Diamond detectors for dose and instantaneous dose-rate measurements for ultra-high dose-rate scanned helium ion beams

Background: The possible emergence of the FLASH effect—the sparing of normal tissue while maintaining tumor control—after irradiations at dose-rates exceeding several tens of Gy per second, has recently spurred a surge of studies attempting to characterize and rationalize the phenomenon. Investigating and reporting the dose and instantaneous dose-rate of ultra-high dose-rate (UHDR) particle radiotherapy beams is crucial for understanding and assessing the FLASH effect, towards pre-clinical application and quality assurance programs. Purpose: The purpose of the present work is to investigate a novel diamond-based detector system for dose and instantaneous dose-rate measurements in UHDR particle beams. Methods: Two types of diamond detectors, a microDiamond (PTW 60019) and a diamond detector prototype specifically designed for operation in UHDR beams (flashDiamond), and two different readout electronic chains, were investigated for absorbed dose and instantaneous dose-rate measurements. The detectors were irradiated with a helium beam of 145.7 MeV/u under conventional and UHDR delivery. Dose-rate delivery records by the monitoring ionization chamber and diamond detectors were studied for single spot irradiations. Dose linearity at 5 cm depth and in-depth dose response from 2 to 16 cm were investigated for both measurement chains and both detectors in a water tank. Measurements with cylindrical and plane-parallel ionization chambers as well as Monte-Carlo simulations were performed for comparisons. Results: Diamond detectors allowed for recording the temporal structure of the beam, in good agreement with the one obtained by the monitoring ionization chamber. A better time resolution of the order of few μs was observed as compared to the approximately 50 μs of the monitoring ionization chamber. Both diamonds detectors show an excellent linearity response in both delivery modalities. Dose values derived by integrating the measured instantaneous dose-rates are in very good agreement with the ones obtained by the standard electrometer readings. Bragg peak curves confirmed the consistency of the charge measurements by the two systems. Conclusions: The proposed novel dosimetric system allows for a detailed investigation of the temporal evolution of UHDR beams. As a result, reliable and accurate determinations of dose and instantaneous dose-rate are possible, both required for a comprehensive characterization of UHDR beams and relevant for FLASH effect assessment in clinical treatments

The role and structure of carbonaceous materials in dehydrogenation reactions

The catalytic dehydrogenation (DH) and oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of light alkanes is widely studied as a route to the formation of alkenes and di-alkenes, important precursor molecules for synthetic rubbers, plastics and a variety of other products [1,2]. Recent studies have focused on the non-oxidative DH of butane over alumina-supported vanadia catalysts [3-5]. In the present work, we provide a detailed understanding of both the role and structure of coke deposited on VOx/Al2O3 during reaction. A range of characterisation techniques have been employed including the first application of terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to the study of coke. Complementary THz-TDS characterisation of carbonaceous materials including carbon nanofibres (CNFs) has also been conducted. For such materials THz-TDS spectra can be correlated with their catalytic performance in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to form styrene

The structure and mechanistic impact of carbon deposits in dehydrogenation reactions

The catalytic dehydrogenation (DH) and oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of light alkanes is widely studied as a route to the formation of alkenes and di-alkenes, important precursor molecules for synthetic rubbers, plastics and a variety of other products [1-4]. Recent studies have focused on the non-oxidative DH of butane over alumina-supported vanadia catalysts [5-7]. In the present work, we provide a detailed understanding of both the role and structure of coke deposited on VOx/Al2O3 during reaction. A range of characterisation techniques have been employed including the first application of terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to the study of coke. Complementary THz-TDS characterisation of carbonaceous materials including carbon nanofibres (CNFs) has also been conducted

Development and benchmarking of a dose rate engine for raster-scanned FLASH helium ions

Background: Radiotherapy with charged particles at high dose and ultra-high dose rate (uHDR) is a promising technique to further increase the therapeutic index of patient treatments. Dose rate is a key quantity to predict the so-called FLASH effect at uHDR settings. However, recent works introduced varying calculation models to report dose rate, which is susceptible to the delivery method, scanning path (in active beam delivery) and beam intensity. Purpose: This work introduces an analytical dose rate calculation engine for raster scanned charged particle beams that is able to predict dose rate from the irradiation plan and recorded beam intensity. The importance of standardized dose rate calculation methods is explored here. Methods: Dose is obtained with an analytical pencil beam algorithm, using pre-calculated databases for integrated depth dose distributions and lateral penumbra. Dose rate is then calculated by combining dose information with the respective particle fluence (i.e., time information) using three dose-rate-calculation models (mean, instantaneous, and threshold-based). Dose rate predictions for all three models are compared to uHDR helium ion beam (145.7 MeV/u, range in water of approximatively 14.6 cm) measurements performed at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT) with a diamond-detector prototype. Three scanning patterns (scanned or snake-like) and four field sizes are used to investigate the dose rate differences. Results: Dose rate measurements were in good agreement with in-silico generated distributions using the here introduced engine. Relative differences in dose rate were below 10% for varying depths in water, from 2.3 to 14.8 cm, as well as laterally in a near Bragg peak area. In the entrance channel of the helium ion beam, dose rates were predicted within 7% on average for varying irradiated field sizes and scanning patterns. Large differences in absolute dose rate values were observed for varying calculation methods. For raster-scanned irradiations, the deviation between mean and threshold-based dose rate at the investigated point was found to increase with the field size up to 63% for a 10 mm × 10 mm field, while no significant differences were observed for snake-like scanning paths. Conclusions: This work introduces the first dose rate calculation engine benchmarked to instantaneous dose rate, enabling dose rate predictions for physical and biophysical experiments. Dose rate is greatly affected by varying particle fluence, scanning path, and calculation method, highlighting the need for a consensus among the FLASH community on how to calculate and report dose rate in the future. The here introduced engine could help provide the necessary details for the analysis of the sparing effect and uHDR conditions

Analysis of the structure and chemical properties of some commercial carbon nanostructures

For many years the scientific community has believed in a promising future for carbon nanotubes for various applications in such diverse fields as polymer reinforcement, adsorption, catalysis, electronics and medicine. Industrial production of carbon nanotubes and -fibers and the subsequent availability and decrease of price, have rendered this vision feasible. In the last years, several carbon nanomaterial products have been marketed by major chemical companies. In this work, we present an extensive characterization of a representative set of commercially available carbon nanomaterials. Special focus has been put on their quality, i.e. presence of metal or carbonaceous impurities but also homogeneity and structural integrity. The observations are of importance for subsequent use in catalysis where the presence of impurities or defects in the nanostructure can dramatically modify the activity of the catalytic material

Iron-filled multiwalled carbon nanotubes surface-functionalized with paramagnetic Gd (III): A candidate dual-functioning MRI contrast agent and magnetic hyperthermia structure

The authors are grateful for the financial support from the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, UK

Control of steam input to the pyrolysis-gasification of waste plastics for improved production of hydrogen or carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been proven to be possible as high-value by-products of hydrogen production from gasification of waste plastics. In this work, steam content in the gasification process was investigated to increase the quality of CNTs in terms of purity. Three different plastics-low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) were studied in a two stage pyrolysis-gasification reactor. Plastics samples were pyrolysed in nitrogen at 600°C, before the evolved gases were passed to a second stage where steam was injected and the gases were reformed at 800°C in the presence of a nickel-alumina catalyst. To investigate the effect that steam plays on CNT production, steam injection rates of 0, 0.25, 1.90 and 4.74gh-1 were employed. The CNTs produced from all three plastics were multiwalled CNTs with diameters between 10 and 20nm and several microns in length. For all the plastic samples, raising the steam injection rate led to increased hydrogen production as steam reforming and gasification of deposited carbon increased. High quality CNTs, as observed from TEM, TPO and Raman spectroscopy, were produced by controlling the steam injection rate. The largest yield for LDPE was obtained at 0gh-1 steam injection rate, whilst PP and PS gave their largest yields at 0.25gh-1. Overall the largest CNT yield was obtained for PS at 0.25gh-1, with a conversion rate of plastic to CNTs of 32wt%

The phase of iron catalyst nanoparticles during carbon nanotube growth

We study the Fe-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition of carbon nanotubes by complementary in situ grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction, in situ X-ray reflectivity, and environmental transmission electron microscopy. We find that typical oxide supported Fe catalyst films form widely varying mixtures of bcc and fcc phased Fe nanoparticles upon reduction, which we ascribe to variations in minor commonly present carbon contamination levels. Depending on the as-formed phase composition, different growth modes occur upon hydrocarbon exposure: For γ-rich Fe nanoparticle distributions, metallic Fe is the active catalyst phase, implying that carbide formation is not a prerequisite for nanotube growth. For α-rich catalyst mixtures, Fe3C formation more readily occurs and constitutes part of the nanotube growth process. We propose that this behavior can be rationalized in terms of kinetically accessible pathways, which we discuss in the context of the bulk iron–carbon phase diagram with the inclusion of phase equilibrium lines for metastable Fe3C. Our results indicate that kinetic effects dominate the complex catalyst phase evolution during realistic CNT growth recipes.S.H. acknowledges funding from ERC grant InsituNANO (No. 279342). We acknowledge the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) for provision of synchrotron radiation facilities. We acknowledge the use of facilities within the LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science at Arizona State University. C.T.W. and C.S.E. acknowledge funding from the EC project Technotubes. A.D.G. acknowledges funding from the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission and the National Science Foundation. R.S.W. acknowledges funding from EPSRC (Doctoral training award) and B.C.B. acknowledges a Research Fellowship at Hughes Hall, Cambridge.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from ACS at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/cm301402g

Effect of Covalent Functionalisation on Thermal Transport Across Graphene-Polymer Interfaces

This paper is concerned with the interfacial thermal resistance for polymer composites reinforced by various covalently functionalised graphene. By using molecular dynamics simulations, the obtained results show that the covalent functionalisation in graphene plays a significant role in reducing the graphene-paraffin interfacial thermal resistance. This reduction is dependent on the coverage and type of functional groups. Among the various functional groups, butyl is found to be the most effective in reducing the interfacial thermal resistance, followed by methyl, phenyl and formyl. The other functional groups under consideration such as carboxyl, hydroxyl and amines are found to produce negligible reduction in the interfacial thermal resistance. For multilayer graphene with a layer number up to four, the interfacial thermal resistance is insensitive to the layer number. The effects of the different functional groups and the layer number on the interfacial thermal resistance are also elaborated using the vibrational density of states of the graphene and the paraffin matrix. The present findings provide useful guidelines in the application of functionalised graphene for practical thermal management.Comment: 8 figure