New low enriched uranium (LEU) fuels are being developed for replacement of high enriched uranium (HEU) fuels in high power research reactors. U-Mo LEU plate fuels have been identified as a candidate for replacement of current HEU fuels. However, U-Mo fuels tend to exhibit accelerated swelling typically at fission densities...
In the first part of this work, thin films of Al₂O₃ deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) are demonstrated to improve the thermal stability of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) aerogels. ALD is a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) like method in which sequential precursor exposures and self-limited surface reactions produce a conformal...
Parcellization of the rural landscape threatens the provision of social, ecological and economic benefits to society due to loss of economies of scale. A continued provision requires new approaches to forest management for multiple, interconnected goals. I used interviews, archival records and field measurements to learn how select, experienced owners...
The study of the subsurface flow and distribution of water is critical to the
evaluation of the unsaturated zone for a potential geologic high-level radioactive
waste repository. This site is located at Yucca Mountain, Nevada in the northern
Mojave Desert. and was chosen on the basis of its low precipitation,...
Full Text:
Environment
Lorraine E. Flint, David C. Buesch, and Alan L. Flint
Department of Crops and Soil Science
Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have recently come under intense investigation as building blocks for van der Waals heterostructure electronics. One of the most promising TMDs is MoS₂, which transitions from an indirect bandgap (1.3 eV) in its bulk state to a direct band gap (1.8 eV) in its single...
The High Performance Research Reactor Fuel Development (HPPRFD) program is responsible for developing low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel substitutes for high performance reactors fueled with highly enriched uranium (HEU) that have not yet been converted to LEU. The uranium-molybdenum (U-Mo) fuel system was selected for this effort. In this study,...
Aerogels are interesting material systems with outstanding properties such as low density, high surface area, and low thermal conductivity. They can be used for a variety of applications, such as solar cells, sensors, or catalysts. Additionally they provide a unique model system to study the properties of small particles. Cellulose...
Silicon carbide is an important and versatile nonoxide ceramic. Powder injection molding (PIM) is a method of high-speed fabrication of complex near-net shapes of SiC and other powders. Green micro-machining (GMM) is used to extend the shaping capability of green ceramics and powder metallurgy to smaller feature sizes. Debinding--removal of...
Understanding the effect on the materials mechanical properties from the perspective of interfacial interaction between the filler and the polymer matrix has become an important criterion in polymer nanocomposites field. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are renewable materials that can be extracted from natural sources, such as wood, cotton, and tunicates. In...
Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) aerogels are coated with thin conformal layers of Al₂O₃ using
atomic layer deposition to form hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposites. Electron probe
microanalysis and scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated the Al₂O₃ penetrated more
than 1500 μm into the aerogel for extended precursor pulse and exposure/purge times. The
measured profile...