NER: NanoScintillation Systems for Aqueous-Based Liquid Scintillation Counting

该提案是针对NSE、NSF-0019而收到的。生物医学和化学研究人员经常使用液体闪烁计数作为一种手段，以量化在实验期间产生的样本中发射的贝塔粒子同位素(例如，~3H和~14C)所释放的放射性数量。通常，这些样品是水性的，必须与含有溶解的氟分子(闪烁体)的有机溶剂混合，以形成基于乳化液的“鸡尾酒”。尽管效率很高，但处理液体闪烁计数产生的大量“混合”废物(放射性废物和有机废物)是一项经济和环境挑战。为了解决这个问题，PI建议应用纳米技术开发一种水基闪烁系统。这项为期12个月的项目的总体目标是开发一种水基纳米闪烁系统，可以作为有机溶剂基液体闪烁鸡尾酒的替代品。提出的两个具体目标是：1)证明初级荧光分子可以被包裹在满足以下标准的工程水基纳米闪烁系统中：系统由98%的水、没有有机溶剂和100 nm的永久悬浮颗粒组成，以及2)证明工程纳米闪烁系统对~3H和14C的探测效率是商业有机溶剂基液体闪烁鸡尾酒的50%。将设计两种稳定的水包油微乳液作为纳米模板，用于固化含有氟分子的固体纳米颗粒。将测量工程纳米颗粒的颗粒大小、稳定性和可悬浮性，作为优化纳米闪烁系统的标准。将确定最佳体系对~3H和~(14)C的检测效率，并将其与市售的有机-溶剂鸡尾酒体系进行比较。

This proposal was received in response to NSE, NSF-0019. Biomedical and chemical researchers routinely employ liquid scintillation counting as a means of quantifying the amount of radioactivity emitted by beta-particle emitting isotopes (e.g., 3H and 14C) in samples generated during experiments. Frequently, these samples are aqueous in nature and must be mixed with an organic solvent containing dissolved fluor molecules (scintillators) to form an emulsion-based "cocktail". Although efficient, the disposal of the large quantities of "mixed" (radioactive and organic) waste generated by liquid scintillation counting presents an economical and environmental challenge. To solve this problem, the PI proposes to develop an aqueous-based scintillation system by applying nanotechnology.The overall goal of the 12-month project is to develop an aqueous-based NanoScintillation system that may serve as an alternative to organic solvent-based liquid scintillation cocktails. Two specific aims proposed are: 1) to demonstrate that a primary fluor molecule can be entrapped in an engineered aqueous-based NanoScintillation System meeting the following criteria: system consists of 98% water, no organic solvents, and permanently suspended particles 100 nm, and 2) to demonstrate that the engineered NanoScintillation System has detection efficiencies for 3H and 14C that are 50% of those of commercial organic solvent-based liquid scintillation cocktails. Two types of stable oil-in-water microemulsions as nanotemplates for the curing of solid nanoparticles containing fluor molecules will be engineered. Particle size, stability, and suspendability of the engineered nanoparticles will be measured as a criteria for an optimal NanoScintillation System. The detection efficiency of optimal systems for 3H and 14C will be determined and compared to those of commercially available organic-solvent based cocktail systems.