Nanometer-thick crystalline ice plates in rapidly-frozen glucose solution observed by spin-contrast-variation small-angle neutron scattering

Kumada, Takayuki; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Miura, Daisuke; Sekine, Yurina; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Hiroi, Kosuke; Inamura, Yasuhiro; Oku, Takayuki; Oishi, Kazuki*; Morikawa, Toshiaki*; et al.

Hamon, 34(2), p.50 - 53, 2024/05

Spin-contrast-variation (SCV) small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) enabled us to determine structure of nano-ice crystals that were generated in rapidly frozen sugar solution. In the frozen glucose solution, we found that the nano-ice crystals formed a planar structure with a radius larger than several tens of nanometers and a thickness of 2-3 nm, which was close to the critical nucleation size of ice crystals in supercooled water. This result suggests that the glucose molecules were preferentially bound to a specific face of nano-ice crystals, and then blocked the crystal growth perpendicular to that face.

Criticality safety evaluation of high active liquid waste during the evaporation to dryness process at Tokai Reprocessing Plant

Miura, Takatomo; Kudo, Atsunari; Koyama, Daisuke; Obu, Tomoyuki; Samoto, Hirotaka

Proceedings of 12th International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC2023) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2023/10

Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) had reprocessed 1,140 tons of spent fuel discharged from commercial reactors (BWR, PWR) and Advanced Thermal Reactor "Fugen" from 1977 to 2007. TRP had entered decommissioning stage in 2018. In order to reduce the risk of High Active Liquid Waste (HALW) held at the facility, the vitrification of HALW is given top priority. HALW generated from reprocessing of spent fuel contains not only fission products (FPs) but also trace amounts of uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) within the liquid and insoluble residues (sludge). Under normal conditions, concentrations of U and Pu in HALW are very low so that it can not reach criticality. Since FPs with high neutron absorption effect coexists in HALW, even if the cooling function is lost due to serious accident and HALW evaporates to dryness, it is considered that criticality would not been reached. In order to confirm this estimation quantitatively, criticality safety evaluations were carried out for the increase of U and Pu concentrations by evaporation of HALW to the point of dryness. In this evaluation, infinite multiplication factors were calculated for each of solution system and sludge system of HALW with respect to the concentration change through evaporation to dryness. It is confirmed it could not reach criticality. The abundance ratios of U, Pu and FPs were set conservatively based on analytical data and ORIGEN calculation results. Multiplation factors for two-layer infinite slab model of solution and sludge systems of HALW were also calculated, and it was confirmed it could not reached criticality. In conclusion, the result was gaind that there could be no criticality even in the process through evaporation to dryness of HALW in TRP.

Heterogeneous aggregation of humic acids studied by small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering

Saito, Takumi*; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Okubo, Takahiro*; Miura, Daisuke*; Kumada, Takayuki

Environmental Science & Technology, 57(26), p.9802 - 9810, 2023/07

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c02028

Structure analysis of asymmetric interface using spin-contrast-variation neutron reflectometry

Kumada, Takayuki; Miura, Daisuke*; Akutsu, Kazuhiro*; Oku, Takayuki; Torikai, Naoya*; Niizeki, Tomotake*

Hamon, 32(4), p.165 - 168, 2022/11

https://doi.org/10.5611/hamon.32.4_165

We demonstrated the advantage of spin-contrast-variation neutron reflectometry on the structure analysis of buried interface between resin and porous silica layers. The interface structure was not reproduced by the normal Gaussian model, but by the asymmetric interface model where crosslinked polymer chains neither permeate the pore nor follow the surface roughness of the silica layer.

Temporal variability of Cs concentrations in coastal sediments off Fukushima

Suzuki, Shotaro*; Amano, Yosuke*; Enomoto, Masahiro*; Matsumoto, Akira*; Morioka, Yoshiaki*; Sakuma, Kazuyuki; Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Kaeriyama, Hideki*; Miura, Hikaru*; Tsumune, Daisuke*; et al.

Science of the Total Environment, 831, p.154670_1 - 154670_15, 2022/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154670

Extraction of hydrogen location in molecular crystals in spin-contrast-variation neutron powder diffractometry

Miura, Daisuke*; Kumada, Takayuki; Iwata, Takahiro*

Nihon Kessho Gakkai-Shi, 63(4), p.287 - 293, 2021/12

https://doi.org/10.5940/jcrsj.63.287

We have developed the spin-contrast-variation neutron powder diffractometry to observe hydrogen atoms in a crystalline sample by polarized neutron and polarized proton in the crystal. L-glutamic acid crystals were dispersed in a deuterated polystyrene matrix containing a polarizing agent. The intensities of the diffraction peaks of the sample changed according to the proton polarization. The spin-contrast-variation neutron powder diffractometry can extract diffraction from hydrogen atoms because of the variation of peak intensities as a function of the proton polarization. This technique is expected to enable analyses of the structures of hydrogen-containing materials that are difficult to determine with conventional powder diffractometry.

First isolation and analysis of caesium-bearing microparticles from marine samples in the Pacific coastal area near Fukushima Prefecture

Miura, Hikaru*; Ishimaru, Takashi*; Ito, Yukari*; Kuribara, Yuichi; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi*; Sakaguchi, Aya*; Misumi, Kazuhiro*; Tsumune, Daisuke*; Kubo, Atsushi*; Higaki, Shogo*; et al.

Scientific Reports (Internet), 11, p.5664_1 - 5664_11, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85085-w

For the first time, we isolated and investigated seven CsMPs (radioactive caesium-bearing microparticles) from marine particulate matter and sediment. From the elemental composition, the Cs/Cs activity ratio, and the Cs activity per unit volume results, we inferred that the five CsMPs collected from particulate matter were emitted from Unit 2 of the FDNPP, whereas the two CsMPs collected from marine sediment were possibly emitted from Unit 3. The presence of CsMPs can cause overestimation of the solid-water distribution coefficient of Cs in marine sediments and particulate matter and a high apparent radiocaesium concentration factor for marine biota. CsMPs emitted from Unit 2, which were collected from the estuary of a river that flowed through a highly contaminated area, may have been deposited on land and then transported by the river. By contrast, CsMPs emitted from Unit 3 were possibly transported eastward by the wind and deposited directly onto the ocean surface.

Development of spin-contrast-variation neutron reflectometry for structural analyses of multilayer films

Kumada, Takayuki; Miura, Daisuke*; Akutsu, Kazuhiro*; Suzuki, Junichi*; Torikai, Naoya*

Hamon, 30(4), p.207 - 211, 2020/11

https://doi.org/10.5611/hamon.30.4_207

We developed a technique of spin-contrast-variation neutron reflectivity (SCV-NR) for structural analyses of multilayer films. The SCV-NR curves of the polystyrene monolayer film were precisely reproduced using a common set of structural parameters and neutron scattering length density at each proton polarization. This result ensures that SCV-NR curves are not deformed by inhomogeneous PH due to the spin-diffusion mechanism. The number of structural parameters of the lamellar microphase-separated poly(styrene-block-isoprene) thin film is too large to determine with a single unpolarized reflectivity curve only. However, these parameters converged through the global analysis of the SCV-NR curves. In this manner, SCV-NR determines the structure of multilayer films while excluding the incorrect structural model that accidentally accounts for a single unpolarized reflectivity curve only.

Precise determination of C level structure by -ray spectroscopy

Hosomi, Kenji; Ma, Y.*; Ajimura, Shuhei*; Aoki, Kanae*; Dairaku, Seishi*; Fu, Y.*; Fujioka, Hiroyuki*; Futatsukawa, Kenta*; Imoto, Wataru*; Kakiguchi, Yutaka*; et al.

Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (Internet), 2015(8), p.081D01_1 - 081D01_8, 2015/08

https://doi.org/10.1093/ptep/ptv113

Level structure of the C hypernucleus was precisely determined by means of -ray spectroscopy. We identified four -ray transitions via the C reaction using a germanium detector array, Hyperball2. The spacing of the ground-state doublet was measured to be (stat) (syst)keV from the direct transition. Excitation energies of the and states were measured to be , keV and , keV, respectively. The obtained level energies provide definitive references for the reaction spectroscopy of hypernuclei.

Gelation mechanism of freeze-crosslinked cellulose nanofiber gels with high compressive strength

Miura, Daisuke; Nankawa, Takuya; Yamada, Teppei*; Sekine, Yurina

no journal, , 

We developed a crosslinking method using freeze concentration and used it to synthesize a carboxymethyl cellulose nanofiber (CMCF) hydrogel with high compressive strength and high formability. The reaction between freeze-concentrated CMCF and organic acids created a rigid porous structure. In this study, we found that the structure of the freeze-concentrated CMCF could be fixed by organic acids in presence of ice, and the fixed structure contributed the mechanical properties of the hydrogel. We will give a presentation on the gelation mechanism of the CMCF hydrogel.