6 research outputs found
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Elemental and Isotopic Analysis of Uranium Oxide an NIST Glass Standards by FEMTOSECOND-LA-ICP-MIC-MS
The objective of this work was to test and demonstrate the analytical figures of merit of a femtosecond-laser ablation (fs-LA) system coupled with an inductively coupled plasma-multi-ion collector-mass spectrometer (ICP-MIC-MS). The mobile fs-LA sampling system was designed and assembled at Ames Laboratory and shipped to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where it was integrated with an ICP-MIC-MS. The test period of the integrated systems was February 2-6, 2009. Spatially-resolved analysis of particulate samples is accomplished by 100-shot laser ablation using a fs-pulsewidth laser and monitoring selected isotopes in the resulting ICP-MS transient signal. The capability of performing high sensitivity, spatially resolved, isotopic analyses with high accuracy and precision and with virtually no sample preparation makes fs-LA-ICP-MIC-MS valuable for the measurement of actinide isotopes at low concentrations in very small samples for nonproliferation purposes. Femtosecond-LA has been shown to generate particles from the sample that are more representative of the bulk composition, thereby minimizing weaknesses encountered in previous work using nanosecond-LA (ns-LA). The improvement of fs- over ns-LA sampling arises from the different mechanisms for transfer of energy into the sample in these two laser pulse-length regimes. The shorter duration fs-LA pulses induce less heating and cause less damage to the sample than the longer ns pulses. This results in better stoichiometric sampling (i.e., a closer correlation between the composition of the ablated particles and that of the original solid sample), which improves accuracy for both intra- and inter-elemental analysis. The primary samples analyzed in this work are (a) solid uranium oxide powdered samples having different {sup 235}U to {sup 238}U concentration ratios, and (b) glass reference materials (NIST 610, 612, 614, and 616). Solid uranium oxide samples containing {sup 235}U in depleted, natural, and enriched abundances were analyzed as particle aggregates immobilized in a collodion substrate. The uranium oxide samples were nuclear reference materials (CRMs U0002, U005-A, 129-A, U015, U030-A, and U050) obtained from New Brunswick Laboratory-USDOE
Automated Separation of Uranium and Plutonium from Environmental Swipe Samples for Multiple Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry
A fully
automated method for the separation of low-concentration uranium from
plutonium in environmental swipe samples has been developed. The offline
chromatography system features renewable 1 mL Eichrom TEVA and UTEVA
column generation from bulk resin slurry. Discrete fractions of the
separated actinides are delivered into user defined vials for future
analysis. Clean room background levels were achieved outside of a
cleanroom environment with this method. Purification of uranium and
plutonium from various sample matrixes and at various concentrations
was successful. Major and minor isotope ratios for both elements were
measured via multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
and were in good agreement with certified reference values. Validation
of the separation method was conducted on archived environmental samples
and agreed with values previously reported using standard column chemistry
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Supramolecular Chemistry of Selective Anion Recognition for Anions of Environmental Relevance
The major thrust of this project led by the University of Kansas (Prof. Kristin Bowman-Jones) entails the exploration of the principles of recognition and separation of sulfate by the design, synthesis, and testing of novel sulfate extractants. A key science need for the cleanup of tank wastes at Hanford has been identified in developing methods to separate those bulk waste components that have low solubilities in borosilicate glass. Sulfate has been identified as a particularly difficult and expensive problem in that its concentration in the waste is relatively high, its solubility in glass is especially low, and it interferes with the performance of both vitrification equipment and the glass waste form. The new extractants will be synthesized by the University of Kansas and the University of Texas, Austin. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is subjecting the new extractants to experiments that will determine their properties and effectiveness in separating sulfate from the major competing anions in the waste, especially nitrate. Such experiments will entail primarily liquid-liquid extraction. Current efforts focus on exciting new systems in which the anion receptors act as synergists for anion exchange