Development of small particle speciation for nuclear forensics by soft X-ray scanning transmission spectromicroscopy

Pacold, J. I.; Altman, A. B.; Knight, K. B.; Holliday, K. S.; Kristo, M. J.; Minasian, S. G.; Tyliszczak, T.; Booth, C. H.; Shuh, D. K.

doi:10.1039/C7AN01838J

Development of small particle speciation for nuclear forensics by soft X-ray scanning transmission spectromicroscopy

Journal Article · Mon Feb 26 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Analyst

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/C7AN01838J· OSTI ID:1438649

Pacold, J. I. ^[1]; Altman, A. B. ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[4]; Kristo, M. J. ^[3]; Minasian, S. G. ^[1]; Tyliszczak, T. ^[5]; Booth, C. H. ^[1]; ^[1]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Chemical Sciences Division
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Chemical Sciences Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Materials Science Division
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Advanced Light Source

Synchrotron radiation spectromicroscopy provides a combination of submicron spatial resolution and chemical sensitivity that is well-suited to analysis of heterogeneous nuclear materials. The chemical and physical characteristics determined by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) are complementary to information obtained from standard radiochemical analysis methods. In addition, microscopic quantities of radioactive material can be characterized rapidly by STXM with minimal sample handling and intrusion, especially in the case of particulate materials. The STXM can accommodate a diverse range of samples including wet materials, complex mixtures, and small quantities of material contained in a larger matrix. In these cases, the inventory of species present in a sample is likely to carry information on its process history; STXM has the demonstrated capability to identify contaminants and sample matrices. Operating in the soft X-ray regime provides particular sensitivity to the chemical state of specimens containing low-Z materials, via the K-edges of light elements. In this paper, recent developments in forensics-themed spectromicroscopy, sample preparation, and data acquisition methods at the Molecular Environmental Science Beamline 11.0.2 of the Advanced Light Source are described. Results from several initial studies are presented, demonstrating the capability to identify the distribution of the species present in heterogeneous uranium-bearing materials. Finally, future opportunities for STXM forensic studies and potential methodology development are discussed.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (NA-20); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231; AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 1438649

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1513794

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-704342

Journal Information:: Analyst, Journal Name: Analyst Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 143; ISSN 0003-2654

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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