Collaborative Research: Studies of light-responsive novel metal and lanthanide-based nanocomposites: X-ray radiation enhancing and radioluminescence properties

合作研究：光响应新型金属和稀土基纳米复合材料的研究：X射线辐射增强和辐射发光特性

• 批准号: 2138361
• 负责人: Jessika Rojas
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Virginia Commonwealth University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2138361&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Studies; light; responsive

Non-Technical SummaryMaterials at the nanoscale have evidenced a wide and remarkable set of properties that make them suitable for many applications. The behavior of nanomaterials under various external stimuli, such as temperature, mechanical forces, pH, etc., has been widely investigated. However, the interaction of nanomaterials with ionizing radiation, such as X-rays, remains largely unexplored. Investigating potential phenomena and understanding the interaction mechanisms of ionizing radiation with matter at the nanoscale is an unknown question in materials chemistry and will generate valuable information to allow the use of such structures in nuclear science and technology for applications in medicine, power transducers, energy storage, radiation sensors, and actuators. This collaborative research proposal will investigate a novel class of multicomponent nanomaterials responsive to both low and high energy X-rays. This research will have a tremendous educational impact on the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The new knowledge in materials and radiation chemistry, advanced nanomaterials synthesis, and manufacturing will be disseminated in the undergraduate and graduate courses. The research proposed here will also be a significant boon for the nuclear science at James Madison University (JMU) and will include undergraduates in the interdisciplinary-research projects. The diverse experience the students will gain while working on this interdisciplinary project will create a multitude of opportunities for those seeking careers in nuclear engineering, applied photon science, nanoscience, accelerator physics, or medical physics, as well as for those directly entering the workforce in nuclear industry or government.Technical SummaryThis research project will advance both the fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanism of radiation dose enhancement and the radioluminescence response upon the nanocomposites interacting with high-energy photons. The work will build upon the theory of radiation interaction with matter and expand on the surface and interfacial effects in aqueous media that lead to the radiation enhancement phenomenon. This project focuses on three key areas: 1) Expand on the controlled synthesis of multicomponent nanomaterials to explore their mechanisms of interaction with ionizing radiation; 2) Investigate their radioluminescence and radiation enhancing properties; 3) Implement computational models based on Monte Carlo simulations to assess the contribution of the physical enhancement to the radiosensitization properties of the nanomaterials based on their chemical compositions and morphologies. The experimental work will involve chemical, electrochemical, and spectroscopic techniques to quantify reactive species involved in the radiation enhancement and the materials' optical properties. Computational work will be carried out using GEANT4 particle transport code to model the interaction of the X-rays with the studied nanostructures. Ultimately, this research will establish correlations between the material structure and properties in the solid-state, specifically considering the effects of the X-ray parameters such as the energy spectrum of the X-ray beam and the rate at which the energy is delivered to the system have on the behavior of the materials systems. Overall, the proposed experimental and computational tools will lead to an understanding of the structure-property relationships of the nanomaterials and will advance the synthesis, evaluation, and simulation of radiation enhancing and radioluminescent nanomaterials to enable their implementation in various fields. Overall, both the undergraduate and graduate students involved in this work will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in an accelerator-based environment at the JMU's Madison Accelerator Laboratory while participating in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research both at VCU and JMU.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

纳米级的非技术摘要已证明了一套广泛而出色的特性，使其适合许多应用。 在各种外部刺激（例如温度，机械力，pH等）下的纳米材料的行为已得到广泛研究。 但是，纳米材料与电离辐射（例如X射线）的相互作用在很大程度上尚未探索。 研究潜在现象并了解纳米级电离辐射与物质的相互作用机制是材料化学中未知的问题，它将产生有价值的信息，以允许在核科学和技术中使用此类结构，以在医学，电力传感器，能源存储，能量存储，辐射，辐射传感器和驱动器中应用。 该协作研究建议将调查一类新型的多组分纳米材料，对低能和高能量X射线有反应。 这项研究将对弗吉尼亚联邦大学（VCU）的机械和核工程计划产生巨大的教育影响。 材料和辐射化学，高级纳米材料合成和制造业的新知识将在本科和研究生课程中传播。 这里提出的研究还将为詹姆斯·麦迪逊大学（JMU）的核科学带来重要的福音，并将包括本科生跨学科研究项目。 学生在从事这个跨学科项目时将获得的多样化经验将为那些寻求核工程职业，应用光子科学，纳米科学，纳米科学，加速器物理或医学物理学的人创造多种机会在纳米复合材料上与高能光子相互作用。 这项工作将基于与物质相互作用的理论，并在水性介质中扩展表面和界面效应，从而导致辐射增强现象。该项目着重于三个关键领域：1）扩展多组分纳米材料的控制合成，以探索其与电离辐射的相互作用机制； 2）研究它们的辐射发光和辐射增强特性； 3）实施基于蒙特卡洛模拟的计算模型，以根据基于其化学成分和形态的纳米材料对物理增强对纳米材料的放射敏性能的贡献。 实验性工作将涉及化学，电化学和光谱技术，以量化参与辐射增强的反应性物种和材料的光学特性。 计算工作将使用GEANT4粒子传输代码进行，以建模X射线与所研究的纳米结构的相互作用。 最终，这项研究将在固态中建立材料结构和性质之间的相关性，特别是考虑X射线参数的影响，例如X射线束的能量光谱以及将能量传递到系统对材料系统行为的速率。 总体而言，提出的实验和计算工具将导致对纳米材料的结构性质关系的理解，并将推进对辐射增强和放射性发光纳米材料的综合，评估和模拟，以实现其在各个领域的实现。总体而言，参与这项工作的本科生和研究生都将有机会在JMU的麦迪逊加速器实验室中获得基于加速器的环境的动手经验，同时在参与VCU和JMU的尖端跨学科研究的同时，这一奖项都反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过评估师的范围来反映出构成群体的范围。