Development of elemental technologies of hand-foot-cloth monitors for -contamination visualization (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Hokkaido University*

JAEA-Review 2025-021, 63 Pages, 2025/10

JAEA-Review-2025-021.pdf:5.71MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2023. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). For this purpose, intelligence was collected from all over the world, and basic research and human resource development were promoted by closely integrating/collaborating knowledge and experiences in various fields beyond the barrier of conventional organizations and research fields. The sponsor of the Project was moved from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to JAEA since the newly adopted proposals in FY2018. On this occasion, JAEA constructed a new research system where JAEA-academia collaboration is reinforced and medium-to-long term research/development and human resource development contributing to the decommissioning are stably and consecutively implemented. Among the adopted proposals in FY2022, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of elemental technologies of hand-foot-cloth monitors for -contamination visualization" conducted in FY2023. The present study aims to develop hand-foot-monitors for -contamination visualization and cloth monitors for /-contamination visualization consisting of a portable phoswich detector. ZnS(Ag) thick films by AD method and rare earth complexes have been studied for development of -ray scintillator materials. The scintillator properties of the newly prepared ZnS(Ag) thick films were improved from those prepared in 2022. A rare earth complex shows strong emission intensity under -ray irradiation, which was 12.5 times higher than that of a commercially available plastic scintillator (Saint-Gobain, BC400). By optimizing the manufacturing process conditions (molding die, sintering conditions, cutting process, annealing conditions, grinding/polishing processes) for La-GPS polycrystalline thin plates, the preparing process for 50 mm square La-GPS was established. The prepared La-GPS provided excellent performance for -ray scintillators. The cloth monitors for /-contamination visualization were also improved for the reflection of the actual situation. Furthermore, the basic performance of the prototype cloth monitors was evaluated, and alpha-ray energy and position distribution information were obtained. In an evaluation test of the phoswich detector, a precise discrimination between - and -rays was achieved.

Giant Hall effect in a highly conductive frustrated magnet GdCu

Karube, Kosuke*; Onuki, Yoshichika*; Nakajima, Taro*; Chen, H.-Y.*; Ishizuka, Hiroaki*; Kimata, Motoi*; Ohara, Takashi; Munakata, Koji*; Nomoto, Takuya*; Arita, Ryotaro*; et al.

npj Quantum Materials (Internet), 10, p.55_1 - 55_9, 2025/06

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-025-00774-3

Evolution of radionuclide transport and retardation processes in uplifting granitic rocks, Part 1; Key processes, conceptual models and scenario

Metcalfe, R.*; Tachi, Yukio; Sasao, Eiji; Kawama, Daisuke*

Science of the Total Environment, 957, p.177375_1 - 177375_17, 2024/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177375

A safety case for an underground radioactive waste repository must show that groundwater will not in future transport radionuclides from the repository to the near-surface environment (the biosphere) in harmful quantities. Safety cases are developed step-wise throughout a programme to site and develop a repository. At early stages, before a site is selected, safety cases are generic and based on simplified safety assessment models of the disposal system that have conservative parameter values. Later, when site-specific conditions are known, more realistic models are needed for the long-term geo-environmental evolution and their impacts on radionuclide migration/retention. Uplift is one such environmental change, which may be particularly important in countries near active tectonic plate boundaries, such as Japan. Here we review the state of knowledge about how the properties of fractured granitic rocks evolve during uplift, based on studies in Japan. Hence, we present conceptual models and a generic scenario for mass transport and retardation processes in uplifting granitic rocks as a basis for realistic numerical models to underpin safety assessment.

Multi-modal 3D image-based simulation of hydrogen embrittlement crack initiation in Al-Zn-Mg alloy

Higa, Ryota*; Fujihara, Hiro*; Toda, Hiroyuki*; Kobayashi, Masakazu*; Ebihara, Kenichi; Takeuchi, Akihisa*

Materials Transactions, 65(8), p.899 - 906, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.MT-L2024007

It is indispensable to suppress hydrogen embrittlement (HE) to develop the strength of the Al-Zn-Mg alloy. Because intergranular fracture (IGF) is mainly observed when HE occurs in the alloy, we need to understand the IGF initiation to suppress HE. In the present study, we investigated the stress, strain, and H concentration, which influence the IGF initiation, in actual fractured regions by simulation of a crystal plasticity finite element method and H diffusion analysis in a 3D image-based model, which was created based on 3D polycrystalline microstructure data obtained from X-ray imaging technique. Combining the simulation and in-situ observation of the tensile test sample by X-ray CT, we examined the stress, strain, and H concentration, and discussed the IG crack initiation condition. As a result, it is revealed that stress normal to grain boundary induced by crystal plasticity dominates IG crack initiation while the accumulation of H due to stress has little impact on it.

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of thin films

Takanashi, Koki; Seki, Takeshi*

Magune, 19(3), p.100 - 106, 2024/06

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of thin films currently plays an important role in spintronics as well as magnetic recording. Regarding perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, in this article, the fundamentals, the research history, and the recent research trends are reviewed, showing specific examples with perpendicular magnetization such as magnetic multilayers, ordered alloy films, rare earth-transition metal amorphous alloy films, and inhomogeneous or granular films. The physical origins for perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, including interface anisotropy due to structural symmetry breaking, magnetoelastic anisotropy due to strain, bulk-type magnetocrystalline anisotropy, and directional pair ordering of atoms, are discussed in each example.

Ionic radii in fluorites

Vauchy, R.; Hirooka, Shun; Murakami, Tatsutoshi

Materialia, 32, p.101934_1 - 101934_12, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2023.101934

In situ transmission electron microscopy observation of melted germanium encapsulated in multilayer graphene

Suzuki, Seiya; Nemoto, Yoshihiro*; Shiiki, Natsumi*; Nakayama, Yoshiko*; Takeguchi, Masaki*

Annalen der Physik, 535(9), p.2300122_1 - 2300122_12, 2023/09

AA2022-1001.pdf:3.25MB

https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.202300122

Rearrangement of hydrogen bonds in dehydrated raffinose tetrahydrate; A Time-of-flight neutron diffraction study

Kawasaki, Takuro; Takahashi, Miwako*; Kiyanagi, Ryoji; Ohara, Takashi

Acta Crystallographica Section C; Structural Chemistry (Internet), 78(12), p.743 - 748, 2022/12

https://doi.org/10.1107/S2053229622010828

Crystal configuration dependence of CsI(Tl) scintillation detectors on environmental dose rate measurement

Tsuda, Shuichi; Saito, Kimiaki

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 198(17), p.1283 - 1291, 2022/10

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncac157

Spherical or cylindrical detectors superior to directional characteristic are commonly used to monitor dose rates in the environment to detect scattering gamma-rays emitted from radionuclides in soil or air. The authors have performed environmental dose rates measurements using various kinds of detectors to investigate the directional characteristics, and experimentally verified the variations in dose rates due to directional characteristics unique to each detector. Furthermore, a dose rate measured by a CsI(Tl) scintillation detector with cuboidal crystal agreed with that by a CsI(Tl) scintillation detector with cylindrical crystal. Simulations by PHITS under various CsI(Tl) crystal configurations revealed that there are certain aspect ratios of cuboidal CsI(Tl) crystal with less directional dependence. Since cubes are advantageous in terms of production cost, this result indicates the potential of CsI(Tl) scintillation detectors with cuboidal crystal for use in the environmental dose rate monitoring.

Simultaneous determination of zircon crystallisation age and temperature; Common thermal evolution of mafic magmatic enclaves and host granites in the Kurobegawa granite, central Japan

Yuguchi, Takashi*; Yamazaki, Hayato*; Ishibashi, Kozue*; Sakata, Shuhei*; Yokoyama, Tatsunori; Suzuki, Satoshi*; Ogita, Yasuhiro; Sando, Kazusa*; Imura, Takumi*; Ono, Takeshi*

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 226, p.105075_1 - 105075_9, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2021.105075

Simultaneous determination of the U-Pb age of zircon and concentration of titanium in a single analysis spot, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with laser ablation sample introduction, produces paired age and temperature data of zircon crystallisation, potentially revealing time-temperature () histories for evolved magma. The Kurobegawa granite, central Japan, contains abundant mafic magmatic enclaves (MMEs). We applied this method to evaluate MMEs and their host (enclosing) granites. Cooling behaviour common to both MMEs and host rocks was found between 1.5 and 0.5 Ma. Rapid cooling from the zircon crystallisation temperature to the closure temperature of biotite K-Ar system was within 1 million year. Combining the obtained paths of MMEs and host rocks with petrological information can provide insights into magma chamber processes. This suggests that MME flotation, migration, and spread through the magma chamber ceased at 1.5-0.5 Ma, indicating the emplacement age of the Kurobegawa granitic pluton, as no large-scale reheating episodes have occurred since then.