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Division Spotlight
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2024
Latest News
Nuclear new build procurement considerations
It may seem counterintuitive, but the best time to enhance the ability to support operations and maintenance for a new plant is before construction starts. This is one of many lessons learned by the currently operating nuclear fleet. As construction and startup of many nuclear facilities was completed, it quickly became evident that the ability to efficiently support operations and maintenance was limited. Most of the information necessary to establish and manage procurement of spare and replacement items, maintenance, and configuration of the facilities was unavailable and had to be gathered on a case-by-case, “on-demand” basis. Absence of necessary information and the associated challenges resulted in the need for staff augmentation and multiyear-long projects to develop equipment bills of material and maintenance programs and to perform technical evaluations for the huge quantities of spare and replacement items being requested.
K. Dale, N. Vargas, A. Jara, E. Marin, G. Lovelace, N. Langley, J. Williams, T. Reuter, C. Kong, C. Monton, N. Alexander, M. Farrell, W. Sweet
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 79 | Number 7 | October 2023 | Pages 870-878
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2169547
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Boron-doped nanowires have promising applications in inertial confinement fusion. Developing an effective fabrication method for boron-doped nanowires is necessary for further investigation into their use as targets. In this paper, we examine a fabrication method that maximizes wire length and boron composition while minimizing fabrication time. Two boron-containing nanoparticles—pure boron and boron nitride nanoparticles—were used as dopants for two possible wire materials: General Atomics–Carbon-Hydrogen (GA-CH) aerogel and carbon-hydrogen (CH) polymer. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates were used to imprint the materials with nanowires. This study used a five-step fabrication process: (1) synthesis of boron or boron nitride–doped CH material (polymer and aerogel), (2) heat pressing of the doped material into the AAO template, (3) etching away the AAO template, (4) solvent exchanging, and (5) drying. Various boron compositions (in atomic percent), heat pressing temperatures, and heat pressing injection depths were tested to determine the best conditions for wire fabrication. Data collected using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy mapping demonstrated that the most successful wires were the boron nitride–doped CH polymer nanowires (7.33 at. % boron) at an injection depth of 0.3960 mm. However, the aerogel material has a greater ability than polymer to disperse the boron nitride nanoparticles, making it more ideal for nanowires. Although the boron nitride–doped aerogel nanowires were unsuccessful, the findings of this study provide promising guidance for future aerogel nanowire fabrication.