A Method for estimating light quenching in inorganic scintillator detectors for radioactive ion beam experiments

Kreinder, B.; Cox, I.*; Grzywacz, R.*; Nishio, Katsuhisa; 24 of others*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1085, p.171298_1 - 171298_7, 2026/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2026.171298

Highly water-permeable WO-containing porous hydrogel via freeze-crosslinking for efficiency and salt-robust dye Decolorization

Sugita, Tsuyoshi; Ueda, Yuki; Nakabe, Rintaro; Mori, Masanobu*; Nankawa, Takuya; Sekine, Yurina

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A; Chemistry, 473, p.116773_1 - 116773_9, 2026/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2025.116773

We developed a WO-embedded hydrogel (WFG) by freeze-cross-linking that retained high activity even in the presence of coexisting salts. Confocal laser scanning microscope revealed interconnected channels < 200 m. ensuring good water permeability, and contrast-matching small-angle neutron scattering showed that the secondary particle size of embedded WO (~300 nm) matched that in aqueous suspension. Under visible-light irradiation, WFG decolorized indigo carmine (INC) 1.5-fold increase in rate than suspended WO and 3.7-fold increase in rate than a WO-coated glass plate. Coexisting salts (NaNO, NaCl, NaSO, NaHPO) altered the decolorization efficiency; NaNO and NaSO enhanced, whereas Cl and HPO suppressed the reaction, indicating that ionic strength and anion-species affect contact efficiency and charge transfer.

Negligible tritium accumulation in Japanese flounder from treated water released from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant; A Numerical simulation study

Ikenoue, Tsubasa; Tani, Takashi*; Kawamura, Hideyuki; Sato, Yuhi*

Environmental Science & Technology, 59(38), p.20588 - 20594, 2025/09

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c04474

Since 2023, ALPS-treated water containing tritium from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F) accident has been released into the ocean. Monitoring of seafood collected near the Fukushima coast has shown negligible increases in the tritium concentration. However, this monitoring has limitations, including delayed data release and a limited sample size. Therefore, a predictive estimation is necessary to assess the potential for high tritium accumulation in seafood. This study estimated tritium concentrations in Japanese flounder near the Fukushima coast using numerical simulations. The estimation combined an oceanic dispersion model for tritiated water (HTO) with a tritium transfer model for the marine food web. Tritium accumulation was evaluated as organically bound tritium (OBT), the long-retaining chemical form of tritium in organisms. First, the dispersion model's ability to reproduce HTO concentrations in seawater was validated using actual measurement data from the Fukushima coast, showing good agreement. Subsequently, the OBT concentrations in flounder were estimated under the hypothetical maximum release scenario of the treated water. The estimation suggested that even within 100 km of 1F, the maximum concentration of the OBT was comparable with natural levels of tritium in environmental waters. Additionally, the maximum concentration in the flounder remained at a negligible level for internal radiation exposure through consumption.

Iron coupled with hydroxylamine turns on the "switch" for free radical degradation of organic pollutants under high pH conditions

Tian, Q.*; Feng, L.*; Wu, C.*; Wen, J.*; Qiu, X.*; Tanaka, Kazuya; Onuki, Toshihiko*; Yu, Q.*

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 669, p.1006 - 1014, 2024/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2024.05.021

High-temperature test for BGaN semiconductor neutron detectors

Okita, Shoichiro; Sakurai, Tatsuhiro*; Ezaki, Iwao*; Takagi, Katsuyuki*; Nakano, Takayuki*; Hino, Masahiro*

KURNS Progress Report 2023, P. 97, 2024/07

Formation of high-quality SiO/GaN interfaces with suppressed Ga-oxide interlayer via sputter deposition of SiO

Onishi, Kentaro*; Kobayashi, Takuma*; Mizobata, Hidetoshi*; Nozaki, Mikito*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Shimura, Takayoshi*; Watanabe, Heiji*

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 62(5), p.050903_1 - 050903_4, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.35848/1347-4065/acd1ca

While the formation of an GaO interlayer is key to achieving SiO/GaN interfaces with low defect density, it can affect the reliability and stability of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices if the annealing conditions are not properly designed. In the present study, we aimed to minimize the growth of the GaO layer on the basis of the sputter deposition of SiO on GaN. Synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectrometry measurements confirmed the suppressed growth of the GaO layer compared with a SiO/GaN structure formed by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Negligible GaO growth was also observed when subsequent oxygen annealing up to 600C was performed. A MOS device with negligible capacitance-voltage hysteresis, nearly ideal flat-band voltage, and low leakage current was demonstrated by performing oxygen and forming gas annealing at temperatures of 600C and 400C, respectively.

Development of tailor-made adsorbents for uranium recovery from seawater on the basis of uranyl coordination chemistry (Contract research); FY2021 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tokyo Institute of Technology*

JAEA-Review 2022-028, 54 Pages, 2022/11

JAEA-Review-2022-028.pdf:2.97MB

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 FY2021. 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 FY2019, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of Tailor-made Adsorbents for Uranium Recovery from Seawater on the Basis of Uranyl Coordination Chemistry" conducted from FY2019 to FY2021. Since the final year of this proposal was FY2021, the results for three fiscal years were summarized. The present study aims to develop a new ligand class for efficient and selective capture of uranium from seawater. On the basis of deep understanding on uranyl coordination chemistry, we design molecular structures of pentadentate ligands as functional moieties for uranium adsorption from seawater and study fundamental coordination chemistry of uranyl ion with those ligands in order to resolve current problems in uranium recovery technology …

Electrical properties and energy band alignment of SiO/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor structures fabricated on N-polar GaN(000) substrates

Mizobata, Hidetoshi*; Tomigahara, Kazuki*; Nozaki, Mikito*; Kobayashi, Takuma*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Hosoi, Takuji*; Shimura, Takayoshi*; Watanabe, Heiji*

Applied Physics Letters, 121(6), p.062104_1 - 062104_6, 2022/08

AA2022-0024.pdf:1.81MB

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0095468

The interface properties and energy band alignment of SiO/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures fabricated on N-polar GaN(000) substrates were investigated by electrical measurements and synchrotron-radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. They were then compared with those of SiO/GaN MOS structures on Ga-polar GaN(0001). Although the SiO/GaN(000) structure was found to be more thermally unstable than that on the GaN(0001) substrate, excellent electrical properties were obtained for the SiO/GaN(000) structure by optimizing conditions for post-deposition annealing. However, the conduction band offset for SiO/GaN(000) was smaller than that for SiO/GaN(0001), leading to increased gate leakage current. Therefore, caution is needed when using N-polar GaN(000) substrates for MOS device fabrication.

Development of tailor-made adsorbents for uranium recovery from seawater on the basis of uranyl coordination chemistry (Contract research); FY2020 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tokyo Institute of Technology*

JAEA-Review 2021-041, 42 Pages, 2022/01

JAEA-Review-2021-041.pdf:2.03MB

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 FY2020. 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 FY2019, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of tailor-made adsorbents for uranium recovery from seawater on the basis of uranyl coordination chemistry" conducted in FY2020. On the basis of deep understanding on uranyl coordination chemistry, we design molecular structures of pentadentate ligands as functional moieties for uranium adsorption from seawater and study coordination chemistry of uranyl ion with those ligands in order to resolve current problems in uranium recovery technology from seawater and to develop novel selective and efficient adsorbents for this purpose.

High reactivity of HO vapor on GaN surfaces

Sumiya, Masatomo*; Sumita, Masato*; Tsuda, Yasutaka; Sakamoto, Tetsuya; Sang, L.*; Harada, Yoshitomo*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka

Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, 23(1), p.189 - 198, 2022/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/14686996.2022.2052180

GaN is an attracting material for power-electronic devices. Understanding the oxidation at GaN surface is important for improving metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. In this study, the oxidation at GaN surfaces depending on the GaN crystal planes (+c, -c, and m-plane) was investigated by real time XPS and DFT-MD simulation. We found that HO vapor has the highest reactivity due to the spin interaction between HO and GaN surfaces. The bond length between the Ga and N on the -c GaN surface was increased by OH attacking the back side of three-fold Ga atom. The chemisorption on the m-plane was dominant. The intense reactions of oxidation and AlGaN formation for p-GaN were observed at the interface of the AlO layer deposited by ALD using HO vapor. This study suggests that an oxidant gas other than HO and O should be used to avoid unintentional oxidation during AlGaN atomi layer deposition.