Neutron irradiation influence on high-power thyristor device under fusion environment

Because of their economy and applicability,high-power thyristor devices are widely used in the power supply systems for large fusion devices.When high-dose neutrons produced by deuterium–tritium(D–T)fusion reactions are irradiated on a thyristor device for a long time,the electrical characteristics of the device change,which may eventually cause irreversible damage.In this study,with the thyristor switch of the commutation circuit in the quench protection system(QPS)of a fusion device as the study object,the relationship between the internal physical structure and external electrical parameters of the irradiated thyristor is established.Subsequently,a series of targeted thyristor physical simulations and neutron irradiation experiments are conducted to verify the accuracy of the theoretical analysis.In addition,the effect of irradiated thyristor electrical characteristic changes on the entire QPS is studied by accurate simulation,providing valuable guidelines for the maintenance and renovation of the QPS.

Demonstration of irradiation-resistant 4H-SiC based photoelectrochemical water splitting

4H silicon carbide(4H-SiC)has gained a great success in high-power electronics,owing to its advantages of wide bandgap,high breakdown electric field strength,high carrier mobility,and high thermal conductivity.Considering the high carrier mobility and high stability of 4H-SiC,4H-SiC has great potential in the field of photoelectrochemical(PEC)water splitting.In this work,we demonstrate the irradiation-resistant PEC water splitting based on nanoporous 4H-SiC arrays.A new two-step anodizing approach is adopted to prepare 4H-SiC nanoporous arrays with different porosity,that is,a constant low-voltage etching followed by a pulsed high-voltage etching.The constant-voltage etching and pulsed-voltage etching are adopted to control the diameter of the nanopores and the depth of the nanoporous arrays,respectively.It is found that the nanoporous arrays with medium porosity has the highest PEC current,because of the enhanced light absorption and the optimized transportation of charge carriers along the walls of the nanoporous arrays.The performance of the PEC water splitting of the nanoporous arrays is stable after the electron irradiation with the dose of 800 and 1600 k Gy,which indicates that 4H-SiC nanoporous arrays has great potential in the PEC water splitting under harsh environments.

In situ TEM investigation of electron irradiation and aging-induced high-density nanoprecipitates in an Mg-10Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.5Zr alloy

In-situ electron irradiation and aging are applied to introduce high-density precipitates in an Mg-10Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.5Zr(GWZ1031K,wt.%)alloy to improve the hardness.The results show that the hardness of the Mg alloy after irradiation for 10 h and aging for 9 h at 250℃ is 1.64 GPa,which is approximately 64% higher than that of the samples before being treated.It is mainly attributed to γ'precipitates on the basal plane after irradiation and the high-density nanoscale β'precipitates on the prismatic plane after aging,which should be closely related to the irradiation-induced homogenous clusters.The latter plays a key role in precipitation hardening.This result paves a way to improve the mechanical properties of metallic materials by tailoring the precipitation through irradiation and aging.

Microwave irradiation-induced alterations in physicochemical properties and methane adsorption capability of coals:An experimental study using carbon molecular sieve

In order to comprehend the applicability of microwave irradiation for recovering coalbed methane,it is necessary to evaluate the microwave irradiation-induced alterations in coals with varying levels of metamorphism.In this work,the carbon molecular sieve combined with KMnO_(4)oxidation was selected to fabricate carbon molecular sieve with diverse oxidation degrees,which can serve as model substances toward coals.Afterwards,the microwave irradiation dependences of pores,functional groups,and highpressure methane adsorption characteristics of model substances were studied.The results indicated that microwave irradiation causes rearrangement of oxygen-containing functional groups,which could block the micropores with a size of 0.40-0.60 nm in carbon molecular sieve;meanwhile,naphthalene and phenanthrene generated by macro-molecular structure pyrolysis due to microwave irradiation could block the micropores with a size of 0.70-0.90 nm.These alterations in micropore structure weaken the saturated methane adsorption capacity of oxidized carbon molecular sieve by 2.91%-23.28%,suggesting that microwave irradiation could promote methane desorption.Moreover,the increased mesopores found for oxidized carbon molecular sieve after microwave irradiation could benefit CH4 diffusion.In summary,the oxidized carbon molecular sieve can act as model substances toward coals with different ranks.Additionally,microwave irradiation is a promising technology to enhance coalbed methane recovery.

Two-dimensional particle-in-cell modeling of blow-off impulse by X-ray irradiation

Space objects such as spacecraft or missiles may be exposed to intense X-rays in outer space,leading to severe damage.The reinforcement of these objects to reduce the damage caused by X-ray irradiation is a significant concern.The blow-off impulse(BOI)is a crucial physical quantity for investigating material damage induced by X-ray irradiation.However,the accurate calculation of BOI is challenging,particularly for large deformations of materials with complex configurations.In this study,we develop a novel two-dimensional particle-in-cell code,Xablation2D,to calculate BOIs under far-field X-ray irradiation.This significantly reduces the dependence of the numerical simulation on the grid shape.The reliability of this code is verified by simulation results from open-source codes,and the calculated BOIs are consistent with the experimental and analytical results.

Effect of high-energy Ne ions irradiation on mechanical properties difference between Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5)metallic glass and crystalline W

In this paper,high-energy Ne ions were used to irradiate Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) metallic glass(MG)and crystalline W to investigate their difference in mechanical response after irradiation.The results showed that with the irradiation dose increased,the tensile micro-strain increased,nano-hardness increased from 7.11 GPa to 7.90 GPa and 8.62 GPa,Young’s modulus increased,and H3/E2 increased which indicating that the plastic deformability decreased in crystalline W.Under the same irradiation conditions,the Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG still maintained the amorphous structure and became more disordered despite the longer range and stronger displacement damage of Ne ions in Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG than in crystalline W.Unlike the irradiation hardening and embrittlement behavior of crystalline W,Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG showed the gradual decrease in hardness from 6.02 GPa to 5.89 GPa and 5.50 GPa,the decrease in modulus and the increase in plastic deformability with the increasing dose.Possibly,the irradiation softening and toughening phenomenon of Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG could provide new ideas for the design of nuclear materials.

Effect of three-volt moxibustion with helium-neon laser irradiation on quality of care in patients with lumbar radiculopathy spondylosis

BACKGROUND Lumbar radiculopathy spondylosis is a relatively common orthopedic disease with a high incidence rate.It most commonly occurs in the lumbar 4-5 and lumbar 5-sacral 1 vertebrae,which account for approximately 95%of cases.It mostly occurs in people aged 30-50 years old and greatly affects their quality of life.AIM To determine the effect of triple-voltage acupuncture combined with helium-neon laser irradiation on the quality of care and improvement of symptoms in patients with lumbar radiculopathy spondylolisthesis.METHODS In this study,we selected 120 patients with lumbar radiculopathy spondylosis who were treated at our hospital between June 2019 to June 2020.The patients were divided into control and observation groups according to the random number table method,with 60 patients in each group.Patients in the observation group were treated with three-volt moxibustion combined with helium-neon laser irradiation,and those in the control group were treated with lumbar traction.After 1 month of treatment,the lumbar pain scores,lumbar spine motor functions,clinical treatment effects,and nursing satisfaction of the two groups were compared.RESULTS The results showed that acupuncture combined with laser irradiation significantly improved the patients'clinical symptoms,i.e.,reduced their low back pain,significantly lower numerical rating scale pain scores in the observation group than in the control group,and better lumbar spine motility than in the control group,compared to lumbar traction.In addition,they were cared for.The treatment effectiveness rate of the observation group was 95.5%,which was significantly higher than that of the control group(81.67%).Satisfaction with care was higher than 90 points in both groups,but the difference was not statistically significant.CONCLUSION Our study provides a clinical rationale for the future treatment of patients with lumbar spine disease.However,further extensive research is needed for validation.

Development of a new irradiation-embrittlement prediction model for reactor pressure-vessel steels

Predicting the transition-temperature shift(TTS)induced by neutron irradiation in reactor pressure-vessel(RPV)steels is important for the evaluation and extension of nuclear power-plant lifetimes.Current prediction models may fail to properly describe the embrittlement trend curves of Chinese domestic RPV steels with relatively low Cu content.Based on the screened surveillance data of Chinese domestic and similar international RPV steels,we have developed a new fluencedependent model for predicting the irradiation-embrittlement trend.The fast neutron fluence(E>1 MeV)exhibited the highest correlation coefficient with the measured TTS data;thus,it is a crucial parameter in the prediction model.The chemical composition has little relevance to the TTS residual calculated by the fluence-dependent model.The results show that the newly developed model with a simple power-law functional form of the neutron fluence is suitable for predicting the irradiation-embrittlement trend of Chinese domestic RPVs,regardless of the effect of the chemical composition.

The impact of^(60)Co-γirradiation on the chemical constituents of Chuanxiong Rhizoma

Background:In order to clarify the inmpat ofγirradiation on the chemical composition of traditional Chinese medicine,this paper carefully choosed Chuanxiong Rhizoma to carry on a demonstration study.Methods:Through a meticulous assessment,a comprehensive comparison was made between the irradiated and unirradiated Chuanxiong Rhizoma samples.The property characteristics were investigated by colorimeter and electronic nose.The changes in chemical structures and contents was analyzed by fourier infrared spectroscopy,high performance liquid chromatography and fingerprinting.In a quest to uncover the presence of any new radiolysis products,cutting-edge techniques like ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were employed.Moreover,the difference of antioxidant activity were investigated.Results:The irradiation doses within 12 kGy had no significant effects on the content of the main chemical components,characteristics and in vitro antioxidant activity of Chuanxiong Rhizoma,while changes in some functional groups and degradation of some volatile oil components containing olefins need further study.Conclusion:This study indicates that^(60)Co-γirradiation is a stable method for sterilization of Chuanxiong Rhizoma.It’s also provide a reference for the establishment of irradiation standards for Chuanxiong Rhizoma and other aromatic medicinal plants.

Protective and Regenerative Efficacy of a Plant Oil-Based Day and Night Cream: Investigated by a Novel Approach to Reveal the Impact of Blue Light Irradiation on Epidermal Barrier Integrity and Lipid Matrix

In recent years, the harmful effects of blue light (400 - 500 nm) as a component of visible light (400 - 700 nm) have increasingly gained attention of science, industry, and consumers. To date, only a few in vivo test methods for measuring the effects of blue light on the skin have been described. A direct measurement method that can detect the immediate effects of blue light on the epidermal permeability barrier (EPB) is still lacking. In this study, we present a new methodological approach that can be used to investigate both the protective and regenerative effects of cosmetic products on the EPB after blue light irradiation. In a study with 14 female volunteers, it was investigated whether the regular application of an O/W emulsion (day cream) can strengthen and protect the epidermal barrier against damaging blue light radiation of 60 J/cm2 (protective study design) and also whether a disruption of the epidermal barrier caused by blue light radiation is restored faster and better by the regular application of another O/W emulsion (night cream) than in product-untreated skin (regenerative study design). The two O/W emulsions are different in plant oil, active ingredient composition and texture. The seven-day treatment with the day cream initially led to a significant increase in the normalized lipid lamellae length in the intercellular space, whereas the irradiation with blue light after 24 hours led to a significant decrease in the lipid lamellae length in the untreated test area, but not in the area previously treated with the product. Regarding the regenerative study design, a two-day treatment with the night cream was able to restore a blue-light-induced decrease in lipid lamellae length in the intercellular space. In summary, with the study designs presented here, the protective and regenerative effect of two cosmetic products could be demonstrated for the first time on the integrity of the EPB after blue light irradiation and the data showed that the Lipbarvis® method is suitable for investigating the damaging effects of blue light on the EPB in vivo.

Red-mud treatment using oxalic acid by UV irradiation assistance

Red-mud is the residue from the Bayer process, in which the iron minerals should be removed before red-mud is used to produce refractory materials. The iron minerals in red-mud were extracted by oxalic acid solution. The content of Fe （calculated in Fe203） in red-mud was reduced from 17.6% to less than 1% after being treated by 1 mol/L oxalic acid solution at 75 ℃ for 2 h. The Fe（Ⅲ） oxalate solution obtained was then irradiated by UV light, resulting in the precipitation of Fe（Ⅱ） oxalate. Under UV photocatalysis, more than 90% of Fe（Ⅲ） oxalate in the extracted solution was transformed into the precipitation of Fe（Ⅱ） oxalate crystallite （fl-FeC2O4·2H2O）. The filtrate from the Fe（Ⅱ） oxalate precipitate filtration could be reused in the next cycle. The mechanism ofUV photocatalysis precipitation was also discussed.

Study on Mutagenic Effect of Cobalt-60 Irradiation on Potato

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the mutagenic effect of cobalt- 60 irradiation on potato. [Method] Potato tubers of Favorita and Zhongshu No.3 were irradiated with 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 70 Gy of cobalt-60 γ-ray respectively, to explore the mutagenic effect of different doses of γ-ray heavy ion irradiation on potato. [Result] The results showed that the emergence rate, seedling rate, plant growth, yield and commodity of potato varied after irradiated with different doses of cobalt-60 γ-ray; 10Gy of cobalt-60 irradiation played a positive effect on the growth and development of potato, while high doses played a negative effect on the growth and development of potato. After cobalt-60 irradiation, the botanical traits of M1 gen- eration varied greatly, resulting in a number of beneficial mutation traits; some traits of M2 and M3 generations became stably inherited. [Conclusion] Cobalt-60 irradiation breeding is conducive to the variety improvement and germplasm innovation as an effective means of genetic improvement for potato.

Effect of electron beam irradiation on multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） were irradiated with focused electron beams in a transmission electron microscope at room temperature. The results showed that carbon nanotubes had no obvious structural damages but only shell bending under 100 keV electron beam irradiation. However, when the electron energy increased to 200 keV, the nanotubes were damaged and amorphization, pits and gaps were detected. Furthermore, generating of carbon onions and welding between two MWCNTs occurred under 200 keV electron irradiation. It was easy to destroy the MWCNTs as the electron beams exceeded the displacement threshold energy that was calculated to be 83-110 keV. Conversely, the energy of electron beams below the threshold energy was not able to damage the tubes. The damage mechanism is sputtering and atom displacement.

Deformation defects and electron irradiation effect in nanostructured Al-Mg alloy processed by severe plastic deformation

In order to explore the exact nature of deformation defects previously observed in nanostructured Al-Mg alloys subjected to severe plastic deformation, a more thorough examination of the radiation effect on the formation of the planar defects in the high pressure torsion （HPT） alloys was conducted using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. The results show that high density defects in the HRTEM images disappear completely when these images are exposed under the electron beam for some duration of time. At the same time, lattice defects are never observed within no-defect areas even when the beam-exposure increases to the degree that holes appear in the areas. Therefore, it is confirmed that the planar defects observed in the HPT alloys mainly result from the significant plastic deformation and are not due to the radiation effect during HRTEM observation.

Study on γ-Ray Irradiation Mutation of Bacillus subtilis NCD-2

[Objective] To study the effect of 60Co γ-rays irradiation on Botrytis cinerea biocontrol strains—Bacillus subtilis NCD-2. [Method] NCD-2 cells were irradiated at different doses of γ-rays from 100 to 2 000 Gy. The strains were screened by plate confrontation method and Oxford cup diffusion. [Result] The curves of the relationship of irradiation dose and mutation and lethal rate were obtained. The results showed that lethal rate increased with the increasing of irradiation dose. The lethal rate of 1 000 Gy irradiation dose reached 99.50%. The mutation rate increased below 500 Gy and decreased above 500 Gy. The highest mutation rate occurred when the irradiation dose was between 400 and 700 Gy, and the average mutation rate was above 15%. The optimal irradiation dose was 500 Gy, when the average mutation rate was 26.51% and lethal rate was 77.71%. [Conclusion] This study provided references for γ-rays irradiation mutation of Bacillus subtilis.

SRAP Marker Analysis of Genomic Mutation Induced by ^(60)Coγ-Ray Irradiation in Potato (Solanum tuberosum)

[Objective] This study was to explore the mutagenic effect of 60Co γ-ray on Solanum tuberosum chromosomes.[Method] The 60Co γ-ray at different irradiation doses was applied to treat the minitubers of potato variety ＇Favorita＇,and the genomic mutations in VM1 and VM2 gene rations in treatments with different doses were analyzed by SRAP markers.[Resalt] Thirty pairs of SRAP primers out of 88 pairs exhibited polymorphism with a rate of 34.1％ in the bulked selection of VM1 generation.A total of 225 bands were obtained,of which 64 were polymorphic with a rate of 28.4％.The polymorphism was reflected in the forms of deleted bands and added bands.Based on the result of the bulked selection of VM1 generation,25 primers with polymorphism were selected to scan VM2 generation.Five primers performed poorly,and nine of the rest 20 pairs revealed polymorphism and obtained nine polymorphic bands,of which only four bands were detected in VM1 generation and the other five ones were newly deleted bands.Only 9.8％ of the bands detected in VM1 generation were obtained in VM2 generation.Eventually,nine stable and dear polymorphic bands were recovered and cloned,and DNA sequences of six bands of them were acquired by sequencing.According to the comparative analysis,five fragments sequences were similar to potato chromosome with a similarity rate of 77％-89％,three of them located at the resistance gene cluster; another one fragment had a similarity of 93％ with some regions of the No.5 chromosome in tomato.[Conclusion] 60Co γ-ray irradiation can cause mutation of genomic DNA in potato;there is no significant correlation between the number of polymorphic bands and the irradiation dose; potymorphic bands are characterized by a larger number of deleted bands than that of the added ones.

The Degradation of FB1 in Aqueous Acetonitrile and Corn Following γ-ray Irradiation

To investigate the degradation of FB1 in aqueous acetonitrile and corn af-ter γ-ray irradiation, the radiolytic products of FB1 was detected preliminarily. The results showed that γ-ray irradiation could degrade FB1 in aqueous acetonitrile;When the radiation dose was below 9 kGy, the degradation of FB1 in corn was not significant. The degradation rates of FB1 with concentrations of 0.8 mg/ml, 10.0 μg/ml, 1.0 μg/ml and 50 ng/ml after irradiation at 9 kGy were 22.5%, 51.0%, 59.0% and 64.8% respectively; when irradiation dose was increased to 100 kGy, the degrada-tion rate of FB1 with concentration of 0.8 mg/ml was up to 90%, and it was nearly 100% when irradiation dose was increased to 200 kGy. No representative products of FB1 were detected by LC/MS/MS analysis.

Enhanced Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Miscanthus sinensis Following Synergic Pretreatment with ^(60)Co γ-ray Irradiation and Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effects of different pretreat- ments on enzymatic saccharification of Miscanthus sinensis and improve reducing sugar yield in the enzymolysis process. [Method] M. sinensis was pretreated with 60Co y-ray irradiation and alkaline hydrogen peroxide, to analyze their effects on re- ducing sugar yield of enzymatic hydrolysis. [Result] After pretreatment with 400 kGy 60Co y-ray irradiation, reducing sugar yield in the enzymolysis process of M sinensis was 76.24 mg/g; after synergic pretreatment with 400 kGy 60Co y-ray irradiation and alkaline hydrogen peroxide, reducing sugar yield in the enzymolysis process of M. sinensis was 505.08 mg/g, which was improved by 5.6 times compared to that in pretreatment with 400 kGy 60Co y-ray irradiation. Based on process optimization, the optimal hydrolysis conditions were obtained： pretreatment temperature 30 ℃, NaOH concentration 1.2%, hydrogen peroxide concentration 2%, pretreatment time 6 h. [Conclusion] Synergic pretreatment with 60Co y-ray irradiation and alkaline hydrogen peroxide could significantly improve reducing sugar yield in the enzymolysis process of M. sinensis, which provided a new theoretical basis for preparing fuel ethanol with M. sinensis.

Investigation on the Appropriate Dose of ^(60)Co-γ Irradiation for Tubers of Purple Sweet Potato

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the appropriate dose of 60^Co-γ irradiation for tubers of purple sweet potato.[Methods] The tubers of two purple sweet potato varieties Xuzi L-7 and Yuenanzi were used as experimental materials,and treated with 60^Co-γ irradiation at different doses（0,25,50,75,100,125 and 150 Gy） to determine the emergence rate,number of emerged seedlings per tuber and fresh weight per seedling.[Results] After the 60^Co-γ irradiation at different doses,the emergence period of tubers was postponed while the emergence rate,number of emerged seedlings per tuber and fresh weight per plant were decreased,and the differences between different varieties and different irradiation doses reached significance level.Compared with the control,the emergence period of tubers at irradiation doses above 25 Gy were postponed by 2,3,5,6 and 12 d,respectively.[Conclusion] The half lethal dose（LD50） of Xuzi L-7 was 66.73 Gy,and that of Yuenanzi was 74.96 Gy.

Effects of Heavy-ion Beams Irradiation on Survival Rate and Antioxidant Enzymes of Sweet Sorghum Seedlings

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effects of heavy-ion beams irradiation on the seed germination potential, survival rate, antioxidant enzyme activi- ties and lipid peroxidation of sweet sorghum. [Method] The dry seeds were irradiated by ＇2（36. heavy ion beams with absorbed doses： 0, 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 Gy, respectively. Then, the seed germination potential, survival rate, antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation of sweet sorghum were measured. [Result] Heavy-ion beams irradiation exhibited different influence on germination potential and survival rates. Germination rate showed a downward trend, but the corresponding survival curve of seedlings was saddle-shaped. The activities of SOD, POD, CAT and ASA- POD changed in different trends as well. The MDA content rose toward increasing irradiation dose, suggesting that high dose of heavy-ion beams irradiation enhanced the damage to membrane of sweet sorghum seedlings. [Conclusion] After being irra- diated, germination potential and survival rates of sweet sorghum were decreased, and antioxidant enzymes activity changed greatly. This study laid the basis for fur- ther work on breeding and improvement of sweet sorghum irradiated by ,^（12）C^（6＋） heavy ion beams.