Focusing of high energy electron beam using crystal lenses for applications in radiotherapy

The two dominant radiotherapy methods are either simplified in terms of beam generation and handling, which compromises the energy deposition curve in tissues (photon therapy), or require extensive accelerator facilities and complex beam delivery systems to provide a favorable shape of the energy deposition curve (hadron therapy). The advantages of both of these methods, such as the low cost of the apparatus, ease of beam generation, and a suitable shape of the energy deposition curve in tissues, can potentially be achieved by using a very high-energy electron beam (beam energy in the order of a few hundreds of MeV) focused on the area of the tumor lesion. However, focusing of the beam is usually done with the use of quadrupole magnets which makes the beam delivery system complex and challenging from the engineering point of view. In this thesis, the feasibility of an alternative solution is explored, where focusing is performed by a bent silicon crystal with an appropriate shape of its exit face. Such a crystal lens can be a very light object (mass in the order of grams), allowing for much simpler beam delivery systems of radiotherapy facilities. As a result of this feasibility study, a simulation of a bent silicon crystal with profiled exit was prepared in Geant4. The outcome obtained from the simulation proved the focusing ability of such profiled crystal. However, the focusing strength of the crystal is not strong enough. Technical requirements needed to enable an improvement in focusing efficiency were identified and understood. Moreover, alternative solutions providing stronger focusing while using profiled crystals were proposed.Comment: Master's thesi

Investigations on the Interaction of Dichloroaluminum Carboxylates with Lewis Bases and Water: an Efficient Road toward Oxo- and Hydroxoaluminum Carboxylate Complexes

A series of dichloroaluminum carboxylates [Cl₂Al­(O₂CR)]₂ (were R = Ph (<b>1a</b>), ^tBu (<b>1b</b>), CHCH₂ (<b>1c</b>) and C₁₁H₂₃ (<b>1d</b>)) were prepared and extended investigations on their structure and reactivity toward various Lewis bases and H₂O performed. Compounds [Cl₂Al­(O₂CR)]₂ and their adducts with Lewis bases show a large structural variety, featuring both molecular and ionic forms with different coordination numbers of the metal center and various coordination modes of the carboxylate ligand. Upon addition of a Lewis base of moderate strength the molecular form [Cl₂Al­(O₂CR)]₂ equilibrates with new ionic forms. In the presences of 4-methylpyridine the six-coordinate Lewis acid–base adducts [Cl₂Al­(λ₂-O₂CR)­(<i>py</i>-Me)₂] [R = Ph (<b>3a</b>), ^tBu (<b>3b</b>)] with a chelating carboxylate ligand were formed. The reactions of <b>1a</b>, <b>1b</b>, and <b>1d</b> with 0.33 equiv of H₂O in THF-toluene solution lead to oxo carboxylates [(Al₃O)­(O₂CR)₆(THF)₃] [AlCl₄] [where R = Ph (<b>4a</b>_THF), ^tBu (<b>4b</b>_THF), and C₁₁H₂₃ (<b>4d</b>_THF)] in high yield. The similar reaction of <b>1c</b> in tetrahydrofuran (THF) afforded the chloro­(hydroxo)aluminum acrylate [(ClAl)₂(OH)­(O₂CC₂H₃)₂ (THF)₄]­[AlCl₄] (<b>5</b>), while the hydrolysis of <b>1b</b> in MeCN lead to the hydroxoaluminum carboxylate [Al₂(OH)­(O₂C^tBu)₂(MeCN)₆]­[AlCl₄)₃] (<b>6</b>). All compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H, ²⁷Al NMR, and IR spectroscopy, and the molecular structure of <b>1a</b>, <b>3a</b>, <b>3b</b>, <b>4a</b>_THF, <b>4b</b>_THF, <b>4b</b>_{<i>py‑</i>Me′}, <b>5</b>, and <b>6</b> were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The study provides a platform for testing transformations of secondary building units in Al-Metal–Organic Frameworks toward H₂O and neutral donor ligands