In this study, nZVI prepared by borohydride reduction was applied for the removal of Cu 2+ ions under a variety of experimental conditions. The uptake experiments investigated the effects of initial concentration, contact time, pH, and repetitive loading on the extent of retardation of Cu 2+ ions. Within the applied conditions, the sorbent demonstrated fast uptake kinetics and outstanding fixation abilities up to an initial Cu per g of nZVI. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results, Cu 2+ ions were sorbed primarily via a redox mechanism that resulted in the formation of Cu 2 O and Cu 0 . The contact of iron nanoparticles with aqueous media caused extensive formation of iron oxide. However, the material did not completely lose its removal capacity and was repeatedly applied at low concentrations for further uptake trials.

On the 12th of March 2011, The Great Tōhoku Earthquake occurred 70 km off the eastern coast of Japan, generating a large 14 m high tsunami. The ensuing catalogue of events over the succeeding 12 d resulted in the release of considerable quantities of radioactive material into the environment. Important to the large-scale remediation of the affected areas is the accurate and high spatial resolution characterisation of contamination, including the verification of decontaminated areas. To enable this, a low altitude unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a lightweight gamma-spectrometer and height normalisation system was used to produce sub-meter resolution maps of contamination. This system provided a valuable method to examine both contaminated and remediated areas rapidly, whilst greatly reducing the dose received by the operator, typically in localities formerly inaccessible to ground-based survey methods. The characterisation of three sites within Fukushima Prefecture is presented; one remediated (and a site of much previous attention), one un-remediated and a third having been subjected to an alternative method to reduce emitted radiation dose.

The novel technique of liquid-phase pulsed laser ablation has been used to obtain unique, highly ordered nanostructures of crystalline carbon nitride (C3N4) via ablation of a graphite target submerged in aqueous ammonia solution. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis shows that the morphology of the carbon nitride material changes at different length scales, depending upon the synthesis conditions. The initial ablation product comprises spherical nanoparticles of carbon nitride, which then elongate to nanorods (10 nm by ∼200 nm) with further ablation. Given sufficient concentration, the nanorods aggregate to form multilayered structures, and then ultimately larger, ordered “leaf-shaped” structures 30−50 nm by ∼200 nm in size. With even higher concentration, these leaflike structures can themselves aggregate to create interconnected networks of large micrometer scale clusters, which ultimately rearrange to micrometer-sized flowerlike structures. The various nanostructures were characterized using a number of analysis techniques, and their composition was found to be consistent with that of crystalline α- or β-phase carbon nitride. A formation mechanism for these structures is proposed that rationalizes the observed morphologies.

Abstract:A surface preparation route is presented that is designed to give high-quality finishes to austenitic stainless steels for analysis with advanced scanning probe microscopy techniques. The method details a series of polishing and cleaning steps suitable for novices and experts alike. The steps taken are justified throughout and illustrated with examples of potential defects.