scholarly journals Investigation of Airborne Molecular Contamination in Cleanroom Air Environment through Portable Soft X-Ray Radiolysis Detector

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changhyuk Kim ◽  
Kyungil Cho ◽  
David Y. H. Pui

Airborne molecular contamination (AMC) represents a wide range of gaseous contaminants in the cleanroom air environment. It is difficult to monitor AMC in the cleanroom air using conventional methods in real-time due to its ultra-low concentrations, such as part-per-billion or -trillion (ppb or ppt). In this study, AMC in the real university cleanroom air environment was investigated to figure out hot spots through portable soft X-ray radiolysis detector, which converts gaseous AMC into nanoparticles (gas-to-particle conversion) under the soft X-ray irradiation. A soft X-ray was connected to a clean stainless steel chamber to convert the introduced AMC into nanoparticles, and the size distributions of nanoparticles were measured through a scanning mobility particle sizer, which consists of a differential mobility analyzer and a condensation particle counter. By converting the size distribution information into total particle volume concentrations, equivalent AMC concentrations can be calculated using an appropriate calibration curve between AMC and the total particle volume concentration. The volume concentration of nanoparticles were converted into an equivalent sulfur dioxide (SO2, a major acidic AMC in the cleanroom air) concentration by a calibration curve between SO2 and the particle volume concentrations. AMC levels at different locations in the cleanroom at the University of Minnesota were measured by the soft X-ray-assisted AMC detector, and revealed that several tenth-order of pptV (lower than 15 pptV) in terms of the equivalent SO2 concentration existed in the cleanroom air environment.

The present research focuses on the role of CeO2/water nanofluid for estimating the performance of flat plate solar collector in respect of energetic and exergetic performance. Based on our experimental findings on varying mass flow rate, the present analysis focuses on a wide range of concentrations to find optimum volume concentration for which thermal performance is maximum. CeO2/water nanofluid exhibits high thermal conductivity improvement (~41.7%at 1.5% volume concentration) and comparatively lower dynamic viscosity. Performance evaluation of flat plate collector is based on first law analysis and qualitative nature of energy flow based on second law analysis. Experiments indicate that for~1.0% particle volume concentration at a mass flow rate of 0.03 kg/s, maximum collector efficiency is obtained up to 57.1% instead of water as the base fluid. Exergetic efficiency observed 84.6%at optimum concentration (~1.0% particle volume) of nanofluid at0.01 kg/s flow rate.


Author(s):  
Katherine V. Whittington

Abstract The electronics supply chain is being increasingly infiltrated by non-authentic, counterfeit electronic parts, whose use poses a great risk to the integrity and quality of critical hardware. There is a wide range of counterfeit parts such as leads and body molds. The failure analyst has many tools that can be used to investigate counterfeit parts. The key is to follow an investigative path that makes sense for each scenario. External visual inspection is called for whenever the source of supply is questionable. Other methods include use of solvents, 3D measurement, X-ray fluorescence, C-mode scanning acoustic microscopy, thermal cycle testing, burn-in technique, and electrical testing. Awareness, vigilance, and effective investigations are the best defense against the threat of counterfeit parts.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
V. Miska ◽  
J.H.J.M. van der Graaf ◽  
J. de Koning

Nowadays filtration processes are still monitored with conventional analyses like turbidity measurements and, in case of flocculation–filtration, with phosphorus analyses. Turbidity measurements have the disadvantage that breakthrough of small flocs cannot be displayed, because of the blindness regarding changes in the mass distributions. Additional particle volume distributions calculated from particle size distributions (PSDs) would provide a better assessment of filtration performance. Lab-scale experiments have been executed on a flocculation–filtration column fed with effluent from WWTP Beverwijk in The Netherlands. Besides particle counting at various sampling points, the effect of sample dilution on the accuracy of PSD measurements has been reflected. It was found that the dilution has a minor effect on PSD of low turbidity samples such as process filtrate. The correlation between total particle counts, total particle volume (TPV) and total particle surface is not high but is at least better for diluted measurements of particles in the range 2–10 μm. Furthermore, possible relations between floc-bound phosphorus and TPV removal had been investigated. A good correlation coefficient is found for TPV removal versus floc-bound phosphorus removal for the experiments with polyaluminiumchloride and the experiments with single denitrifying and blank filtration.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1267
Author(s):  
David Längauer ◽  
Vladimír Čablík ◽  
Slavomír Hredzák ◽  
Anton Zubrik ◽  
Marek Matik ◽  
...  

Large amounts of coal combustion products (as solid products of thermal power plants) with different chemical and physical properties cause serious environmental problems. Even though coal fly ash is a coal combustion product, it has a wide range of applications (e.g., in construction, metallurgy, chemical production, reclamation etc.). One of its potential uses is in zeolitization to obtain a higher added value of the product. The aim of this paper is to produce a material with sufficient textural properties used, for example, for environmental purposes (an adsorbent) and/or storage material. In practice, the coal fly ash (No. 1 and No. 2) from Czech power plants was firstly characterized in detail (X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), particle size measurement, and textural analysis), and then it was hydrothermally treated to synthetize zeolites. Different concentrations of NaOH, LiCl, Al2O3, and aqueous glass; different temperature effects (90–120 °C); and different process lengths (6–48 h) were studied. Furthermore, most of the experiments were supplemented with a crystallization phase that was run for 16 h at 50 °C. After qualitative product analysis (SEM-EDX, XRD, and textural analytics), quantitative XRD evaluation with an internal standard was used for zeolitization process evaluation. Sodalite (SOD), phillipsite (PHI), chabazite (CHA), faujasite-Na (FAU-Na), and faujasite-Ca (FAU-Ca) were obtained as the zeolite phases. The content of these zeolite phases ranged from 2.09 to 43.79%. The best conditions for the zeolite phase formation were as follows: 4 M NaOH, 4 mL 10% LiCl, liquid/solid ratio of 30:1, silica/alumina ratio change from 2:1 to 1:1, temperature of 120 °C, process time of 24 h, and a crystallization phase for 16 h at 50 °C.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1786
Author(s):  
Carla Queirós ◽  
Chen Sun ◽  
Ana M. G. Silva ◽  
Baltazar de Castro ◽  
Juan Cabanillas-Gonzalez ◽  
...  

The development of straightforward reproducible methods for the preparation of new photoluminescent coordination polymers (CPs) is an important goal in luminescence and chemical sensing fields. Isophthalic acid derivatives have been reported for a wide range of applications, and in addition to their relatively low cost, have encouraged its use in the preparation of novel lanthanide-based coordination polymers (LnCPs). Considering that the photoluminescent properties of these CPs are highly dependent on the existence of water molecules in the crystal structure, our research efforts are now focused on the preparation of CP with the lowest water content possible, while considering a green chemistry approach. One- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) LnCPs were prepared from 5-aminoisophthalic acid and Sm3+/Tb3+ using hydrothermal and/or microwave-assisted synthesis. The unprecedented LnCPs were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCRXD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their photoluminescence (PL) properties were studied in the solid state, at room temperature, using the CPs as powders and encapsulated in poly(methyl methacrylate (PMMA) films, envisaging the potential preparation of devices for sensing. The materials revealed interesting PL properties that depend on the dimensionality, metal ion, co-ligand used and water content.


Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 730
Author(s):  
Erik Sarnello ◽  
Tao Li

Enzyme immobilization techniques are widely researched due to their wide range of applications. Polymer–protein core–shell nanoparticles (CSNPs) have emerged as a promising technique for enzyme/protein immobilization via a self-assembly process. Based on the desired application, different sizes and distribution of the polymer–protein CSNPs may be required. This work systematically studies the assembly process of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) and bovine serum albumin CSNPs. Average particle size was controlled by varying the concentrations of each reagent. Particle size and size distributions were monitored by dynamic light scattering, ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Results showed a wide range of CSNPs could be assembled ranging from an average radius as small as 52.3 nm, to particles above 1 µm by adjusting reagent concentrations. In situ X-ray scattering techniques monitored particle assembly as a function of time showing the initial particle growth followed by a decrease in particle size as they reach equilibrium. The results outline a general strategy that can be applied to other CSNP systems to better control particle size and distribution for various applications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S356) ◽  
pp. 96-96
Author(s):  
Eleonora Sani

AbstractI present a detailed study of ionized outflows in a large sample of 650 hard X-ray detected AGN. Taking advantage of the legacy value of the BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS, DR1), we are able to reveal the faintest wings of the [OIII] emission lines associated with outflows. The sample allows us to derive the incidence of outflows covering a wide range of AGN bolometric luminosity and test how the outflow parameters are related with various AGN power tracers, such as black hole mass, Eddington ratio, luminosity. I’ll show how ionized outflows are more frequently found in type 1.9 and type 1 AGN (50% and 40%) with respect to the low fraction in type 2 AGN (20%). Within such a framework, I’ll demonstrate how type 2 AGN outflows are almost evenly balanced between blue- and red-shifted winds. This, in strong contrast with type 1 and type 1.9 AGN outflows which are almost exclusively blue-shifted. Finally, I’ll prove how the outflow occurrence is driven by the accretion rate, whereas the dependence of outflow properties with respect to the other AGN power tracers happens to be quite mild.


2019 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 01005
Author(s):  
Georgios Birmpilis ◽  
Reza Ahmadi-Naghadeh ◽  
Jelke Dijkstra

X-ray scattering is a promising non-invasive technique to study evolving nano- and micromechanics in clays. This study discusses the experimental considerations and a successful method to enable X-ray scattering to study clay samples at two extreme stages of consolidation. It is shown that the proposed sample environment comprising flat capillaries with a hydrophobic coating can be used for a wide range of voids ratios ranging from a clay suspension to consolidated clay samples, that are cut from larger specimens of reconstituted or natural clay. The initial X-ray scattering results using a laboratory instrument indicate that valuable information on, in principal evolving, clay fabric can be measured. Features such as characteristic distance between structural units and particle orientations are obtained for a slurry and a consolidated sample of kaolinite. Combined with other promising measurement techniques from Materials Science the proposed method will help advance the contemporary understanding on the behaviour of dense colloidal systems of clay, as it does not require detrimental sample preparation


1995 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Burkhard Beckhoff ◽  
Birgit Kanngießer

X-ray focusing based on Bragg reflection at curved crystals allows collection of a large solid angle of incident radiation, monochromatization of this radiation, and condensation of the beam reflected at the crystal into a small spatial cross-section in a pre-selected focal plane. Thus, for the Bragg reflected radiation, one can achieve higher intensities than for the radiation passing directly to the same small area in the focal plane. In that case one can profit considerably from X-ray focusing in an EDXRF arrangement. The 00 2 reflection at Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) crystals offers a very high intensity of the Bragg reflected beam for a wide range of photon energies. Furthermore, curvature radii smaller than 10 mm can be achieved for HOPG crystals ensuring efficient X-ray focusing in EDXRF applications. For the trace analysis of very small amounts of specimen material deposited on small areas of thin-filter backings, HOPG based X-ray focusing may be used to achieve a very high intensity of monochromatic excitation radiation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (S313) ◽  
pp. 260-265
Author(s):  
D. M. Worrall ◽  
M. Birkinshaw

AbstractMost X-ray studies of radio-mode feedback have concentrated on locally-abundant low-power radio sources in relatively rich cluster environments. But the scaling found between mechanical and radiative power, when combined with the radio luminosity function, means that half of the heating in the local Universe is expected from higher-power sources, which lie within a factor of about three of the FRI/II transition, and these sources encounter a wide range of atmosphere properties. We summarize what is observed at FRI/II transition powers from a complete sample observed with modest Chandra exposure times. We then discuss two systems with deep Chandra data. In one we find that the work done in driving shocks exceeds that in evacuating cavities. This source also displays a remarkable jet-cloud interaction, and revealing hotspot X-ray emission. In the second we find evidence of radio-emitting plasma running along boundaries between gas of different temperature, apparently lubricating the gas flows and inhibiting heat transfer, and itself being heavily structured by the process.


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