diffraction measurements were investigated. 11 kinds of alloys were tested and SUS304, Inconel718 and M2052 (73Mn-20Cu-5Ni-2Fe, at%) alloys showed excellent performance. Especially, M2052 null-matrix alloy has proven to be useful for neutron diffraction experiments where the beam inevitably hits the gasket. We then obtained refinable neutron diffraction profiles in Rietveld analysis from DO ice at least up to 43.3 GPa.

Present and new operational quantities evaluated from photon spectrum measurements at workplaces in the research reactor and accelerator facility at the JAEA

Tanimura, Yoshihiko; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Nishino, Sho; Tsuji, Tomoya; Fukami, Tomoyo; Shinozuka, Tomoki; Oishi, Kohei; Ishii, Masato; Takamiya, Kei; Onuki, Takaya; et al.

Radiation Measurements, 176, p.107196_1 - 107196_6, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2024.107196

The ICRU has proposed to change the definitions of the operational quantities used for the area and individual monitoring for external exposure in the ICRU Report 95. As introducing the new operational quantities into the radiation monitoring may affect the dose assessment results using the present personal dosimeters, it is necessary to characterize the energy spectrum in the workplace and the energy dependency of the dosimeters to be used. In this work the photon spectra were measured using a NaI(Tl) scintillation detector or a LaBr(Ce) scintillation detector at the workplaces in the Japanese Research Reactor No.3 (JRR-3) and the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Then the present and new operational quantities were evaluated using the above mention spectra at the workplaces and compared each other.

Flexible waste management system for the future application of MA P&T technology to the current high-level liquid waste

Fukasawa, Tetsuo*; Suzuki, Akihiro*; Endo, Yoichi*; Inagaki, Yaohiro*; Arima, Tatsumi*; Muroya, Yusa*; Endo, Keita*; Watanabe, Daisuke*; Matsumura, Tatsuro; Ishii, Katsunori; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(3), p.307 - 317, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2226673

A flexible waste management system (FWM) is being developed to apply future MA partitioning and transmutation (P&T) technology to current HLLW. This FWM system will store high-level waste (HLLW) in granular form until MA partitioning and transmutation technology is realized. The feasibility of the main process was essentially confirmed by basic experiments and preliminary thermal analysis for granule production by rotary kiln from simulated HLLW and for temporary storage (50 years) of HLW granules at the HLW storage facility, respectively. The granule production experiments revealed that relatively large particles can be produced by the rotary kiln. The results of the thermal analysis showed that the small diameter canisters could be used to safely store the granules at a higher storage density than vitrified HLW. The effectiveness of the FWM system in terms of potential radiotoxicity and repository area was also evaluated, and it was shown that FWM can reduce these factors and has significant advantages in the disposal of HLW generated in current reprocessing plants. Since LWR fuel is stored for a long period of time in Japan and the operation of a reprocessing plant is expected to start soon, the FWM system is considered to be an effective system for reducing the environmental burden of HLW disposal.