A scintillator using organic materials can be easily manufactured in various shapes and sizes to suit the user’s purpose. A quantum dot (QD)-based scintillator has a number of advantages over commercial scintillators, including emission wavelength control, high-purity emission of a specific wavelength, high photoluminescence efficiency, and good photostability. The organic scintillators doping with various agents into the polymer media to increase scintillation efficiency and to control the emissioning wavelength through energy transfer process. In this study, scintillator enhancement was observed with different QDs material and detection response to gamma and neutron was investigated in energy spectrum. Multishell- structure QDs (CdS/CdZnS/ZnS) were fabricated and utilized to offset the shortcomings of single-shell-structure QDs, and the optical properties and the gamma and neutron detection performance capabilities were evaluated. The results of the evaluation of the detection response of the QD-based scintillator confirmed that the neutron/gamma classification performance was similar to that of a commercial scintillator. Furthermore, the gamma detection efficiency was improved by 34–38% (in the case of 137Cs) compared to a commercial scintillator. This study is especially notable in that the organic scintillator incorporated with the newly fabricated QDs can be utilized for gamma and neutron detection for the operation and decommissioning various nuclear facilities.

To improve the lithium-ion battery performance and stability, a conducting polymer, which can simultaneously serve as both a conductive additive and a binder, is introduced into the anode. Water-soluble polyaniline:polystyrene sulfonate (PANI:PSS) can be successfully prepared through chemical oxidative polymerization, and their chemical/mechanical properties are adjusted by varying the molecular weight of PSS. As a conductive additive, the PANI with a conjugated double bond structure is introduced between active materials or between the active material and the current collector to provide fast and short electrical pathways. As a binder, the PSS prevents short circuits through strong π‒π stacking interaction with active material, and it exhibits superior adhesion to the current collector, thereby ensuring the maintenance of stable mechanical properties, even under high-speed charging/discharging conditions. Based on the synergistic effect of the intrinsic properties of PANI and PSS, it is confirmed that the anode with PANI:PSS introduced as a binder has about 1.8 times higher bonding strength (0.4 kgf/20 mm) compared to conventional binders. Moreover, since active materials can be additionally added in place of the generally added conductive additives, the total cell capacity increased by about 12.0%, and improved stability is shown with a capacity retention rate of 99.3% even after 200 cycles at a current rate of 0.2 C.

The initial development plans for the six reactor designs, soon after the release of Generation IV International Forum (GIF) TRM in 2002, were characterized by high ambition [1]. Specifically, the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) and very-high temperature reactor (VHTR) gained significant attention and were expected to reach the validation stage by the 2020s, with commercial viability projected for the 2030s. However, these projections have been unrealized because of various factors. The development of reactor designs by the GIF was supposed to be influenced by events such as the 2008 global financial crisis, 2011 Fukushima accident [2, 3], discovery of extensive shale oil reserves in the United States, and overly ambitious technological targets. Consequently, the momentum for VHTR development reduced significantly. In this context, the aims of this study were to compare and analyze the development progress of the six Gen IV reactor designs over the past 20 years, based on the GIF roadmaps published in 2002 and 2014. The primary focus was to examine the prospects for the reactor designs in relation to spent nuclear fuel burning in conjunction with small modular reactor (SMR), including molten salt reactor (MSR), which is expected to have spent nuclear fuel management potential.

The nuclear fuel that melted during the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 is still being cooled by water. In this process, contaminated water containing radioactive substances such as cesium and strontium is generated. The total amount of radioactive pollutants released by the natural environment due to the nuclear accident in Fukushima in 2011 is estimated to be 900 PBq, of which 10 to 37 PBq for cesium. Radioactive cesium (137Cs) is a potassium analog that exists in the water in the form of cations with similar daytime behavior and a small hydration radius and is recognized as a radioactive nuclide that has the greatest impact on the environment due to its long half-life (about 30 years), high solubility and diffusion coefficient, and gamma-ray emission. In this study, alginate beads were designed using Prussian blue, known as a material that selectively adsorbs cesium for removal and detection of cesium. To confirm the adsorption performance of the produced Prussian blue, immersion experiments were conducted using Cs standard solution, and MCNP simulations were performed by modeling 1L reservoir to conduct experiments using radioactive Cs in the future. An adsorption experiment was conducted with water containing standard cesium solution using alginate beads impregnated with Prussian blue. The adsorption experiment tested how much cesium of the same concentration was adsorbed over time. As a result, it was found that Prussian blue beads removed about 80% of cesium within 10-15 minutes. In addition, MCNP simulation was performed using a 1 L reservoir and a 3inch NaI detector to optimize the amount of Prussian blue. The results of comparing the efficiency according to the Prussian volume was shown. It showed that our designed system holds great promise for the cleanup and detection of radioactive cesium contaminated seawater around nuclear plants and/or after nuclear accidents. Thus, this work is expected to provide insights into the fundamental MCNP simulation based optimization of Prussian blue for cesium removal and this work based MCNP simulation will pave the way for various practical applications.

Safe geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) requires knowledge of the deep hydrochemical characteristics of the repository site. Here, we conducted a set of deep hydrochemical investigations using a 750-m borehole drilled in a model granite system in Wonju, South Korea. A closed investigation system consisting of a double-packer, Waterra pump, flow cell, and water-quality measurement unit was used for in situ water quality measurements and subsequent groundwater sampling. We managed the drilling water labeled with a fluorescein dye using a recycling system that reuses the water discharged from the borehole. We selected the test depths based on the dye concentrations, outflow water quality parameters, borehole logging, and visual inspection of the rock cores. The groundwater pumped up to the surface flowed into the flow cell, where the in situ water quality parameters were measured, and it was then collected for further laboratory measurements. Atmospheric contact was minimized during the entire process. Before hydrochemical measurements and sample collection, pumping was performed to purge the remnant drilling water. This study on a model borehole can serve as a reference for the future development of deep hydrochemical investigation procedures and techniques for siting processes of SNF repositories.

The emulsion and micro-encapsuled formulation from three essential oils, cassia, thyme white and lemon grass were tested for their insecticidal activities against Lycoriella ingenua (Dufour) adults at 0.3% concentration. As a result, the micro-encapsules than emulsion formulation was confirmed to show greater activity. Based on this result, insecticidal activities at several levels of concentration were examined, resulting in more than 80% insecticidal activity after 30 minutes at 0.6% level of cassia formulation. And also, insecticidal activity of three oil-based micro-encapsuled formulations lasted for up to 12 hours at 0.9% concentration. The main ingredients derived from three essential oils were evaluated on the insecticidal activity against Lycoriella ingenua. As a result, in case of thymol from thyme white, it showed more than 80% mortality after over 30 minutes at 0.25%, and in cinnamic aldehyde and citral, exhibited 88% and 82% mortality after 30 minutes at the 0.5% level, respectively. These three compounds were examined for whether the insecticidal activity was maintained depending on being over time. In case of thymol, it maintained good insecticidal activity against Lycoriella ingenua at 0.5% level until 120 hours, while cinnamic aldehyde and citral showed lower activity after 12 hours.